“(My reputation) has always been important to me,” Favre told ESPN reporter Chris Mortensen. “That was one of the first questions I answered when I signed here (in Minnesota). Sure it is important to me; it has always been a concern.”
That’s how good ‘ole boy Brett (don’t call me Bret Michaels) Favre addressed the media when he was asked how all the flip-flopping on retirement would affect his legacy in the long run. Who knew that those same questions would surface after Favre was discovered to have been rocking out… With his cock out. Literally.
The future first ballot Hall-of-Famer, who recently became the first player in NFL history to reach the 70,000 passing yards and 500 touchdowns plateau, allegedly sent inappropriate messages and pictures — including a reported set of nude photos — to former Jets’ employee Jenn Sterger while Favre was on his first post-retirement, unretirement, narcissistic sympathy tour with the team.
The league is in the process of investigating the allegations against Favre.
Continue Reading A Question of Legacy »
“Because of his personality, because of who he is, nobody would have ever believed he would have done it.”
Those were the words of a close friend of Kenny McKinley, a wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, who was found dead last Monday at his home just miles from the Broncos training facility. Two female friends who were taking care of his son discovered McKinley’s body Monday and called 911. Detectives who responded to his home a few miles from the Broncos headquarters found McKinley’s body with a pillow over his head and a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol on top of the pillow. They also noted a strong odor of freshly burned marijuana, according to the report. Arapahoe County Coroner Michael Dobersen said Tuesday that McKinley died of a gunshot wound to the head. He said a preliminary investigation “suggests the wound to be self-inflicted.”
McKinley, who was a standout player at the University of South Carolina, was selected by the Denver Broncos in the 5th round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played eight games in 2009 as a kick returner. He returned 7 kicks for a total of 158 yards.
Continue Reading Paper Gladiators »
On Tuesday, current New Orleans Saints running back and former University of Southern California standout Reggie Bush became the first player in the 75 year history of the Heisman Trophy to forfeit the award. The 2005 Heisman trophy winner has been under pressure to relinquish the award after USC was fined, placed on probation, and banned from playing in bowl games after an NCAA investigation determined that Reggie Bush received improper benefits during his time at the university. New USC athletic director, and former Heisman Trophy winner, Pat Haden relinquished the university’s copy of Bush’s Heisman Trophy several weeks ago in a show of support for the NCAA’s decision. By forfeiting his 2005 Heisman Trophy, Bush preempted a possible vote by the Heisman Trophy Trust to strip him of the award.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Bush cited his former teammates, coaches, and family as the reason he chose to relinquish the award. “One of the greatest honors of my life was winning the Heisman Trophy in 2005. For me, it was a dream come true. But I know that the Heisman is not mine alone. Far from it. I know that my victory was made possible by the discipline and hard work of my teammates, the steady guidance of my coaches, the inspiration of the fans, and the unconditional love of my family and friends.
Continue Reading Relinquishing the Heisman »
SHE’s HERE!
We’re a little under 2-months away from the midterm elections and Republicans and Democrats alike are busy putting themselves in the best position to paint their opponents on the other side of the aisle as the most incompetent, listless, and apathetic party of the bunch on issues of great importance to the American electorate such as unemployment, lagging job growth and innovation, taxes (should they be raised on the wealthiest 2% or the vast masses of struggling middle class Americans), healthcare (the Republicans are screaming bloody socialism!), the continued war effort in Afghanistan, and the “not a war anymore but still kind of our responsibility” curmudgeon going on in Iraq.
While many of our elected officials are searching the Internet and cable news programs for quotes, sound bytes, and gaffs to soak their brushes in for this fall’s proverbial painting of the political kettle black, many Americans are turning to sports, theaters, reality television, and, for those who don’t want to risk seeing a pols face or a political ad in between marathon episodes of The Real Housewives of Washington D.C., media-free vacations and staycations.
Continue Reading Waiting for Superman? »
EUGENE, OREGON
My house is something of a tourist attraction, and it’s not just because we have a pretty view of the Willamette Valley from here. Busloads of people come by about once a month, and one time an Olympic sprinter knocked on my door and asked to take pictures. Pre’s Rock is a hundred yards away, where on the night of May 29-30th, 1975, Steve Prefontaine flipped his car in a mysterious accident. While he was idolized when he was alive, his death put him into the pantheon of sports immortals.
Prefontaine’s story must resonate with something hard wired into the human psyche because sports is eternal. The heroes, the bums, the winners, the losers, and the bad calls are and will be the stuff of everyday human conversation as long as the species survives. But as sports shapes our behavior, it also responds to the changes in our society over time.
My house looks out over the changes in sports in my lifetime. Pre’s Rock is doubly symbolic as it also represents to me the end of an era.
Continue Reading Consuming Competition »
