Posted on August 31st, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Allen Pinkett, a former star halfback and current radio analyst for Notre Dame, was sincere Wednesday when he said the Fighting Irish need “a few bad citizens” on their roster in order to succeed at the highest levels of college football.
“I mean, that’s how Ohio State used to win all the time,” Pinkett said Wednesday in a radio interview. “They would have two or three guys that were criminals. That just adds to the chemistry of the team … You can’t have a football team full of choirboys. You get your butt kicked if you have a team full of choirboys, so you’ve gotta have a little bit of edge.”
Not surprisingly, that was followed by a swift rebuttal from Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbick and a suspension for Pinkett. Swarbick said that the comments were “nonsense. Of course, Allen does not speak for the university, but we could not disagree more with this observation.”
However, Pinkett was half right in his assertion, even though he subsequently apologized. “It’s clear that I chose my words poorly and that an apology is in order for these inappropriate comments,” he said in a statement. “My words do not reflect the strong pride and passion I have for the Notre Dame football program. I am deeply sorry and did not intend to take away the focus from the upcoming season opener.”
But we can’t have a frank and earnest discussion about top-level football — college or the NFL — if we overlook the sport’s violent nature and some of the personality types it attracts.
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Posted on August 31st, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
In cases involving a man, a woman and a closed door, the difference between accusations and actualities can be difficult to assess. Verdicts rendered by the criminal justice system aren’t always accurate, no matter which side they favor. Unfortunately, regardless of who’s lying and who’s not, both parties are stained.
That’s simply how society views accusers and the accused in sexual assault cases. But we don’t have to accept it quietly.
Dezmine Wells, a sophomore forward, was expelled from Xavier University on Aug. 21 for “a serious violation of the Code of Student Conduct,” according to a school statement. This week, an Ohio grand jury declined to bring criminal charges against Wells for an alleged sexual assault. The county prosecutor raised serious questions about Xavier’s decision, rendered by the school’s Conduct Board, which is composed of faculty, students and administrators.
“There is something seriously flawed with a procedure where a young man and his accuser appear before a group of people, which I would suggest probably isn’t very well trained in assessing these types of cases, and they sit there and tell their stories,” prosecutor Joe Deters said in a statement. “No lawyers, nothing. There’s just something wrong with that.”
It’s a wrong that Xavier won’t right. There was no acknowledgment that Deters has a point. No apology to Wells for a rush to judgment. No invitation to return to school and rejoin the basketball team.
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Posted on August 31st, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Robert Griffin III wasn’t seen on the field Wednesday in Washington’s preseason finale, but all eyes will be on him once the season starts.
Who he has his eyes on downfield will be another story, one of the biggest questions surrounding the 2012 campaign. But no matter who winds up on the receiving end of RG3’s passes, the Redskins will boast a deep and talented corps of wideouts.
Griffin’s transition was made easier the moment Washington acquired Pierre Garcon. Presumably a No. 1-type receiver, Garcon simply has to prove that his success wasn’t based solely on Peyton Manning’s arm and smarts. We’ve watched great quarterbacks elevate middling receivers (Tom Brady and Deion Branch).
But we’ve also witnessed veteran pass-catchers propel rookie QBs (Steve Smith and Cam Newton).
RG3 and Garcon haven’t had much time together in live action, but they’re bonding nonetheless. Of Griffin’s 31 attempts and 20 completions in the preseason, Garcon was targeted 15 times and made eight receptions. They just missed hooking up on a couple of long throws Saturday, but their budding relationship looks promising.
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Posted on August 29th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Graham Gano wasn’t the longest-tenured member of the Washington Redskins. He wasn’t among the team’s most popular and recognizable players. He doesn’t have 33 touchdowns, 4,703 receiving yards and a franchise-record (for tight ends) 428 receptions.
That describes Chris Cooley, whose primary connection to Gano was severed Tuesday when they were cut and became former Redskins.
But like the kickers who preceded him, and those yet to come, Gano’s tale can’t be compared to players at other positions. The job is too peculiar, too isolated and too psychological, putting Gano’s fraternity in a cruel, self-devouring clique.
One day you’re celebrating because the competition was released, suggesting that you won the training-camp battle. The next day, you’re looking for work because the Redskins signed another team’s discard and gave him your job.
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Posted on August 29th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
I’m glad that troubled Dallas Cowboys star receiver Dez Bryant realizes the error of his ways. I’m glad that he wants to make some changes. And I’m glad that people are in place to help him.
But I don’t like the notion of special rules that essentially relieve Bryant of all responsibility.
According to multiple published reports, the Cowboys have a set of guidelines in place to hold Bryant accountable. But if he has a rotating three-man security team with him at all times that drives him to and from practices, games and all team functions, that doesn’t leave much room for personal accountability.
The guidelines might include a midnight curfew, twice-a-week counseling sessions, a ban on alcohol and a ban on attending strip clubs. An adviser, David Wells, said that Bryant asked for guidance, and the exact plan hasn’t been finalized. But it could resemble the procedures put in place for Adam “Pacman” Jones, another former client.
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Posted on August 24th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
The NFL’s stranglehold on our collective sports’ psyche is almost incomprehensible. In a Harris Poll released earlier this year, 36 percent of sports fans chose pro football as their favorite, more than twice the number of the next two sports combined (baseball and college football, at 13 percent apiece).
The league’s Midas touch is legendary, proved again recently when it fetched an increase that’s more than 50 percent higher for broadcast rights from NBC, CBS and Fox, and a 73 percent increase from ESPN. Throw in DirecTV, and the NFL collects about $4 billion per year from TV rights. Combined with other assorted and sundry revenue streams, the league is a $9 billion beast.
But despite its majesty, might and money, the NFL is poised to start this season without its regular officials.
That’s like embarking on a trip in your luxury sedan with a set of temporary “doughnuts” on the wheels. It not only looks terrible, but the ride won’t be nearly as smooth.
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Posted on August 24th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Some folks behind the steering wheels of luxury sedans can barely keep food on the table. Some folks who live in gorgeous mini-mansions can barely pay their other bills. Some folks who regularly buy expensive clothes, make expensive hair-care appointments and drink expensive cups of coffee can barely make ends meet.
Is that the fault of the automakers, builders, designers, stylists and baristas? Of course not. Likewise, no one should blame Nike and LeBron James if their exorbitantly priced sneakers land on the feet of people who really can’t afford them.
A shock wave roiled pop culture this week when the Wall Street Journal reported that Nike’s priciest version of James’ next basketball shoe is expected to retail for $315. After a day of furious reaction from some quarters, Nike said the reported price is inaccurate, while pointing out that James’ main shoe will retail for $180, with another signature shoe offered at $120.
Even if the high-end, technology-laden model comes in at $275-$290, that’s still too costly for most of the teens and youngsters who’ll clamor for the shoes. Critics howled at Nike and James for having the nerve to market such expensive sneakers, especially given the current economic climate.
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Posted on August 22nd, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Plenty of pro football players hang up their cleats and transition to coaching careers. Far fewer go from making plays as athletes to calling plays as broadcasters. Then there’s the select number who make the leap from sports to pop culture, becoming mainstream entertainers in film or TV.
Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown retired at his peak in 1966 and went on to star in more than 40 movies. Around the same time, Fred Williamson went from being an NFL defensive back to one of the first “blaxploitation” stars. More recently, O.J. made a name in Hollywood before he was named in a murder case.
Successful moves to the small screen have been far less frequent, unless you count reality-TV shows that have featured the likes of Deion Sanders, Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco. But it looks as if broadcaster Michael Strahan is about to set a new standard for former pro athletes gaining TV prominence that’s not sports-related.
According to Broadcasting & Cable, and since reported by multiple other outlets, the former Super Bowl champ with the New York Giants will replace Regis Philbin next month as co-host of Live! alongside Kelly Ripa. She’s expected to make the announcement during the Sept. 4 broadcast.
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Posted on August 22nd, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
It’s bad enough that sports journalists around the country are shredding the Washington Nationals for the Shutdown Stephen Strasburg project. Most local media, however, seem to agree with the decision, probably due to our proximity and our inherent interest in the team’s long-term planning.
But there’s nothing like a good debate in sports, and Strasburg’s countdown is fresh and different — qualities that often are in limited supply for sports squawkers.
However, quarterback controversies are old, familiar and comfortable topics, predating the tussle between Oakland’s George Blanda and Daryle Lamonica. That’s probably why some folks in the media are trying to engender a competition between Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins.
Never mind that the Washington Redskins mortgaged their future and half of the practice bubble to obtain RG3. Never mind that coach Mike Shanahan emphatically named him the starter right after RG3 shook hands with the commissioner. Never mind that RG3’s name, image and jersey are plastered around D.C. like campaign stickers in a seven-way City Council race.
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Posted on August 20th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Condoleezza Rice doesn’t mind being among the best in her field, and she hasn’t been shy about being first, either, whether it was the first African-American woman to serve as national security adviser, secretary of state or Stanford University provost.
Now she can add another precedent to her list: the first African-American woman to become a member at the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters.
“I have visited Augusta National on several occasions and look forward to playing golf, renewing friendships and forming new ones through this very special opportunity,” Rice said Monday in a statement released by the club. She joins South Carolina financier Darla Moore as the revered club’s first female members.
This is no small step for Augusta National, which opened in 1932 and seemingly has been stuck there ever since. The club didn’t have a black member until 1990, but there’s no shortage of back waiters, black bartenders and black caddies. It’s among the nation’s most exclusive organizations, believed to have about 300 members, all of them accomplished, connected and wealthy.
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