This is what we've come to expect from the "World Wide Leader" in sports. These inveterate jock-sniffers can't wait to get their hands around the next retired former jock and put them in a position to comment about the game they love. Have they ever heard of a background check, maybe a cursory Google search, maybe make a few phone calls?
The dilemma they invariably find themselves in is you have these knuckle-heads commenting on who is or isn't a good leader, a good team-player or an all-around good human-being when it seems like the judgment comes from one who really shouldn't be throwing such rocks. Just saying........
At some point these guys are going to pontificate about issues beyond the X's and O's. The Culture of the Game stuff. And that's where the fun really starts....
from Chicago Tribune
Former Detroit Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell calls Lomas Brown's actions 'reprehensible' - chicagotribune.com:
Mitchell suffered a season-ending broken wrist on Nov. 6, 1994, on a hit by Packers defensive end Sean Jones, who had a clear shot at Mitchell after Brown failed to block him. Brown said last week that he let Jones go through in hopes that Mitchell would get hurt because he was playing so poorly.
At the time of the injury, Mitchell was 5-of-15 passing for 63 yards and two interceptions.
Brown, now an NFL analyst, told ESPN: “We were playing Green Bay in Milwaukee. We were getting beat (24-0) at that time and (Mitchell) just stunk up the place. He's throwing interceptions, just everything. So I looked at Kevin Glover, our All-Pro center, and I said, ‘Glove, that is it.’ I said, 'I'm getting him out the game.' ... So I got the gator arms on the guy at the last minute, he got around me, he hit Scott Mitchell, he did something to his finger ... and he came out the game. Dave Krieg came in the game.”
Mitchell hasn't talked with Brown about his comments and doesn't plan to speak with him.
“That's a blatant disrespect for the game.” Mitchell told USA Today. “Players at that level play hard every play. If Lomas doesn't think this is serious, if he thinks this is a joke, tell him to think about Mike Utley, his old teammate. Mike Utley spends his days in a wheelchair because of an injury he got playing this game.”
'via Blog this'
Personally, I don't think so. But what do I know? This is the same network that gave us Me-Shawn Johnson, Commentator Extraordinaire about how things should work in the consummate team game.
Keysawn "Just Give Me the Damn Ball" Johnson
Keyshawn invented a segment that has now become one of the show's staples. Johnson invented a segment called "C'mon Man!" which allows each panel member to pick a moment in the last NFL week "revolving around either the play on the field or unprofessional behavior off it" that one might consider, on some level, either inexcusable or downright laughable. Each member verbalizes what their gripe may be, while highlights of the moment that they are illustrating run around it, and then ends with the panel member stating with disdain, "C'mon man!".
And he did give us C'mon Man! so perhaps there is some residual value to be gained for putting up with verbal sludge like Lomas Brown. Like mining for gold in a cesspool.
The problem with the ESPN model seems to be that in the struggle to find the next Sir Charles Barkley,
who may in fact be one-of-a kind, we are treated to a personnel strategy of "throw enough ex-jocks against the wall and see how many stick". Or a derivative of the "sit enough monkeys in front of typewriters and eventually they'll reproduce Shakespeare".
Note, we are still waiting for Shakespeare II, so.....there's got to be a better way, right?
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