Vick, Others, Continue To Damage NFL's Image

Another slew of off the field incidents further stereotype

The NFL seems to have a growing problem on its hands with each passing day. What do to with their troubled athletes?

Once again, another group of names from the NFL is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. This time the names bring some fresh faces, and some that have lined the police blotter before. Chris Henry, Clinton Portis, Justin Miller, Steve McNair and most notably Michael Vick have all made headlines for off the field incidents.

Henry, who has already been suspended by Roger Goodell for 8 games this upcoming season for past offenses, made headlines on Monday for allegedly failing a court mandated drug test, which his agent promptly denied. Justin Miller also made headlines early Monday morning for an altercation in a nightclub, during which Miller accidentally struck a woman and fled the police before being captured and charged with 3rd degree assault.

McNair, who in May 2003, was arrested and charged with DUI and possession of a loaded firearm while intoxicated, once again found himself arrested for a DUI charge, this time as a passenger, due to the fact that he was the owner of the truck and the driver of the truck was also intoxicated.

Even with all of the other players being arrested and charged, the biggest story is still developing. Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick has been caught in the middle of an investigation of dogfighting at one of his Virginia homes. Vick quickly went on the offensive and denied the story

"I'm never there. I'm never at the house. I left the house with my family members and my cousin. They just haven't been doing the right thing. The issue will get resolved. It's unfortunate I have to take the heat behind it. If I'm not there I don't know what's going on."

But as more information has come out regarding the story, the more Vick looks more involved than he would like the public to believe.

First, former teammates of Vick's came out and said not only did he know of what was going down in the home, he funded the operation. Then Vick was also linked to the website of the dogfighting ring. Most recently, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that during the raid on the property, envelopes addressed to "M. Vick" were seized, along with a binder full of what are being called "contracts" or copies of contracts. The complete list of seized items reads as how-to when it comes to dogfighting.

• Cat Mill
• Jenny Mills
• Carpet Mill/Stand
• Treadmills (Electric/modified for dogs/all used for conditioning dogs to fight)
• Rape Stand (used for breeding)
• Assorted dietary supplements
• Weight pull harness
• Three wooden slat mills
• All animals/breeder certification and kennel documents
• Four kennels
  
• Dog food
• Chains and collars
• Assorted medicines
• Weight scale

What was more troubling was what condition the dogs and their living quarters were found in. Nearly 70 dogs were found on the property, five with scarring and other injuries. These scars were on the dogs' head, ears, chest, and front legs. Also, one dog was found with older injuries and recent cuts and needed immediate care. According to court documents "The dog had what appears to be an injury to the front leg , causing swelling and the leg to bend at an unnatural angle." Another dog was found with similar injuries to the first and needed to be taken to a clinic to prevent any further suffering.

Around 30 dogs were found tied to heavy logging chains. These dogs were tied up so they could come close to each other but not come in actual contact. These chains were then tethered to car axles buried in the ground, which in one officer's opinion was consistent with dogfighting. A majority of the dogs had no water or dirty water in their bowls, which were coated with a slimy, green substance, which appeared to be algae.

Another disturbing twist to the story came about when Washington Redskins RB Clinton Portis was asked about the situation and gave some troubling comments.

"I don't know if he was fighting dogs or not, but it's his property, it's his dog. If that's what he wants to do, do it. I think people should mind their business."

Portis was then informed that dog fighting is a felony, to which he replied, "It can't be too bad of a crime." Portis went on to say "You want to hunt down Mike Vick over fighting some dogs? I think people should mind their own business."

Behavior and comments like these are exactly why the NFL has the image that is has now. The NFL is viewed as a league of thugs and criminal who have an utter disregard for the law, and with recent events, who can blame the public at large for feeling that way? It seems that even though a message has already been sent by Commissioner Goodell that such behavior will not be tolerated by the league, the players refuse to listen. Justin Miller didn't learn from Pacman Jones that nightclubs are a breeding ground for trouble. Steve McNair didn't learn from his prior DUI charge. Chris Henry hasn't learned anything from his myriad of charges and convictions. Michael Vick comes off as a heartless, soulless human being who tortures animals for his entertainment. Clinton Portis and his comments just portray him as an ignorant man who seems not to care what anyone does on their property, regardless of the legality of the actions.

If Roger Goodell really wants to re-enforce his new conduct policy, he will bring the hammer down on these players who seem to have not gotten the message yet. These players need to fined and/or suspended for their off the field actions or Goodell will come off as weak, with a lack of a commitment to what he says, and that's the last thing the NFL and the NFLPA need right now.

Giambi's Apology Rings Hollow

Slugger once again apologizes for doing "stuff"

Once again, Yankees slugger Jason Giambi is in the news for all of the wrong reasons.

One would think that a man who is one of the embodiments of the steroids era in baseball would have learned to just lay low and keep quiet.

Not Jason Giambi, who became infamous for his confession of steroid and human growth hormone use to a grand jury during the BALCO investigation and his "apology," in which Giambi apologized to everyone under the sun...but never said what he was apologizing for.

Giambi sat down with a USA Today reporter for an interview and let out a quote so vague that it was in the league of Andy Reid's post game press conferences.

"I was wrong for doing that stuff. What we should have done a long time ago was stand up -- players, ownership, everybody -- and said: 'We made a mistake.'

Giambi also went on to say that he was glad for the new testing system, alleged that he is one of the more tested players in the game, and said that steroids did not help him hit home runs.

First off, if you're going to apologize, you do not come out twice and let out these vague, cheap apologizes for offenses that you won't name. Secondly, to have the nerve to say that steroids did not help him hit home runs is ludacrous. If they don't help you hit home runs you wouldn't have taken them. If steroids don't give you an advantage over other players you wouldn't have taken them. If steroids didn't help your game how come you went from a decent contact hitter to a home run king?

Also, you're glad for the new testing system? This is the same system that got such big name cheats as Alex Sanches and Juan Salas. Let's face it, the steroid testing in Major League baseball is a joke. The powers that be within baseball will suspend someone just to show that the system works. When that eventually was not enough to quell the masses, Major League Baseball finally took someone down of importance, Rafael Palmeiro, who, as he testified before Congress, emphatically, with his finger pointed at everyone in the room, denied steroid use.

I don't know what it is about these juiced sluggers who think they can fool the public. Giambi comes off as a total fraud and a coward for hiding behind his weak, vague statements, and Palmeiro was shown to be a liar and a cheat. These players should learn from Jason Giambi and other players, such as Barry Bonds. You may be innocent under the blind eye that is the steroid policy, but in the court of public opinion, they will always be liars, cheats and frauds.

Clemens Sets Dangerous Precedent

Special treatment opens Pandora's Box in the sports world

There are a few constants in life; work, death and Roger Clemens once again making a mid-season return. This time, however, is a little different than before. This time, Roger might have pulled his antics on the wrong team.

The New York Yankees are the most popular franchise in all of Major League Baseball. Also, thanks to their very visible owner, George Steinbrenner, the Yankees hold themselves to a higher standard than all of the other teams. The Yankees are one of the few teams to have only numbers on their jerseys, with the name on the front being more important than the one on the back. The Yankees also have a strict dress code, with everyone's uniform looking exactly the same, hair all the same length, with no facial hair, along with the prohibition of visible tattoos.

This is where Roger Clemens comes into the equation. Since Roger's last go around with the Yankees, in which Clemens gave all indications that he would be retiring after the year, Clemens has used his sheer dominance as a pitcher to his advantage. Clemens took his ball and went to Houston, who gave Roger all of the perks that he wanted. Clemens did not have to travel with the team and could leave road trips early once he was done pitching.

With Clemens once again playing his "Will he? Won't he?" game for the fourth time and the Yankees desperate for pitching, everyone around baseball saw that these two situations were about to collide and nothing was going to stop it. Clemens once again returned to baseball for a staggering $28 million. This wasn't what surprised most people because the Yankees are no strangers to throwing around large sums of money, but what took people back was the fact that all of the perks that Roger had become accustomed to in Houston were in his Yankees contract.

For a organization that prides itself on being one singular unit, they took that mantra and threw it to the wayside for a pitcher who will turn 45 over the summer, who when he last faced American League hitting he went 13-8 with an ERA near 4...far from the Roger Clemens who when he faced National League hitting who went an average of 13-6 with a 2.38 ERA.

What Roger Clemens does is a dangerous thing for the sports world. Already its effects have started to show. Pete Sampras, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, is considering a comeback. The only problem is, that it would be only for the Wimbledon tournament. For athletes to be part-time players is just disrespectful to their fellow players and their respective games. What if Michael Jordan decided he wanted to play just for the playoffs, or Joe Montana wanted to play the final eight games of the season for a team? What Roger Clemens does on what has become a yearly basis is purely inspired by greed, money, and the desire for attention. Clemens wants every team to come and grovel at his feet, begging for his services, and every year, the teams come calling and Roger sells out to the highest bidder.

If more athletes start playing these types of games, "pulling a Roger Clemens" will become part of the sports lexicon, and this current age of "me" athletes will reach a new stratosphere thanks to Roger Clemens, and his utter lack of respect for his teammates and the game in general as he continues to set a dangerous precedent in which talented players can do whatever they want and get whatever they want...as long as the price is right.

NBA Playoffs Lack "Watchability"

Warriors exit, playoff match ups, Suns suspensions take excitement out of the playoffs.

With the Golden State Warriors 100-87 loss Tuesday, not only did the Warriors take their leave from the post-season scene, the best story in the NBA Playoffs went with them.

The underdog Warriors, who upset the NBA best Dallas Mavericks in the first round, were easily the most compelling story in the NBA. With their "live by the three, die by the three," up-tempo style of play, the Warriors amassed a cult following and a legion of celebrity fans, including Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba. It seemed like every game that the Warriors played throughout the playoffs kept viewers from coast to coast on the edge of their seat, even if games would stretch into the early morning on the east coast.

With players like Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, and Jason Richardson, the Warriors were a powder keg of emotion and energy, and throughout the game the powder keg would explode; with multiple technical and flagrant fouls, along with a number of ejections. After years of half-court, methodical basketball in the playoffs, the Warriors were a breath of fresh air. Warriors coach Don Nelson refused to hinder the decision making of his stars, and it showed with the Warriors shooting an average of 33 three point shots a game throughout their series with the Utah Jazz. Also, in an era in which many believe scoring has gone down, there was not a game in the series in which a team did not score 100 points or more.

What made the Warriors so special was their fans, who are arguably some of the best in the NBA. The sea of yellow "We Believe" t-shirts and the constant noise coming from the crowd created an atmosphere that you could not help but get wrapped up in. In a majority of NBA arenas you find two major types of crowds; 1) The empty arena of a team who is a cellar dweller of the NBA (see the Atlanta Hawks) or 2) The arena in which a team who has become so successful that they have priced their tickets in a way in which the hardcore fans have been prevented from seeing their team live (See the Detroit Pistons). The Warriors' fans seemed like an arena of average joes, who had a great passion for their team and the game and whose emotions were palpable with every home game Golden State played.

Another reason that the NBA playoffs are missing something this year is the way that the league handles certain situations. For one, the seeding system in the NBA is totally flawed. In both conferences, match ups are taking place now that should be Conference Final match ups, with San Antonio vs Phoenix in the West and Detroit vs. Chicago in the East. All of the other major sports re-seed the playoff brackets with every round, except the NBA and it has led abysmal ratings for the Cleveland/New Jersey series, which may be the worst second round series in the history of the NBA.

Finally, Stu Jackson's handling of the situation brought on by Robert Horry's shoving of Steve Nash in the aforementioned San Antonio/Phoenix series was downright atrocious and will surely affect viewers, even if its for one night. For Jackson to suspend an aging roleplayer in Robert Horry for two games and two major players for the Suns in Amare Stoudamire and Boris Diaw for a game was the wrong move to make. I don't know how Jackson expects his players to act, but when your teammate is shoved into the scorers table in a violent cheap shot late in the game, especially in a series that has already seen its share of chippy play, including a knee to the groin of Steve Nash and an apparant attempt to injure Amare Stoudamire by Bruce Bowen, the first reaction is to come to the aid of your teammate. For Jackson to suspend those players, it majorly hurt the Suns chances of winning the series, only two days after the Suns took back home-court advantage, and seemed on the verge of taking control of the serie. These suspensions have ruffled the feathers on many people in the Suns organization, including Steve Nash, who told espn.com he was "too disgusted" to comment. The validity of these suspensions come severely into question after a video surfaced of Spurs players Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen leaving the bench and clearly stepping onto the court earlier in the game when it looked like a possible fight might break out.

With the best story in the NBA now gone, awful and boring matchups throughout the Eastern Conference, combined with questionable decisions by the NBA policy makers that majorly affect the premier series in the playoffs, its no wonder that ratings for the NBA playoffs are slipping and will continue to slip as the NBA playoffs lack more and more "watchability".

Jones' Career Marked By Myriad Of Issues

Titans CB explosive on and off the field

For troubled Titans CB Adam "Pacman" Jones, the life as an NFL player has taken a different road than most.

The self-proclaimed "poster-boy" of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's new player conduct policy is no stranger to controversy. From Jones' first season he ruffled the feathers of those within the league.

Jones became the first player in the history of the Oilers/Titans franchise to hold out of training camp, missing most of the camp.

As the Titans organization and fans were to find out, contract disputes would not be the only problems with Jones. Since Jones was drafted in 2005, Jones has been arrested 5 times and questioned by police 10 times. Notable incidents include

• July 13, 2005- Jones was arrested on charges of felony vandalism and assault stemming from an altercation in a nightclub.
  
• October 2005- Jones was accused of not making sufficient contact with his probation officer. A judge ordered an extension of 90 days
• August 25, 2006- Jones was arrested in Mufreesburo, Tenn for disorderly conduct and public intoxication, stemming from Jones accusing a woman of stealing his wallet. The woman denied the allegations and alleged that Jones had spit on her. Local police ordered Jones to leave but Jones refused. Jones was sentenced six months probation and ordered to stay out of future trouble and to stay away from the club.
• October 26, 2006- Jones was cited for misdemeanor assault for allegedly spitting on a woman. This citation led to the Titans suspending Jones for one game.
• February 16-18 2007- Jones was involved in an altercation with a dancer at a Las Vegas nightclub. According to the owner of the club, Jones made his way to the front of the stage with $81,000, in one dollar bills and began to throw money into the air, also known as "making it rain". One of the dancers began to take the money without Jones' permission which angered Jones, who slammed the dancer's head into the stage. Club security then intervened, fighting with Jones' security, during which Jones allegedly bit a security guard on the leg and threatened the life of the guard. As the people in the club began to exit, the club owner says that a member of Jones' entourage opened fire into the crowd, striking three people, including security guard Tom Urbanski, paralyzing him from the waist down. This led to the Las Vegas Police recommending that Jones be charged with one count of felony coercion along with two misdemeanor counts of battery and threat to life.

These, along with numerous other altercations and accusations caught the eye of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who summoned Jones to New York to discuss Jones' past, and his future. This meeting would determine what punishment Jones would receive from the league.

The night before, as has been reported recently, Jones went to a local strip club with fellow players Takeo Spikes and Troy Vincent. Club security phoned the NFL offices and informed them that Jones was inside the club. Jones later confessed to being in the club during the meeting.

On April 10, 2007, Goodell announced that Jones would be suspended for the entire 2007-08 season, with a re-evaluation after 10 games. Jones then took to the airwaves in an interview with NFL Network broadcaster Deion Sanders. Jones apologized to the team, the NFL and his fans, promising to change. Jones also took out a full page ad in The Tennessean further apologizing. These words have already seemed to be nothing more lip-service as just last week, Jones was pulled over at 12:45...45 minutes after Jones' self imposed curfew for speeding on Interstate 65 heading into downtown Nashville. Jones was going 79 mph in a 55 mph zone and was cited for speeding.

Throughout Jones' career, Jones has constantly apologized for his actions and promised to change. Jones has always said that everyone will see a "new Pacman," but it has yet to happen. It is evident that Titans management has become tired of Jones' antics, saying that Jones is not a lock to return after his suspension is complete. Fans have also showed their discontent with the actions of their star CB, with the website nopacman.org

Throughout the life of Adam "Pacman" Jones, life has always been about the game. But with the off the field actions over the past two years, could it be "game over" for Pacman?