Playahata

The NFL used to be so innocent.

Back in the day, when unknown, surgically enhanced women approached random pro football players, they were usually just prostitutes sent by Lawrence Taylor to tire rivals out before games.

Now players just don’t know who to trust.
A week after news of the Manti T’eo hoax broke, NFL.com reports some Washington Redskins players were contacted by a fan using the pseudonym “Sidney Ackerman”, as well as a photo avatar stolen from porn actress C.J. Miles (as opposed to the NBA player of the same name). full story

Say you’re an NFL player getting on in your career. You remember the days when you could plunge through the line 20, 30 times a game, post a dozen tackles, go all four quarters and overtime too. But now you don’t have the zip you used to. Sometimes you’re not even up for a game at all. It’s OK. It happens to a lot of players.

But all hope is not lost. If you believe Chicago’s Brandon Marshall, some players have found a way to keep that pep in their in-game step: a certain little blue pill. (more…)

A labor dispute between the National Football league and the union representing its referees reached a fever pitch Monday night during a game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers when substitute referees failed to call pass interference before a last-second touchdown. The play ended the game in favor of the Seahawks, when many argue it should have gone the other way. The play focused attention on the NFL’s decision to use substitute referees after it locked out the regular professionals over a dispute about pension plans and compensation. We’re joined by sportswriter Dave Zirin.

Terrell Owens has always been an island of sorts. His brash personality and self-absorption routinely alienated his teammates during an NFL career that teetered between terrific and toxic, leaving him to fend for himself. Now, at 38 and out of football, he’s lonelier than ever, and running out of money. In a GQ profile, Owens comes across as wounded, broke and desperate. When people text him to ask where he is, he replies back: “I’m in hell.”

But is it his own fault? That’s the perennial debate on T.O., who had a heartbreaking childhood but continually pointed fingers at everyone but himself once he became an adult.

In the GQ story by Nancy Hass, Owens blames the media for not giving him a chance to rehab his injury, blames agent Drew Rosenhaus for not protecting him from a bad business arrangement, and — perhaps most surprisingly — blames a former team captain for his issues with former Philadelphia teammate Donovan McNabb. (more…)

Braylon Edwards gave 79 students $10,000 for college
By Chris Chase

At 22 college campuses across the country, there are 79 students who may not otherwise be there if not for the generosity of Braylon Edwards. As a Cleveland Browns rookie in 2005, Edwards announced he’d give $10,000 in scholarships to 100 area eighth-graders if they could graduate high school with over a 2.5 GPA and 15 hours community service. Of the 100 who were afforded the opportunity, 79 met the criteria and have begun their first year of college. Many are attending Ohio universities, but the schools represented spread across the country and include Harvard, Cornell and Johns Hopkins. (more…)

Apparently, Chicago Bears receiver Sam Hurd’s close personal proximity to Tim Tebow last Sunday in the Bears’ overtime loss to the Denver Broncos did nothing to clean up Hurd’s act. As reported by many sources, but perhaps in the most up-to-date fashion by Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times, Hurd was busted on Wednesday by undercover Homeland Security agents after attempting to set up regular purchases of marijuana and cocaine to expand a drug sale system that he already had going.

The Bears organization released a brief statement Thursday morning: “We are aware of Sam’s arrest and are continuing to gather details. We are disappointed whenever these circumstances arise.” The former Dallas Cowboys receiver signed a three-year, $5.1 million contract with the Bears on July 29.

According to Jensen’s reports, Hurd met with an undercover Homeland Security agent on Wednesday and attempted to set up a system by which he would purchase 5-10 kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 pounds of marijuana per week to distribute in Chicago. Here’s the real kicker — according to the complaint, Hurd said that he was already distributing four kilos of cocaine per week in the greater Chicago area with a co-conspirator, but that this amount wasn’t enough. (more…)

Former Ravens DB Chris McAlister claims he is already broke Three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Chris McAlister(notes) has only been out of the game for a year, and already, he’s telling the court system that he’s broke. McAlister is locked up in a child support battle with his ex-wife Marlene, and is trying to get his child support payments lowered. He currently owes her $11,000 per month. In documents filed to the court, claims he can’t pay her because he doesn’t have any money. From TMZ:

In the docs, Chris — a 1st round NFL draft pick in 1999 who played in the league for 10 years — states, “I have been unemployed since 2009.
I have no income.” He adds, “I live in my parent’s home. My parents provide me with my basic living expenses as I do not have the funds to do so.”

This is a guy who’s only been out of the game for one year. Who’s giving him financial advice, Ric Flair? McAlister’s not even officially retired. He spent 10 years with the Ravens, and was once considered one of the best corners in the game. He was with the Saints, in 2009, but didn’t see a lot of playing time before being released. (more…)

Poster’s Note: I have the sneaking suspicion that the general public who struggles to makes ends meet will be less than sympathetic to this.

Dez Bryant, one of the most highly rated rated wide receivers in the 2010 NFL Draft, raised eyebrows last week when he told Yahoo! Sports’ Michael Silver that one team asked him a particularly bizarre question during an interview:

“They asked me if my mom’s a prostitute,” Bryant says, an account that was confirmed by Wells, who attended the meeting. “No, my mom is not a prostitute. I got mad – really mad – but I didn’t show it. I got a lot of questions like that: Does she still do drugs? I sat and answered all of them.”

Today, the identity of Bryant’s questioner has been revealed. Silver reports that Miami Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland extended the tasteless inquiry. According to ESPN Dallas, Ireland apologized to Bryant for using “poor judgment.” (more…)

The most important black athlete in existence Rolle a Rhodes Scholar, future NFL player … and man smashing stereotypes
By Shaun Powell

A defining moment in sports as it relates to African Americans, at least for me, came one day last year when kids in South-Central L.A. and the South Side of Chicago and parts of the Bronx and Brooklyn took down their posters of Kobe Bryant. They replaced Kobe with a player whose claim to fame was — get a load of this — being the leading scorer for his small private high school team. And he didn’t fetch a single college scholarship offer. At least not for basketball. (more…)