Larry needs to follow his own advise

Probowl running back Larry Johnson has been suspended indefinitely by the Kansas City Chiefs for the comments he's made on Twitter about his head coach and a derogatory comment he made to the press the following day. The press has been very touchy about releasing just what it was Johnson said on Twitter, but acknowledge that he used a three-letter gay slur and that was the breaking point. He then told one of the reporters who were asking him questions to “get your faggot ass out of here”. A comment that simply cannot be made in today's society, especially when there are cameras and video-recorders around. Johnson wasn't loud or violent, he made the comment under his breath and the reporter had to double check with several other reporters before they could confirm he even said it. He's since made a public apology saying “I didn't mean to offend anyone, but that is no excuse for my actions”. He is right that it's no excuse, because I don't care how upset or frustrated he was when he made those comments, honestly, how stupid do you have to be to get yourself in trouble in the NFL? It seems like every other week there has got to be a player who posts something politically incorrect or condescending on Twitter and have gotten reprimanded for it....so why do they keep doing it?! Johnson's a seasoned player, he isn't nearly as good as he used to be and that's probably got to have something to do with his attitude as of late, but he has no right to make any kind of comment like that, and I agree wholeheartedly with this punishment. I wouldn't even hesitate to cut him from the team. He sucks anyway, the team as a whole is horrible and they need mass rotation in their starting lineup if they ever want to begin improving, so why bother keeping a player who puts the head coach, and effectively the whole team, in a negative light? People do get angry, and everyone's been guilty of saying something completely innapropriate aloud in a time of anger, but when youre at that level of publicity and wealth you need to keep your attitude in check or get out of the business. It needs to be as simple as that so this kind of nonsense can stop happening immediately. It should be put into the hands of commissioner Roger Goodell, he should drop Johnson from the league and make an example out of him so players can stop being pathetic icons and TV personalities, and start focusing on being better players and all around better people. I know it's harsh, but these outbursts need to end and they won't until enough action is taken to prevent it from happening, or else history and these players are doomed to repeat themselves forever.

Limbaugh Brouhaha

Today the chairman of the St. Louis Rams made a statement about his views of Rush Limbaugh's intentions for purchasing the NFL team by saying the commotion that has arisen around the potential purchasers has become, “a complication and a distraction to our intentions”. Limbaugh has been removed from the list of potentials and he personally believes it's a result of his political alignment. He released a statement in response to his removal by stating the decision to remove him was purely political and claimed that this, “is an ongoing effort by the left in the country, wherever you find them, in the media, the Democratic party, or wherever, to destroy conservatism, to prevent the mainstreaming of anyone who is conservative.” Personally, I think Limbaugh is 100% right on this one. Many players were outraged at the thought of his involvement with an NFL team and many free agents flat out threatened to refuse to play for the man if they were on his team. All this outrage and controversy is completely based on Limbaugh's reputation as a heavily conservative radio personality. To refuse to play for the man because of his political beliefs is unfair, especially since Limbaugh has been singled out for this. I can almost guarantee you the billionaires you own NFL teams are largely republican, you think Jerry Jones isn't conservative? You'd be dead wrong. I don't care much for Limbaugh myself, but I'd take him any day over men like Al Davis, who run their organization with an iron fist. But Limbaugh's right, the politics of the conservative are largely unpopular and increasingly so over the past decade, but what he doesn't understand is this is a good thing. People are becoming more liberal and standing up for their rights and individualism now more than ever. The Capitalist government and republican views become more outdated by the moment. Thirty years ago Limbaugh would have sneaked his way into the NFL with ease, but the times they are a changing, and we don't need another conservative gaining profits at the expense of his employees.

Bowden taking a Bow?

Bobby Bowden is currently two wins behind Joe Paterno in being the winningest Division-1 head coach in college football history. He has won 21 bowl games, including the 99 BCS national championship title, and he is one of the only four active coaches to have been inducted into the college football hall of fame. So whats the problem? So far, the team hasn't been playing up to it's expectations this season. They are currently a troublesome 2-3 after winning the division title last year. After the teams second consecutive loss last week, FSU president T. K. Wetherell announced that Bowden must decide to retire at either the end of the 2009 or 2010 season, and the sooner the better. Saying quote, “Don't get me wrong, I love Bobby Bowden, but I love FSU more.” It makes sense the college's president is concerned for the university and want's their team to improve, but this has got to be one of the worst starts Bowden has ever experienced in his 34 years at the college. But does that mean you need to instantly pull the plug on a man who has contributed countless amounts of charity, media attention, and winning seasons to the school? He is nearly 80 years old, and from the agreements he has made with offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, the man is guaranteed a job replacing the man in the near future. So why must they be so advent on throwing Bowden out so quickly? I just don't understand why they couldn't let the man resign on his own terms. Who knows, maybe he had intended on retiring after this year regardless, but now that the president of the college has gone and made it known that the school wants him out his pride might not let him. And if he does, it's going to seem like he backed down to his schools demands, rather than it being on his own terms, like it should be. Why should he be punished and humiliated after doing so much for the organization? The school that claims he has overstayed his welcome, but who is to say they will be better without him? FSU wouldn't even be on the map if it wasn't for Bowden, and it's college football, upsets happen all the time, you can never accurately tell which team is going to win in almost any game. Two losses may put them out of the race for any big bowl games this year, but if they release Bowden now and next year the same thing happens, who will they have as a scapegoat then? I feel the school is putting too much blame on Bowden and showing an obvious lack of respect and gratitude for a man who should be a legend in their eyes.

Fines For Flatulence?!

This week head coach of the Cleveland Browns Eric Mangini fined one of his players $1,701 dollars for neglecting to pay a hotel for a $3 bottle of water. Naturally, the player has filed a complaint for this incident, but to be honest, he has no idea what he's in store for. Mangini has a reputation for being strict with his players; he would fine Jets players for flatulence during team meetings (seriously). Personally, I'm a little torn between my emotions for these strict regulations. At first, I love the thought of a player getting an outrageous fee for neglecting to do something so simple as paying for a water bottle. (Thats only if the player didn't pay the bill consciously) Too many players today are becoming too showy, too egotistical, and too pompous. I don't think any professional sports player has any excuse not to live by the same rules we do, especially if they are making incredible amounts of money. Mangini's fines must be his way of keeping his players grounded, stopping their ego's before they're too inflated and reinforcing plain old fashioned good manners. But the part that tears me up about this is the state in which the Browns are in. Lets face it, they're HORRIBLE, and fining them for minuscule reasons is not going to make them any better. If anything, it's going to make the players more distraught and further divide them between the coaches and themselves. With this on top of the juggling act with his quarterbacks, what exactly is Mangini trying to do in Cleveland? Is he asking for the players and fans to throw him out? If he really wants this team to turn around he needs to stop sweating the small stuff, pay for the bottle of water that kept your player hydrated, and try to develop some kind of positive relationship with your players for a change.