“It was a miscommunication between the staff and myself” – Brady Hoke
EL BARIO, BRONX – This has been a tough week of stress from all corners of my life but no one has had a tougher week than the sport of American Football. Your righteous Deacon Blaber feels sorry for those who love the the game, yet my Bully Sports Pulpit today will recap the events of the week in Football’s three levels and the rest of Fall sports.
NFL: Good News for the NFL in that there were no new player arrests this week. However, Arizona RB Jonathan Dyer has been indicted on 2 counts of domestic abuse charges for “checking” his wife and the kid.
Unfortunately for hypocrite Commissioner Roger Goodell, the press is still investigating. Apparently there have been more than 700 plus arrests since 2000. It has shown that the less important a player the harsher he was dealt with by his team and league. The full article is here.
The one incident, by the way, that proves the NFL hypocrisy is the murder/suicide of Javon Belcher and his girlfriend. The league made the Chiefs play just days later, with Belcher’s locker still in tact. Has anyone talked about PED’s and the league? I am sure it is just a coincidence.
To make a little worse Hasian Abdullah was given an excessive celebration penalty for Muslim prayer as the Chiefs spanked the Pats. The league said it shouldn’t been a flag, the refs association said it should. The funny part was when Abdullah’s agent got involved.
NCAA Football: The college boys and coaches are having their own troubles. Starting with Brady Hoke and Michigan. Coach Hoke allowed a clearly concussed Shane Morris continue to play QB. When asked about it, Hoke (already under pressure for one of the worst starts to a season in school history), blamed a miscommunication with the medical staff. Apparently when Hoke said “fix him and get him out there,” the staff didn’t realize he meant, “If he is not well, I won’t play him.” How this happens in time of concussion awareness is a shock but I have seen it happen in the top pro rugby leagues in Europe during a playoff game earlier this year. Lack of player welfare is a plague on coaches. Way to ensure you get fired.
In other BIG 10 news, the Ohio State Strength and Conditioning Coach Anthony Schlegel will likely have been warned by head coach Urban Meyer about appropriate behavior. Schlegel a former player took umbridge with a fan running onto the field during a game. Rather than leave it for the stadium security took matters into his own hand, literally! Schlegel body slammed the poor kid. I say poor kid not because I am defending his idiocy but poor kid cause that is gonna leave a mark, haha!!
HS Football: Now to something not funny… Three HS football players died this week. Three teenage boys in the prime of their lives, including NYC area kid – Tom Cutinella, a 16-year-old junior at Shoreham-Wading River High School on Long Island.
No punchline here, just a desperate need for a look at concussion protocol, tackle technique and going into contact technique. I will say as a guy that plays without equipment in rugby, you have to get your contact technique correct to protect yourself, football often makes guys lazy because of the luxury of padding.
In other sports here is a quick rundown on the fall sports scene before I exit stage left.
MLB: I don’t care!! Didn’t know who is playing til the other day. Stephen Somethingburg and Clown Question guy in the NL. The AL will be Bucky O’hare’s guys or Mike Trout will achieve more in 5 years than most HoFers
NBA: The Knicks will suck!! Carmelo will stop the triangle to jack shots and Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson will have no idea what to do.
NHL: I am watching Pre-season hockey, I am so desperate to watch the season start. I wanna believe in Viggy and the Rangers but I need to see how they go over the course of the season.
Cheesy Bruin, with the best/worst NFL Picks on the Planet, tomorrow.
