The following is a statement from Tony Dungy, regarding the comments he made about Michael Sam, and the controversy that ensued. (For more on the backlash against his remarks go here).
The statement begins:
Follow paulmbanks“Things Happened” under Tony Dungy, 17 Colts got arrested
July 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment
UPDATE: Tony Dungy releases statement in response to backlash against his remarks
“I wouldn’t have taken him,’’ said former Bucs and Colts coach Tony Dungy, now an analyst for NBC. “Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it.
“It’s not going to be totally smooth … things will happen.’’
Michael Sam as member of the St. Louis Rams had actually ceased to be top of mind for me a while ago, and as news representation goes, it would appear the same for most of the sports media consumers. That’s a good thing. Normalizing the first openly gay NFL player via apathy of the general public is a step toward making an athlete’s sexuality a non-issue.
Tony Dungy feels otherwise. Besides being a noted homophobe, the former coach, current analyst, and guy tapped for tapioca public speaking and life-coaching books decided to make it known that coaching a player who is different or who he feels has potential to create a problem just isn’t worth it.
Follow paulmbanksJimmie Ward: what San Francisco 49ers fans should expect
July 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment
So what are the San Francisco 49ers getting this year in Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward? He became just the second Huskie ever to be drafted in the first round when he was chosen with the 30th overall pick. Ward made an impression during 2014 Reese’s Senior Bowl Week in his hometown of Mobile, Ala., and followed that with an impressive performance at the NIU Pro Day in March.
Ward measured in at 5-10 ½ inches and 197 pounds, ran the 40 yard dash in 4.45 seconds, had a 38-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 10 ½ feet.
Follow paulmbanksCan New Orleans Saints defense carry them to the Super Bowl?
July 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment
When discussing the New Orleans Saints…First off, anyone who ever does a “Saints go marching….” cliche gets KICKED IN THEIR THROAT SO THEY NEVER TALK AGAIN. If you really are that bad at your job that you have to make a reference to the song that helped name the team and use it to try and sound clever, you are too dumb to work in this field. And you’re too boring to be allowed to speak. I hope your NFL credentials are revoked for that.
*rant over*
Now, let’s get on to talking about the New Orleans Saints defense.
Follow paulmbanksLatest updates on the Baltimore Ravens
July 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The Baltimore Ravens rode Joe Flacco’s big arm and a strong defense led by the retiring and inspiring Ray Lewis to a magical Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers. That was the 2012-2013 season. The 2013-2014 season was much different. Gone were future Hall-of-Famers Lewis and Ed Reed. Also gone was Flacco’s favorite target Anquan Boldin. To make matters worse, another one of his other favorite targets, Dennis Pitta, went down with a dislocated hip in training camp. The Ravens failed to make the playoffs, finishing 8-8. Despite a tumultuous offseason where five players were arrested, they are confident they can get back to the top of the AFC North in 2014. [Read more...]
Follow paulmbanksSan Diego Chargers only go as far as suspect defense takes them
July 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Phillip Rivers proved that he still can bring it. The San Diego Chargers QB answered his critics with authority. Just like his sperm cells often answer egg cells with authority. He led a high powered offense (almost as high powered as his fertilization capabilities) that overcame the shortcomings and the injuries on defense. Their pass defense was awful, and San Diego made some excellent changes to upgrade the secondary in the offseason, getting Jason Verrett where they did in the draft was a steal.
Follow paulmbanksBaltimore Ravens: new icon of the NFL criminal element
July 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment
In America, the NFL slaughters everything, while all other leagues are merely a niche sport. Even college football, which clearly comes in second, is a very distant second. This despite all the horrible negative publicity that surrounds the team everyday. I’m not just talking about the concussion crisis. Yes, football damages brains and destroys lives but that will not deter me or you from watching it.
Neither will the criminal element within the game. Look at the New England Patriots. Despite all the horrible human beings that suited up for them in recent years, they remain one of the league’s leading franchises. The Cinncinaughty Bengals had a lot of felonies and misdemeanors. Their fanbase ain’t shrinking. Now the Baltimore Ravens.
They’re the new face of crime and (lack of) punishment in the NFL
Follow paulmbanksVIDEO: Tampa Bay Buccaneers bottom feeders again
July 19, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Ah, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When your offfense is a ship wreck (yes, pirate pun intended) and your quarterback position is to passing the football what Amy Schumer is to telling G Rated jokes, you’re not going to win very much. Hence the broad sweeping reforms. I could have told you years ago that Josh Freeman was hot garbage- why didn’t you listen to me? The new Josh is an upgrade, but he’s certainly not the answer.
Overpaid as he is, it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
Follow paulmbanksVIDEO: Carolina Panthers still have really bad WRs
July 19, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Last year’s NFC South title was definitely a fluke for the Carolina Panthers. The defense is for real, and it will be stout again. However, this team has some issues on offense. The receiving corps wasn’t even that great to begin with, and their top three WRs are all gone. They’ll try to replace them with a rookie (Kelvin Benjamin) and the mediocre at best Jason Avant. Yikes!
Cam Newton might be starting to fulfill his potential, but he can’t do it alone. His OL isn’t exactly hot stuff either.
Follow paulmbanksThe 2014 BSPYs
July 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Awards shows are self-congratulatory industry bacchanalia that we play voyeur to because we love watching rich and famous people be rich and famous and pretend to be humble.
Slap on a death montage and a lifetime achievement award of some sort to keep it from being a full blown orgy of how awesome everyone must think this specific entertainment medium being celebrated is.
Follow paulmbanksSan Diego Chargers will be an AFC West contender
July 18, 2014 by 2 Comments
Last year surprised a lot of San Diego Chargers fans as the Bolts took the NFL by complete surprise, and Phillip Rivers proved that he still can bring it. He answered his critics with authority. He led a high powered offense that overcame the shortcomings and the injuries on defense. Their pass defense was awful, and San Diego made some excellent changes to upgrade the secondary, and the team as a whole.
Did the Chargers improve themselves this past offseason?
Is San Diego’s Gaslamp District excessively loud?
Follow paulmbanksMore Money For Sports In Brazil And Chicago, More Problems
July 16, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Thing about television is that it only shows you the unpleasant and the uncomfortable when it makes for better theater. Rarely is such the case in viewing sports. Besides the actual game action, a national broadcast is going to feed you shots of local peculiarities and regional foodstuffs during timeouts.
Going in and out of commercials you get the blimp views of the stadia amid a lit up downtown at night, stock footage of hustle and bustle during the daytime, and shots of some unique piece of architecture soundtracked by a song from and/or about whatever city the game is in. Oh, hey, look at the city-native-but-now-probably-expatriate celebrity in the stands totally trying to go unnoticed in that black baseball cap. (8,974 screenshots get tweeted.)
And Drake. There’s always Drake.
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