Eagles tight end and fantasy stud Brent Celek could face a fine from the NFL after striking “the Captain Morgan pose” in last week’s game against the Cowboys. Celek denies striking the pose intentionally, [cough...bullshi...cough] but an account executive at the Captain’s parent company, Diaego refuted that claim, saying that it was part of a charity effort. Either way, the NFL seems to be getting all the Captain out of their system.
“The issue is that players are specifically prohibited under our policies from wearing, displaying, promoting or otherwise conveying their support of a commercially identified product during a game while they’re on the field,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told Yahoo! Sports. “Whether it’s rum or soft drinks or any other commercial product, that type of promotion is prohibited.” [...]
[E]ach time a player was caught on camera in the pose…Captain Morgan planned to donate to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a non-profit that helps retired NFL players. The campaign was to be unveiled next week with donations of US$10,000 during the regular season, $25,000 for the playoffs and $100,000 in the Super Bowl. –Canadian Press, eh?
I thought the pose was the one of the few bright spots in that game, but I get it. The NFL hates fun. And rum, apparently. As if the world ran on those Coors Light ads that are entirely over the shark. This whole situation is just sad. At least I have you, Miller High Life. You’re always there when I need you.
Lots of sucking off happened during the weekend, and why not, the weather was perfect for it. Perhaps the most momentous suck was NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson crashing his car in the Dickies 500 yesterday, thereby eliminating his “insurmountable unless he crashes in the Dickies 500″ lead. So there’s that.
In college football, Alabama managed to stay unbeaten against LSU, in no small part to another questionable call from SEC officials. Look, we get it, a league has every incentive to keep its best teams undefeated until its championship game, but do you have to be so blatant about it?. These refs are like the real SEC on Wall Street, except nullifying Patrick Peterson’s INT didn’t force anyone to lose their house. Speaking of crooked refs: Iowa finally lost–to Northwestern [even though they should have lost that game to Indiana earlier in the year] and Penn State lost to Ohio State at home. And the Hype Train for Oregon was derailed mighty quickly; they lost to Stanford. Cal and Oklahoma also sucked in fine form Saturday. More #cfb</a>.
The New York Giants have lost four games in a row. That sucks! San Diego’s Philip Rivers found Vincent Jackson in the end zone to be Big Blue, 21-20, in the Meadowlands yesterday. More like “Big Blew,” amirite? But the biggest suckage of all–based on both overall suck magnitude and total gross weight–was the way that Eagles coach Andy Reid managed his team against the Cowboys in the Sunday night game. Reid wasted two challenges on spot calls in the second half (neither of which overturned the call on the field) and then opted for a long field goal with his team down by seven with about five minutes left in the game. I’ll ruin the ending for you: Dallas converted two first downs, the Eagles couldn’t stop the clock, and Philly lost by four. But at least Andy Reid can still hang his hat on being a good father…oh, wait.
The Washington Redskins came under fire for bringing in Sherman Lewis, a guy that had started his NFL season pulling out Bingo balls in Detroit. Last night, Lewis’ balls were spared, as the Redskins committed almost every conceivable error (except for the delay of game that everyone expected) as the Philadelphia Eagles trudged over their their NFC East rival, 27-17.
“You can say but so much,” defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth said. “You’ve got to actually want to. So once we get to that point — where we want to do something — then we’ll do something. But if we just keep going our separate ways, then we’ll just keep getting slaughtered like we have.”
Aside from DeSean Jackson’s heroics (167 total yards, 2 TDs), last night’s telecast was plagued with the same tedium that we’ve come to expect from recent Monday night games: unimpressive offensive play from both teams and outlandish, overly excited hyperbole from former coach Jon Gruden. Honestly, Gruden could watch a busload of Rwandans get gunned down and make it sound like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. I don’t know what those guys are drinking up in the booth, but I want a case of it. Read the rest of this entry »
Nike was quick to refute a report from the camp of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. After Michael Principe from Vick’s agency, “BEST,” announced that Vick “actually just became a Nike client” and that he had “a new deal with Nike that we’re all very pleased about,” the Oregon-based shoe and apparel company responded.
A statement e-mailed to SportsBusiness Journal [yesterday] morning was short and to the point: “Nike does not have a contractual relationship with Michael Vick. We have agreed to supply product to Michael Vick as we do a number of athletes who are not under contract with Nike.” via.
While Principe’s statement wasn’t necessarily false, it was certainly misleading enough to warrant a response from Nike to distance itself from Principe’s client. And while many feel that Vick deserves a chance to rebuild his life through reviving his football career, his consideration as a product pitchman left a bitter taste in the mouths of some. Although I would love to see Nike make a dogfighting commercial, if only to send John Lennon spinning in his grave.
Pro football is just a big revolving door, with lots of cash, torn ligaments and whores littered about. And only such a mechanism could facilitate the recent roster activity from the Philadelphia Eagles that probably seems a little more drastic than it already is. The rush of personnel activity was set off by McNabb’s fractured rib, an injury to which we would have expected the Eagles’ front office to become accustomed.
JEFF GARCIA SIGNED. The team has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Garcia, a 10-year veteran who played for Philadelphia in 2006 and went 6-2 in eight starts — including the playoffs — while McNabb was injured. via.
MICHAEL VICK ACTIVATED, HANK BASKETT CUT.The Philadelphia Eagles have elevated Michael Vick(notes) to the team’s 53-man roster.
The Eagles released receiver Hank Baskett(notes) to make room for Vick, who is eligible to play on Sept. 27 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The team said on its Web site that Vick, who had been on the exempt list, will begin practicing with the team on Wednesday, though he cannot play in Sunday’s home opener against the New Orleans Saints. via.
Kevin Kolb [pronounced "Cobb" for some reason] will get the start next week in Philly if McNabb can’t go. Vick will be eligible to play in Week 3, but the Eagles were fortunate to find a guy on waivers in Garcia that’s familiar with their system, because he probably would have been sent packing as soon as he learned everything. He’ll already have to wear a different number from the one he wore in 2006, as that No. 7 now hangs in Vick’s locker.
But that’s what the NFL does; they blast a load on your chest and then throw your clothes on your face and point to the money on the nightstand and mutter, “Get out.” Why might be why Jeff Garcia is so excited to be back. It’s funny because everyone thinks he’s gay. Well, everyone but his smoking hot wife, but everyone knows that pretty girls are dumb.
Last chance to sign up for With Leather’s NFL suicide pool. Click here. Password is “stokke”.
The latest Vick protest comes from a camel in a New Jersey zoo. Now I know what you’re thinking, and I’m with you. These immigrant animals have congested our zoos for TOO LONG! But this is America, so camels have rights too, apparently. Even camels that pick the winners of NFL games.
Princess, the star of Popcorn Park Zoo, won’t predict the results of any Eagles games this season to protest the signing of quarterback Michael Vick. Vick spent 18 months in prison for organizing a dogfighting ring.
The 2,600-pound camel went 17-4 last year and correctly picked the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the Super Bowl.
The camel has a very scientific methodology for picking teams, as all mammals of the Artiodactyla order do:
The zoo’s manager places a graham cracker in each hand, and writes the name of a competing team on each hand. Whichever hand Princess eats from is her “pick.” via.
It’s worth pointing out that this camel is for entertainment purposes only. Which is fine, because an animal that can’t pick games against the spread is worthless. Kinda like all other animals, actually.
