Media Day Gone Bad

 

During the two week media build up to Super Bowl XLVII, I happen to come across a web story about a 49er player named Chris Culliver. I had to ask myself who is this guy? I don’t even know what position he plays. It all started with an interview by Artie Lang, the former sidekick of the Howard Stern show.  Artie Lang quickly asked him the following question. “Would a gay player be welcomed on the team”   Culliver responded ... "I don't do the gay guys man. I don't do that." Artie followed up by asking, “do the 49ers have any homosexual players, Culliver responded: "No. Ain't got no gay people on the team. They gotta get up outta here if they do“ “Culliver then suggested homosexual athletes keep their sexuality private until 10 years after they retire” After the interview, the 49ers released an statement “there is no place for discrimination within our organization at any level”. Do you think this behaviour exists in the NFL?

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Source:

Hayne, M. (2013). 49ers' Chris Culliver uses Super Bowl media day to bash gays: Says 'they have no place in NFL' .

A Matter of Debate

Today I would like to debate whether the felony convictions of Baltimore Raven linebacker Ray Lewis were justified in comparison to former Atlanta Falcon quarterback, now with the Philadelphia Eagles Michael Vic. With the conclusion of Super Bowl XLVII, the victorious Baltimore Ravens had to deal with the flash back story in January 2000, resulting in the indictment of Ray Lewis on murder and aggravated assault charges.  While celebrating his 2000 Super Bowl victory, Ray and his entourage engaged in a fight resulting in the stabbing deaths of two people.   The white bloody suit Lewis was wearing was never found; including the muttered statements of “no one says anything” from Lewis.  Ultimately, Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in exchange for testifying against his two friends.  In April 2007, Michael Vic was implicated and later convicted on interstate dog fighting.  He served twenty one months in prison and lost his lucrative endorsement deals.  In conclusion, two high profile NFL players were both convicted, but only Michael Vic served time.  Both had plenty of money for attorneys and fan base who wanted to believe it was not true. In my opinion Ray Lewis should have served prison time, he got off too easily.  Was the outcome fair when it came to these players, or did the system fail?  What do you think?

 

                                             

Quarterback Comparison

 

 

 

My next topic I would like to discuss the public opinion on whether or not Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is worth the money the Detroit Lions are willing to pay him.  Since being drafted number one in 2009, I believe the jury is still undecided if he rates a legitimate MVP quarterback for our beloved Detroit Lions.  The highly regarded quarterback is entering his fifth year of a six year $72 million dollar contract.  The numbers show in comparison to his peers of producing a modest ranking of 22^nd (78.8%) in pass rating.  His touchdown ratio is another eye opening statistic, only 20 touchdowns against 17 interceptions for a sloppy 2012 season.  The real truth is the Detroit Lions can’t afford not to sign him, Stafford is the beneficiary of the mess we all call “LION FOOTBALL”.  I believe that Matthew Stafford is nothing more than an average NFL quarterback.  To prove it, all you have to do is look at the MVP of Super Bowl XLVII, namely Joe Flacco. All he did was lead his team the Baltimore Ravens on an impressive season capped off by winning the Super Bowl.  He proved himself in the last year of his contract. This is the perfect example of the disparity of deserving a new contract worth over $20 million per year.  When you compare the numbers you will find that bad teams such as the Lions will pay too much for an average player. What is your opinion?