NFL Hall of Fame
The NFL finds itself in another public relations mishap. Yeah, who could have guessed, right?
Despite not being able to get out of its way, the NFL continues to be a monster monolith in pop culture.
The family of Junior Seau was told this week that they would not be able to speak at his induction ceremony this weekend.
FILE--In this Nov. 27, 2011, file photo, former San Diego Charger Junior Seau stands with his daughter, Sydney, at his induction into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame, during halftime of an NFL football game in San Diego. Sydney Seau will not be commenting on her father entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame during the Aug. 8 inductions. Citing previous policies on posthumous inductions, the Hall has barred Sydney Seau from making a speech. Seau, who committed suicide in 2012, is one of seven men being inducted this year. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy, File) The Pro Football Hall of Fame enacted a rule five years ago that family members of dead inductees could not speak. That rule stinks at its center.
But it is a rule.
That's where the NFL should have stepped in - and let's all be clear that the league could get the Hall of Fame to admit you and me with a phone call - and fixed this.
Don't get distracted by the side stories of "What about other players" or "this is the Hall's rule."
The league could have and should have been out front of this.
And preventing the Seaus in particular from speaking begs the question how serious is the league about head injuries.
Seau died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the chest. He did this in part because of the head pain he suffered daily from a career of big hits. He shot himself in the chest so his brain could be studied.
This would have been a chance to discuss the change in culture and the trajectory of the game.
Now it looks like avoidance, another Roger Goodell, head-in-the-sand ostrich special.
Too bad.
And maybe this is just the latest rope-a-dope move, considering the league is still dragging its feet on DeflateGate and there are reports that a settlement with Tom Brady could be in the works.
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War Walsh
This is sound leadership and a scary proposition for future Olympic games.
FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2015, file photo, people hold up placards against the Olympic Games coming to Boston, during the first public forum regarding the city's 2024 Olympic bid, in Boston. Boston's mayor delivered a harsh blow to the city's effort to host the 2024 Olympics on Monday, July 27, 2015, when he declared he wouldn't sign any document "that puts one dollar of taxpayer money on the line for one penny of overruns on the Olympics." That document is the host city contract that most in the Olympics consider crucial to any city's success. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File) The Hon. Mayor Marty Walsh of Boston told the U.S. Olympic Committee that if his city and its taxpayers were going to be on the hook for any overflow expenses in trying to prepare Boston to host the 2024 Olympics, then they were out of the running.
Well-played Mayor. Well-played indeed.
You look around at the facilities and stadiums build for a one-time event like an Olympics (see Russia, Sochi in 2014) or a World Cup (see almost all of them ever) and they become billion-dollar ghost towns. It's nuts.
On a true of false Tuesday, we'll ask this (and Press Row cohost David Paschall asked this yesterday): True or false, the U.S. will never host another Olympics?
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Speaking of Olympics
How cool is this?
McCallie grad Sean Ryan qualified for the 2016 Olympics.
Michigan swimmer and McCallie School alumnus Sean Ryan is going to the Olympics.That puts him on the shortlist of the greatest athletes ever raised in our city, right?
That's an interesting discussion and one that likely has to start with Reggie White, and then travels in a number of different directions.
And while the term "athlete" is a tough one to corral, let's try this: Rushmore of athletic accomplishments of folks from our town?
Ryan qualifying for the Olympics is certainly in the discussion. Reggie being Reggie. Roscoe Tanner winning a tennis major championship.
What else you got?
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This and that
- Much thanks to UTC hoops coach Matt McCall for joining us Monday. As for the question asked here yesterday, McCall had a hand in all of two games on this schedule - Dayton and La.-Monroe. As for moving forward he hoped to not have any more non-NCAA foes, but some times that's not plausible. UTC AD David Blackburn will join us today at 4 p.m. on ESPN 105.1 and here at timesfreepress.com.
Matt McCall is greeted by University of Tennessee at Chattanooga mascot Scrappy after being announced as the Mocs' new head coach for men's basketball on April 14.- No one reports on sports TV and radio better than Richard Dietsch at Sports Illustrated. Here's his view on Ryen Russillo staying with ESPN radio and an interesting rant on Colin Cowherd and ESPN's newfound outrage now that he's leaving.
- Did anyone mismanage an offseason more than the San Diego Padres? The pushed a ton of prospects for a lot of questions marks - including stinky Upton - and now they have gutted their farm system and look to be sellers at the trade deadline with a record of 47-52 and 8.5 back of the Dodgers. Heck, they are even weighing an offer of dealing former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel.
- Speaking of trades, there was a blockbuster Monday night as the Colorado Rockies sent Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto for Jose Reyes and prospects. Toronto is 50-50 and seven games back of the Yankees in the AL East.
- This is cool: Tim Hudson becomes the 15th pitcher in baseball history to have a win against every other team in the league.
- Here's an interesting report that the Dallas Cowboys have been in contact with former Titans star Chris Johnson.
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FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2014 file photo, actor Adam Sander smiles during a news conference for "Men, Women, and Children" at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto. A group of American Indian actors have walked off the set of an Adam Sandler movie production following complaints over stereotypes and offensive names. Actor Loren Anthony told The Associated Press on Thursday, April 23, 2015, that he and eight others quit the production of the satirical western "The Ridiculous Six" after producers ignored their concerns about its portrayal of Apache culture. (Hannah Yoon/The Canadian Press via AP, File) MANDATORY CREDIT Today's question
Wow, Adam Sandler released another yawner in "Pixels" and according to this blistering review Sandler is "No longer a movie star" - which is a bit over the top.
HIs act may not be as fresh as it once was but Sandler still is a movie star.
Really easy today: Rushmore of Adam Sandler movies.
Go, and remember the mailbag.