NFL Live Weighs-In On The Matt Leinart Pics
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
I don't know about you but I'm just about sick of these Matt Leinart photos, but with Braylon Edwards as your guest you mind as well bring them up again. Edwards is a guest host on NFL Live for the next two days, and ESPN wasted no time in bringing up the Costas Now piece and how athletes have to be careful these days.
Actually giving Braylon Edwards a quiet environment to talk was a good move, but I'm still confused about this whole Leinart thing. Dressing up like 98 Degrees and assisting people while they take beer bongs is COMPLETELY different than an athlete in a club or someone just having a party at their house like Edwards said. No one is going to hate him for doing these things, but you most certainly can question his maturity. And it should be questioned given his past.
Look, I'm not going to defend the original Deadspin post because I think Will went about it the wrong way, but there is a point in that post. Will's a fan of the Cardinals and that obviously came out (as it usually does) in his writing. If you've been waiting for your team to make the leap to the Playoffs (like every expect picks them to do every year) and year after year they come short....I'd be a little upset if I saw those photos too.
Tyler Hansbrough jumped off a damn balcony and it didn't get even remotely the same level of press that the Leinart photos got. Why? Because the kid is still in College. Sure it's stupid for a future draft pick to do that, and Leinart is only two years older, but there's a standard of behavior that we expect from Professionals compared to Amateurs. Especially when they're getting paid over $8 million a year like Leinart and you live and die with a team as a fan.
Hopefully every show has now commented on this, everyone can just move on, and the Cardinals can miss out on the Playoffs for the tenth year in a row.
8 Comments:
Well the NFL Network wants him, but I don't think he is reciprocating. It's possible though.
So Leinart, as a 24 year old single male, did what most 24 year old single males did.
How exactly did his behavior cause his team to stink last year? The Cardinal's shortcomings when it comes to on-the-field problems surely doesn't stem from Leinart partaking in some partying in the offseason.
On the NFL-N job, Wayne Larivee is now no longer doing Bulls basketball on WGN (unfortunately, Chuck Swirsky's on Bulls radio). Larivee should get that job if Michaels doesn't want it.
That's the point. Costas and Bissinger were so defensive about the Leinart pics and this was not the first time photos related to him made stories on Sports Center/PTI/ATH and other ESPN shows.
But this is the least of Leinart's worries really. Outright winning the starting job over Kurt Warner without Whisenhunt babying you and child support payments I would think are higher on the docket.
Pretty sure Leitch is a fan of the MLB St. Louis Cardinals... not the NFL Cardinals. So there's that...
Every NFL player is going to go out and drink. But to echo previous comments, a big difference between drinking with some friends at a bar and drinking with a 30 year old buddy with, lets assume 21+ year old girls, at a house party. I don't think less of Leinart for doing this, in fact, I am immensely jealous, but as a professional athlete you have to be aware of your actions. And if voluntarily posing for pictures with 20 year old college girls is your choice, then be prepared to have consequences such as this.
If you don't like it, there are about 20 Million Americans that would gladly trade places with you.
He's a professional and he's paid like a professional. It's just unfortunate that he doesn't act like a professional.
What do you mean he doesn't act like a professional? By professional do you mean everyone should act like Peyton Manning and be at home by the time the streetlights come on?
Anyone who thinks less of Leinart for these photos is obviously jealous.
Let the man live his life. He wasn't doing anything illegal. Hell, I don't remember this much press for any crimes any NFL player has committed, but because there are hot girls involved ESPN is all over it?
Idiots.
I don't know where else to put this, but is there any truth to the "Al Michaels to the NFL Network" rumors? Saw it on PTI this afternoon.