Mike Ditka, well known for championing the cause of increased support for ailing or financially-strapped former NFL players, folded his charity yesterday. USA Today recently reported that during its few years of operation, Mike Ditka's Hall of Fame Assistance Fund collected approximately $1.3 million, but only gave out $57,000. Much of the fund's proceeds were spent on staging golf tournaments to raise funds for former players.
As a result, Ditka dissolved his charity and announced that he would split the remaining proceeds between two charities: (1) the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a fund that esentially does what Ditka wanted to do -- help ailing or down-on-their-luck former pro football players, and (2) Misericordia, a Chicago charity for disabled children.
Despite the hits Ditka is taking (and will take) due to this story, its apparent that Ditka still plans to take an active role in advocating for the cause of ailing or down-on-their-luck former players. In fact, the Chicago Sun-Times quotes Ditka on this issue saying "I'm ready to fight now."
Tiki Barber, the former Pro Bowl NY Giant running back, through his Tiki Ventures company, recently joined a venture with a New York real estate developer in order to preserve and invest in the U.S. affordable housing market.
Typically real estate ventures invest in affordable housing projects because they allow investors to profit by selling tax credits awarded to them by the government to corporations. The new venture between Related Cos. and Tiki Ventures will partner with Centerline Capital Group to buy and fix up older affordable housing developments, and Centerline plans to buy and sell the credits.
Preliminary project plans indicate that the venture will buy and fix up more than 3,500 residential units for families of low to moderate income in Virginia and North Carolina.
Reuters quotes Barber on the deal saying "I think it's a great synergy for what my principles are for giving back to communities," ... "But also it's an opportunity to be in business with a titan in the industry."
[Photo above from nycphoto.interactivenyc.com]
Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams will miss the rest of the season due to a torn pectoral muscle. He suffered the injury during this past Monday night football game vs. the Steelers in Pittsburgh. This was Williams first game in nearly two years, following a suspension for violating the NFL drug policy. He was injured in the second quarter on a play where he fumbled, and then was accidentally stepped on in the scramble for the ball by Steelers linebacker, Lawrence Timmons.
[Photo from AFP].
[Getty Images]
Miami-Dade police are investigating the shooting death of Washington Redskins star safety Sean Taylor, age 24, who died at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami early Tuesday morning after being shot in the femoral artery (in the upper thigh) while trying to confront an intruder in his home. Taylor's girlfriend and 18 month old daughter were present during the shooting. Police report that Taylor's girlfriend made the 911 call that brought them to the scene. Police are also trying to determine whether a recent burglary at Taylor's house 8 days ago related to the home invasion and subsequent shooting of Taylor.
Friends, family and fans are shocked over the incident.
Thus far, police have provided no information about suspects and have not released much information about the case.
Police hae stated that they will explore whether there could be a possible connection to a dispute between Taylor and several Miami men over his all-terrain vehicles in 2005 that led to criminal charges against Taylor, who received probation after entering a guilty plea but was later sued by one of the men.
It goes without saying that Taylor, widely considered the hardest hitting safety in pro football, will be missed by family, friends, fans, the Redskins and the NFL.
[Photo from AFP]
Three time Pro Bowl Kansas City Chief running back Priest Holmes announced his retirement from the NFL on Friday. This announcement ended a much hoped for comeback for Holmes after being sidelined with head and neck injuries for nearly two years. Holmes took a devastating hit in an October 2005 game vs. the San Diego Chargers and never quite fully recovered.
During this past Sunday's game where the Chiefs lost 13-10 to the Colts, Holmes reportedly felt recurring neck pain and tingling in the neck area again. After talking with family, doctors and team officials, Holmes decided not to risk further injury or paralysis, and announced his retirement from the game he loved and excelled at.
Holmes ended his career as the Chiefs all-time leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and total number of touchdowns. He accumulated 8,172 career rushing yards in 11 seasons in the NFL (1997-2000 with the Baltimore Colts, and 2001-2007 with the Kansas City Chiefs). He also earned a Super Bowl ring with Baltimore in 2000, and was later named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2002.
The NFL, the Chiefs and Kansas City football fans will certainly miss Priest Holmes indeed.
[AP Photo of Priest Holmes]
Given the continuing increase in the incidents of ID theft in the US, and the public availability of personal information and "stats" on current and former NFL players, it is not surprising that ID thieves would try to take advantage of the situation.
Just yesterday, Wichita, Kansas police report that two men used the identities of former NFL players to buy motorcycles from two Wichita area motorcycle dealerships. The 11/19/07 KSN Nightly News Report provides an image of the suspects and a video on the story.
Apparently, the men used the identites of Dexter Coakley, a former linebacker and free agent who recently played for the St. Louis Rams in 2006, and Gary Sayre, drafted as a guard by the Washington Redskins in 1981 (and is reported to have also played for the Cowboys - although we note he is not listed as a former Cowboy at their website). Sayre now owns a used car dealership in Dallas, TX.
Police report that these two ID theft suspects may have been involved in other identity thefts involving current and former pro football players.
It's well known that ID thieves target celebrities and pro athletes. Pro athletes can be particularly exposed to this type of crime, as most pro sports leagues make a significant portion of players' personal information and statistics publicly available. If they have not done so already, perhaps the NFL and other pro sports leagues should look into providing identity theft insurance for current players and retirees.
In a follow up to our earlier post on the Gipper:
The Associate Press reports today that relatives of George Gipp are suing over the recent, October 4, exhumation of the legendary football player's body from his grave. In a controversial effort to determine whether Gipp fathered a child out of wedlock - Rick Frueh of Chicago, who claims to be Gipps great-nephew, requested the exhumation. Mike Bynum, a Birmingham, Ala. sports writer, and friend of Frueh, helped arrange the exhumation and notified ESPN about it. The ESPN network reportedly filmed the Gipp exhumation for its E:60 show, but has not aired the show yet.
Bynum, while doing research for a book on Gipp, became interested in exhumation as he was reportedly investigating an internet posting of a woman (the granddaughter of a woman who dated Gipp) who believed she was a descendant of the football legend.
The lawsuit accuses a number of defendants, including Frueh, Bynum, ESPN, and others of negligence and claims that the exhumation caused extreme shock and humiliation for other Gipp relatives.
Subsequent paternity testing of Gipp's remains showed that the famed football star was not the father of his former girlfriend's daughter.
[Photo of George Gipp. Bettman/Corbis]
A lot of people, especially those under 40, often ask where the saying "Win One For the Gipper" came from. We'd be remiss if we didn't try to shed a little light on that famous phrase.
The "Gipper", George Gipp of Michigan, was recruited by Knute Rockne (a famous Notre Dame football coach) to play football, despite having no experience playing organized football. Gipp excelled at the game, and during his Notre Dame career, rushed for 2,341 yards and threw for 1,789. Sports commentators still regard Gipp as one of the most versatile players in college football history - Gipp scored 83 career touchdowns, averaged 38 yards a punt, and gathered 5 interceptions as well as 14 yards per punt return and 22 yards per kick return in his four years of play with the Fighting Irish. He also held the school rushing record for more than 50 years.
Gipp died early in his life, on December 14, 1920, as a result of pneumonia and a strep infection. It was on his hospital bed that he supposedly gave his legendary, "win one for the Gipper" line to his coach, . The full quotation that gave rise to this saying follows:
"I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy." [emphasis added].
Rockne used the story of Gipp, along with this deathbed line attributed to Gipp, to rally his team to achieve an underdog victory over the undefeated Army football team of 1928 at Yankee Stadium.
"Win one for the Gipper" was later popularized by actor and former President, Ronald Reagan, who in 1940 portrayed Gipp in the movie Knute Rockne, All American and was often referred to as "The Gipper". Reagan's most well-known use of the phrase was at the Republican National Convention in 1988 when he told then VP George Bush, Sr. "George, go out there and win one for the Gipper."
This is a story that, in our opinion, should have received more media coverage.
Jason Sehorn, an exemplary exfootballstar and former standout cornerback for the New York Giants (and the Rams for one season), recently helped launch a new charitable foundation, Together for Kids, to help seriously ill and injured kids at a September 2007 press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The picture here (from www.missionhospitals.org) shows Crystal Hinson Miller, chair of Together for Kids (www.togetherforkids.org) presenting retired NFL star Jason Sehorn with a jersey. Together for Kids is a new nonprofit foundation that will raise funds nationally to help member hospitals cope with dramatic increases in the health needs of children. This nonprofit alliance aims to help 53 hospitals in 47 different cities care for seriously ill and injured kids. Sehorn, along with his actress wife Angie Harmon, urged support for the new group. The Sehorns served as honorary co-chairs for the foundation’s launch.
Image below from: www.gatorfclub.org/committee/images/perry.jpg
In a story recently publicized by much of the media, former Univeristy of Florida fullback, Darryl Perry, experienced what some doctors call a "sudden cardiac arrest" on March 15, 2007 and was pronounced dead by medical personnel on the scene.
He was taken away to a hospital and put on a respirator where medical personnel say that Mr. Perry's brain activity was nonexistent for a full seven minutes.
He was put on the respirator for three more weeks, and doctors told his wife to pull the plug on him because he would live the rest of his life in a vegetative state. But Darryl's wife, Nicky, never gave up on him and tenacioulsy held on to her belief that her husband and the father of their three children would pull through and survive.
Her dedication paid off - after three weeks of being in a coma, Darryl Perry woke up. According to various media reports, his health is apparently improving every day.
This is a great story and a testament to Darryl's wife, Nicky - who never gave up.
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