Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler took a beating from his NFL colleagues after not returning to the NFL Championship game against the Packers.

What kind of beating?

The kind we haven’t seen before that included flooding Twitter with derogatory comments. Resounding condemnation followed Cutler off the field after he sprained the MCL in his left knee, couldn’t plant and throw and left the game in the hands of his backups.

The nastiness that followed can be classified as “hate”.

Did we hear this from Michael Vick’s NFL teammates and other players around the league after he killed dogs and funded a dog fighting ring where animals were abused?

What about when Donte Stallworth stayed out until dawn and killed a pedestrian while driving drunk?

What about when Ray Lewis was at the scene of a killing in Atlanta and copped a plea to obstructing a murder investigation?

The answer to all three questions is no and it’s left to those of us who haven’t piled on to ask why this phenomenon occurred.

Bravery in the face of physical injury and pain seems to be the rhetoric shared by the players and sports analysts who flooded Twitter, Facebook and sports-talk radio to claim they’d never act as Jay Cutler did. They questioned why Cutler did not continue to play, ignoring the fact he could have created a worse injury that needed a cart to remove him from the field or necessitate a six-month rehab. Took the player’s action of riding an  exercise bike on the sideline as a slap in the face. There was even talk of him being unable to lead a team in Chicago after this.

Trent Dilfer said it best when he distinguished Cutler’s physical toughness from his inability to deal with “difficult circumstances.” Dilfer pointed out that when it got tough for Cutler in Denver, he fled the scene. The quarterback didn’t choose to talk it through with brash young head coach, Josh McDaniels. Dilfer equated Cutler’s poor execution in the red zone and on third down situations to the player not being able to push through barriers that seems to hold him back.

All that might be true but the level of venom loaded on Cutler says more about those professionals who broke the NFL code that seemed as strong as any that exists among police officers in a big city department.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

Tennessee Titans quarterback Chris Simms turned down a plea deal surrounding his arrest for driving in NY under the influence of marijuana on July 1, 2010. It was reported yesterday that Simms was offered what I as an attorney would call a very sweet plea bargain for this arrest, but the player has opted to go to court instead. The deal offered is said to have included no jail time, no criminal record if the plea was taken with the misdemeanor charge being to a traffic infraction, a $500 fine, 90 day suspension of his license and five days of community service.

The police report from the arrest indicated that Simms made an “erratic” turn near a sobriety checkpoint in Manhattan that morning. In the car with Simms was his wife Danielle, who was reported to be pregnant at the time.

The police claim after they pulled him over, he opened his driver’s side window and the strong scent of cannabis escaped, in a scene that sounded reminiscent of those “Don’t Drink and Drive” commercials. The report is also believed to have said that Simms admitted to smoking weed earlier in the evening so he was booked and released. Simms was not tested for drugs and an alcohol test that was taken came back negative. To be fair, Simms denies ever saying anything that stupid to the police despite the officer’s written characterization of the player being “zombie-like”.

He and his father Phil, an ex NFL quarterback and current television analyst, can afford good lawyers so he certainly got one to handle this case. Now that he’s going to trial scheduled for March 1, 2011, the stakes are up to one year in jail if convicted for the misdemeanor, although he wouldn’t get that as a first time offender.

What would make Simms choose this route? The NFL Personal Conduct Policy may be one of the reasons. After suffering a near career ending injury while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and making a trek through Denver before landing with the Titans, Simms must believe he still has a career in the NFL. Fear of Roger Goodell’s suspension hammer may have encouraged him to roll the dice to preserve whatever career remains.

I understand there is no positive drug test and it’s his word against the cops who stopped him, but it’s a gamble after that plea deal was granted. Come back for updates on this case in my Duffy’s Court column.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

The Miami Heat 13-game winning streak on the road was snapped after the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Heat 111-105 on Wednesday night. To make matters worse, in the fourth quarter LeBron James came up limping after spraining his ankle.

Afterward, the player told the media he is unsure if he will start or play tonight when the team visits the Denver Nuggets.

Also on Wednesday, James was again the hot topic on coast-to-coast sports-talk radio after he posted a Tweet on Twitter after his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a beatdown by the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron’s Tweet:

“Crazy. Karma is a bitch. Gets you every time. It’s not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!”

The Tweet can only be characterized as a dig to Cavs owner, Dan Gilbert. LeBron may still be feeling the sting of Gilbert’s letter after he took his talents to South Beach. The problem is that James’ words now seem to have brought the swinging door of karma back at his feet, literally with the wrenching of his ankle. The Clippers, while still holding a losing record, are improving with the addition of Blake Griffin and guard Eric Gordon.

They have played well against some of the top teams in the NBA with some of their wins coming against the Spurs, Mavericks, Thunder and now the Heat.

The unfortunate part of LeBron’s gloating Tweet isn’t that he posted it but rather he doesn’t realize he stoops to the level of the vitriolic Gilbert when he continues to point his finger in that direction.

Winning can cure everything for LeBron but only after the Heat make the Finals or win a title. Even karma understands that.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The recent skid of the Los Angeles Lakers may be explained by a new revelation. Kobe Bryant had not practiced with the team until the loss to the Heat on Christmas Day when he said after that loss he intended to “…kick [ass] at practice . . . and beat it into their heads. It was time to get the team focused.”

The Lakers responded by losing again the next time they took the court against the San Antonio Spurs 97-82 despite holding Tim Duncan to only two points. Since then they have won four of five games with one of those against a team over .500. Is this turnaround all attributable to Bryant joining practices?

The way this all got started is from a leak inside the Lakers organization when a report surfaced this week that had a surly edge to it. Peter Vescey of the New York Post wrote that someone tipped him off by questioning how Kobe was going to shake up practices, “when he hasn’t practiced the whole season (something no member of LA’s press has called him out on)?”

Vescey is said to have gone right to the source and asked a direct question about practices. Kobe Bryant said the leaker was correct but the reason is:

“Because I have very little cartilage under my right knee cap, it’s almost bone on bone.”

After a third operation on his right knee over the summer, Bryant was still recovering when it was time to play the season opener, but assured everyone it was normal course stuff and he’d be 100% early into the season. Appears that 100% for him is to sit out practices but go all out in games.

Bryant also told Vescey that he and coach Phil Jackson made a decision to hold him out to keep the wear and tear on the knee to a minimum. The problem seems to be that the intensity of the practices is no longer there without the Black Mamba and after the losses started to mount, a change in direction was needed so the adjustment was made.

The result is a more tested knee and a return to normalcy. Bryant insists on practices being fierce and he demands that teammates give no breaks to each other.

So where does the team go from here? Have they become so addicted to the Bryant adrenaline rush that they became complacent losers without him in practice? In the meantime, the Lakers chances of a three-peat may begin to look bleaker now that the news on the near “bone-to-bone” knee has surfaced. . . it is a long season.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The sexual harassment lawsuit filed against the Jets and Brett Favre isn’t so much about the bad behavior of Brett as it is the retaliation of the Jets organization against the recipients of the untoward behavior.

Massage therapists Christina Scavo and Shannon O’Toole claim that they were summarily left off the list of private contractors retained by the Jets to perform massage therapy services once Scavo’s husband had an unpleasant phone conversation with Brett Favre.

The other prime figure in this is Lisa Ripi, a Jets employee who was responsible for retaining professionals of this type and is the second person named in the complaint.

Here’s how the scenario is said to have played out.

A few years ago while playing for the New York Jets, after a massage session, Brett allegedly contacted O’Toole and invited her and her friend to stop by:

“Brett here you and crissy want to get together im all alone”

That message was said to be followed by this one:

“Kinda lonely tonight I guess I have bad intentions.”

Mr. Scavo took exception to his wife being asked over for the visit and is said to have phoned the quarterback voicing his displeasure.

Subsequently, after all this took place, the ladies weren’t called again to work for the Jets, although there were no complaints about their work performance and they had been part of the regular rotation of therapists used by the team for a long period of time.

Although the therapists did not notify Ripi at the time of these incidents there is speculation that someone did and the phone never rang again for O’Toole and Scavo. They were contacted two years later after the Jenn Sterger allegations were made public and a general report of others being harassed by Favre came to light.

Ripi initiated contact with the ladies, apparently realizing that they were the ones referenced in the media reports.  She castigated them for not coming to her to report the behavior, said that Scavo’s husband was a jerk and that O’Toole and Scavo should have known that she would have taken care of the situation without any public hoopla.

Then comes the part that Favre has just got to love. Ripi called him a “pervert”, said his invitations were wrong but reiterated her statement that had it been called to her attention two years prior, all would have been smoothed over.

The complaint contains text from Ripi that tells the ladies they’ll never work for the Jets again. It’s a bit odd since they had already been off the preferred contractor list for two years.

So what we have are allegations of bad behavior by a powerful figure in the Jets directed to low level private contractors for the team, and admissions of the bad behavior by the Jets employee in charge of hiring along with the stated reason for the retaliation against them. Sounds like a credible lawsuit to me.

According to the lawsuit, Scavo and O’Toole would have refrained from suing if they had seen the NFL take “meaningful” action against the Jets and Favre for the Sterger situation. Ok, that’s their story and they are sticking to it.

What are we to make of this?

Well, Brett Favre in his own special way is a gentleman when he invites women to his place and didn’t like having to speak with one of their husbands. We also learned that the Jets’ Ripi said she would have handled it on a quieter note if she were notified when it occurred.

Nothing tremendously new here except that Favre struck out with the massage therapists as well as Jenn Sterger. Here we thought a super star QB in the NFL could get whatever he wanted. I guess not. The next stage of the suit will be a filing by the team and if Favre and Ripi are told to hire their own lawyers, filings by them. They’ll probably deny the allegations and ask for a dismissal of the lawsuit.

To be continued…

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

NFL Week 16 scores are in. Here are the scores, rundown, highlights and lowlights.

Broncos 24 Texans 23: Tim Tebow won his first NFL game and did it with a comeback. Down 17-0 at half-time, Denver’s D held Houston to a couple of FGs to allow Tebow and the offense an opportunity to win. Correll Buckhalter (two TDs) rushed for a score and caught another from Tebow from 23 yards out before Tebow delivered the dagger on a six yard sprint with three minutes left in the game.  Matt Schaub threw a pick during the final drive and the Broncos won.  Arian Foster scored on touchdown on 91 yards on the ground while Owen Daniels caught one for another score. Houston’s nightmare season continues and the Broncos win their fourth game, this one with Tebow taking the snaps.

Packers 45 Giants 17: Aaron Rodgers threw for four TDs and learned how to slide when he escaped the pocket. On the other side of the field, Giants quarterback Eli Manning, threw four picks and two TDs to prove that the melt down against the Eagles last week was the first step in their slide out of the playoffs. John Kuhn added two scores on the ground for the Pack while the Giants runners were left out in the cold, gaining only 74 ground yards on the day.

Bengals 34 Chargers 20: The Chargers have no one to blame but themselves for trailing the Chiefs in the AFC West with early season losses leaving them in a hole they couldn’t escape from. Bengals’ QB Carson Palmer found his game and threw four TDs, without Batman and Robin on the field. Chargers RB Mike Tolbert was knocked out early on a hard hit, leaving Ryan Matthews to pick up the slack. It didn’t happen.  Philip Rivers was 27 of 40 for 256 yards, one TD and a pick. San Diego had won four straight AFC West titles and took only its second loss in the last 22 games the team played in the month of December.

Colts 31 Raiders 26: Joseph Addai was back for Indy and Peyton Manning waa happy.  Addai ran for 45 yards and a score while running mate Dominic Rhodes contributed 98 more on the ground. Manning threw a couple of picks but overcame that with three TDs, two of them to Garcon, Tamme and the “Blair White Project”. The Indy D held the two headed running monster of Darren McFadden and Michael Bush to only 64 yards all day. Oakland’s scoring came from four FGs, a Jason Campbell TD pass and a kickoff return by Jacoby Ford. Indy is one home win away from clinching another division title.

Buccaneers 38 Seahawks 15: Another Seattle loss and another game that Matt Hasselbeck couldn’t finish. The Seahawks have lost seven of the last nine games making it more likely they need a QB who can carry the team and take a hard hit. His replacement, Charlie Whitehurst was sacked three times, threw 11 completions out of 18 attempts and had no impact.  Meanwhile, Tampa kept its playoff hopes alive on the arm of QB Josh Freeman who threw for five TDs on the day, two each to Kellen Winslow and rookie Mike Williams.

Redskins 20 Jaguars 17 OT: The Jags were fighting to remain alive in the playoff hunt and lost it after the second INT of David Garrard on the day.  Graham Gano kicked his second FG and just like that, Rex Grossman and the Redskins had a win. Ryan Torain ran for one TD on 65 yards rushing and Grossman threw for a TD. Garrard who ran in for a score to tie the game late in the fourth, threw for one TD on 299 yards through the air.

Patriots 34  Bills 3: Tom Brady broke Bernie Kosar’s record of 308 pass attempts without an INT and also tossed three TDs on 140 yards in the air. Danny Woodhead gained 125 all purpose yards and scored once. The Bills’ D was a portrait in futility and their offense was barely a notch above that. Fred Jackson gained 81 yards on the ground, Stevie Johnson caught five passes for 58 yards and the Bills went down hard, positioning themselves for yet another top draft pick.

Lions 34 Dolphins 27: The Lions’ D should get the game ball for this win. They intercepted Chad Henne twice late in the game and scored on each turnover.  Detroit has now won three in a row for the first time since 2007 and mathematically eliminated the Dolphins from playoff contention.  Detroit began its come from behind victory with Jahvid Best’s 53-yard TD off a short pass from Shaun Hill and finished it with a FG off an INT and a pick six.

Bears 38 Jets 34: In a game most thought would be a low scoring game in frigid Chicago, was anything but that. The difference came late in the 4^th Q when Mark Sanchez’s only pick of the day came on a late drive but the Jets made the playoffs due to the Jags loss to the Redskins. The Bears scored three TDs in nine minutes in the 3rd Q to take the lead for good. Sanchez threw for  24 of 37 passing for 269 yards and a TD.  Cutler threw for three scores on only 13 completions for 215 yards.

Ravens 20  Browns 10: Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes on only 12 completions for a total 102 yards in the game as the Ravens D held the Browns in check. Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and the Ravens’ defense caused four turnovers including three picks of Browns QB Colt McCoy and held Peyton Hillis to 35 yards on the ground. The only TD for Cleveland actually came on a Mohamed Massaquoi pass to Brian Robiskie earlier in the game.

Chiefs 34  Titans 14 The Titans had one of those days they’ve seen all too often in the second half of this season. Without a solid passing game, Chris Johnson didn’t even smell the end zone and picked up 58 yards for the game. Matt Cassel threw three TDs on 24 of 34 passing for 314 yards; two to Jamaal Charles, and kicker Ryan Succop added two FGs. Kerry Collins was picked twice and tossed two TDs. The Chiefs maintain a game and a half lead in the AFC West.

Rams 25 49ers 17: This loss would end up making 49ers head coach Mike Singletary lose his job. Combined, the Smith boys at QB for the 49ers were 17 of 34 on the day, with one TD and one pick. It was the INT by Troy Smith that caused the meeting on the sideline between he and Singletary when he was informed he’d be pulled for Alex.  In a game that was a must-win for both teams, only the Rams did enough not to lose, with one TD each from Steven Jackson and Sam Bradford.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

NFL Week 15 scores are in and it was a week of upsets and last-minute comebacks. Here’s a look at the highlights and lowlights of the weekend.

New England holds on against Packers 31-27 – Filling in for QB Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn threw the first three TD passes of his career but in the final minute, his inexperience showed and the Packers couldn’t pull off the upset. The highlight reel of the night belonged to offensive lineman, Dan Connolly who stumbled 71 yards on the longest kickoff return by an offensive lineman in NFL history, setting up the Patriots for a late score in the first half. Flynn (24 of 37, 251 yds – 3 TDs) outperformed Tom Brady (15 of 24, 163 yds – 2 TDs) on the stat sheet.

Eagles over the Giants 38-31: Four unanswered TDs in under eight minutes in the 4th ripped the Giants’ fans hearts out. Eagles kicker David Akers executed a perfect on-side kick in the midst of the come back and the dagger came in the form of a punt return with 0:00 left on the clock by DeSean Jackson. Giants coach Tom Coughlin couldn’t contain himself as he berated his punter in the middle of the field for not kicking the ball out of bounds. Giants D crashed late while Vick leads his team to win the season series against NY and take over sole possession of first place in the NFC East.

Titans over the Texans 31-17: Tennessee found its mojo and was playing on all cylinders against the crumbling Texans. RB Chris Johnson rushed for 127 yards and one TD and Kerry Collins looked like the early season version of himself going 14 of 24 for 237 yards and two TDs. The story of the day was the Titans shutting down the Texans running game with Arian Foster and Derek Ward gaining only 30 yards on the ground. Matt Schaub’s day of 35 of 54 for 325 yards couldn’t overcome the weak ground game.

Ravens beat the Saints 30-24: Ray Rice was Superman running for 153 yards and a TD and adding 80 more receiving yards and another TD. Joe Flacco only threw 20 passes and completed 10 for two TDs in the win. Drew Brees gave the Ravens D trouble on 29 of 46 passing for three TDs but it was the complete shutdown of the New Orleans running game that won the game for Baltimore with just 27 net yards spread among Bush, Thomas and J. Jones.

Colts take down the Jags 34-24: Jacksonville failed at an attempt to beat the Colts and take the division. The return of Austin Collie gave Manning the target for two TDs before the receiver went down with another serious injury. Donald Brown rushed for 129 yards and a score off a botched Jags on-side kick to give the Colts the win. The Colts and Manning now control their own destiny so expect to see them in the playoffs.

Dallas gets over on the Redskins 33-30: Mike Shanahan benched Donovan McNabb for Rex Grossman and it almost made the coach look like an Einstein until late when Grossman, who threw for four TDs, threw his second picks that allowed Dallas a victory late in the 4th. Romo replacement, Jon Kitna, threw for 2 scores and Tashard Choice ran for one in the Cowboys’ win.

Raiders over the Broncos 39-23: Tim Tebow’s debut as an NFL starter was a good one. He ran for a 40 TD on a draw play and threw another TD to Brandon Lloyd on what was either a brilliant throw or just a lucky break. Either way, Tebow showed critics that he can be accurate, completing 8 of16 with a TD and 138 yards. The Denver D was nowhere to be found allowing the Raiders to run the ball down their throat gaining 264 yards from scrimmage. QB Jason Campbell didn’t have a great day with one TD and two picks on 238 yards but with the team’s running game having its way, it was still an easy enough win for the Raiders.

Lions win in OT over Bucs 23-20: The Bucs season is slipping away. They lost this game against third string Lions QB Drew Stanton and allowed Detroit to snap a 26-game road losing streak, the longest in the history of the NFL. Detroit RB Maurice Morris had 109 yards with two clutch carries in OT while the Bucs’ RB LaGarrette Blount did his part with a score on 110 yards on the ground and Josh Freeman added one TD on 251 yards passing. The Lions clamped down when they had to and have a current winning streak of two games, their first since Jon Kitna was their starter.

Chiefs beat the Rams 27-13: Matt Cassel’s tender mid-section took some punishment but his presence was the lift the Chiefs needed to get the win and stay ahead of the Chargers. Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones did the heavy lifting with two scores and a total of 188 yards between them. Cassel had a quiet day with one TD and a pick on 184 yards through the air and the Chiefs D held rookie QB Sam Bradford in check.

Panthers take down the Cardinals 19-12: Jimmy Clausen threw for a TD and handed off a lot to RBs J. Stewart and M. Goodson. The rest of the scoring came from ageless placekicker John Kasay who knocked four through the uprights. Arizona QB, John Sketon, threw for one TD but with only 218 total offensive yards, the Cardinals weren’t doing anything but adding another loss to their record.

Bills beat the Dolphins 17-14: What anyone expect this implosion from the Dolphins? They were home yet managed another loss. The Bills won their second in a row in a game with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick tossing two TDs while Chad Henne managed one for the Dolphins. Neither team’s running game was decent on a day where Miami’s RB Ronnie Brown had just 36 yards on the day.

Cincinnati took care of the Browns 19-17: The Bengals won for the first time in more than two months but lost WR T.O. to an injury in the process. Carson Palmer managed to not turn the ball over in the air but also was unable to throw any touchdown passes either. Cedric Benson scored for the Bengals who added four FGs off Clint Stitser’s foot. Cleveland rookie QB Colt McCoy had a decent day going 19 of 25 for 243 yards and two TDs but RB Peyton Hillis was held for under 60 yards.

Jets beat Steelers 22-17: Thanks to Jason Taylor’s late game tackle in the end zone giving the Jets two points on a safety, the Steelers last minute 4th quarter drive had to find the end zone for a win. That said, they got inside the 15 yard line until the final play was an incomplete pass, allowing the Jets to snap a two-game losing streak. Pittsburgh outgained the Jets 378 yards to 276 on offense but the Jets got key stops and didn’t turn the ball over. Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall put up 100 yards with a score and Big Ben was 23 of 44 for 264 yards and one TD. The Jets game plan was smart and gave Sanchez quicker and shorter passes to execute while they rushed 24 times for more than 90 yards on the day. The Jets win keeps pace with the Ravens at 10-4 in the AFC wild card race.

Falcons smoke the Seahawks 34-18: Matt Hasselbeck has got to take a seat or change professions. In a QB driven league, Seattle won’t go far until it has a guy taking snaps who can be more accurate, avoid turnovers and stay healthy. The QB was picked twice, lost a fumble in the end zone for a Falcons TD and threw for just 71 yards on the day. Matty “Ice” and the rest of the Falcons flew west a day earlier than necessary and showed no signs of the jet lag that can plague East Coast teams. Ryan was 20 of 35 for 174 yards and three TDs while RB Michael Turner added 82 yards on 25 carries. The Falcons move to 12-2 and sit on top of the NFC. Is Atlanta going to see Michael Vick and the Eagles in the playoffs?

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles. 

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

One of the most blatant exhibits of disrespect for an opponent came during yesterday’s New York Jets and Miami Dolphins game on Sunday and the incident involved a coach. Jumping on the opportunity to change the outcome of a play that was in progress, Jets assistant coach Sal Alosi stuck out his knee and foot and tripped Dolphins’ player Nolan Carroll as the player ran down the sidelines, covering a punt return.

Carroll tripped and tumbled to the ground and although he wasn’t hurt seriously, he could have been. The New Daily News reported that Nolan’s teammate, linebacker Channing Crowder had this to say about the low class move:

“I wish [Alosi] would have tripped me. I would have gotten up and broken the old man’s leg.”

If Rex Ryan, the charismatic, bombastic head coach of the Jets, doesn’t discipline his coach severe enough, the usual NFL investigation machine will be pressed into service, looking into yet another Jets matter. Earlier this season, they investigated Ryan’s and his player’s behavior involving Ines Saintz, an attractive reporter and more recently, completed the exhaustive Brett Favre-Jenn Sterger matter.

Alosi quickly issued an admission to what he referred to as a “mistake”. The apology sounded similar to the ones we hear from players all the time. Mistake in that context is code word for the “idiot” in every sense of the word. One has to wonder if these Jets players and staff truly feel they are above the law to even consider doing something as wrong and blatant as Alosi did.

“I made a mistake that showed a total lapse in judgment. My conduct was inexcusable and unsportsmanlike and does not reflect what this organization stands for,” said Alosi who is listed as the team’s strength and conditioning coach.

Calls for him to be fired are out in full force as they should be even though Carroll was not injured. At least a long suspension without pay would punish this guy who doesn’t make the big bucks like the players do. It’s Christmas and losing a few paychecks around this time of year would hurt. While he will be lightning rod in his the New York community with some jerks calling him a hero and others realizing he could have put the player in the hospital or jeopardized his career.

The best way to handle this matter is to do it swiftly. The video is available, the team is situated a short drive away from NFL’s corporate office and the guy has admitted what he did so what else is necessary? Wrap this thing up in a bow, tell the guy to take pack it in for the rest of this season including the playoffs and put it to rest.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Atlanta 31 Carolina 10: Michael “The Burner” Turner was unstoppable. He scored three times, and ran for a total of 112 yards. Matty “Ice” didn’t need a big day for this win. He was 20 of 34 for 227 yards and one score, to Tony Gonzalez. Carolina had a great day on the ground with Jonathan Stewart running for 133 yards and Mike Gibson adding 70 more and scored the Panthers’ only TD of the day.

Tampa Bay 17 Washington 16: The Redskins botched the snap on an extra point that would have tied the game with seconds on the clock. That was after two missed FGs and a fumble on a kick-off.  It spoiled a decent day from McNabb who threw for two TDs without a pick.  All Tampa Bay needed was three FGs from Connor Barth and a TD from Josh Freeman to Kellen Winslow with a two-point conversion.  Shanahan pitched in to the mess by frittering away time at the end of the half, with the Skins at the Bucs two yd. line.

Jacksonville 38 Oakland 31: In a wild affair, the teams swapped scores until the Jags D held for their offense to run out the clock. David Garrard threw for three TDs. Two Jags runners exceeded 100 yards on the day – Mo Jo and his back up Rashad Jennings.  Jason Campbell was shaken up and Kyle Boller came in for one series but did no damage. Campbell was 21 of 30 for 342 yds and two TDs on the day with RB Darren McFadden adding two of his own.

Buffalo 13 Cleveland 6: It wasn’t pretty in Buffalo for either team, but especially the Browns. If I told you Jake Delhomme was at QB for Cleveland you’d understand, right? He was sacked only once and threw only one pick but it was late, enabling the Bills to run out the clock. Peyton Hillis ran for 108 yards on the day but fumbled once and wasn’t able to get into the end zone.

Detroit  7 Green Bay 3: Aaron Rodgers was knocked out the game with a concussion and someone named  Matt Flynn replaced him. He wasn’t half bad but he wasn’t helped by his head coach. With a minute left in the game and two time outs, Mike McCarthy had Flynn throw into the end zone on 4^th and one and the ball at the Detroit 31. The  game was scoreless until the 10:55 mark of the 3^rd Q. A Packers FG held up until 7:55 of the 4^th Q when Drew Stanton threw to Will Heller for the only TD of the day.

Pittsburgh 23 Cincinnati 7: The Steelers didn’t score an offensive TD but didn’t need to. Two pick-sixes, one by Lamar Woodley and the other by Troy Polamalu, did the trick when added to three Shaun Suisham FGs. Carson Palmer threw a total of three INT, one TD and ended the day with 178 yards on 20 of 32 passing. Big Ben got clobbered all day and twisted his ankle pretty badly. He soldiered on as always.

New England 36 Chicago Bears 7: The Pats are familiar with winning in what looks like a snow globe. Last time, however, they needed Adam Vinatieri’s toe to get them a victory. Brady was accurate, throwing for two scores on 27 of 40 passing, for an astounding 369 yards in blizzard conditions. Cutler in his home stadium wasn’t as he threw two picks, one for a NE score.  New England could run it as well as Woodhead scored a TD and the “Law Firm” ran for 87 yards.  New England looks unstoppable.

San Diego 31 Kansas City 0:  Without QB Matt Cassel, KC couldn’t move the ball and lost a full game of its AFC West lead.  The Chargers had scoring on their mind and began early with three TDs in the first half, two on passes from Rivers to Malcolm Floyd.  RBs Mike Tolbert and Ryan Matthews added one each and the Chargers D redeemed itself after the humiliation at the hands of Oakland last week. They held KC’s runner to fewer than 50 yards and held QB Brodie Coyle to only 7 of 17 for 40 yards on the day.

Miami 10 New York Jets 6: Santonio Holmes dropped a sure TD in the end zone in the first half and the Jets never seemed to recover. The D did all it could by holding Miami to one FG and one TD (Henne to Marshall).  Henne only threw for 55 yards on the day, completing 5 of 18. Mark Sanchez got Fireman Ed and the other home fans ticked off with a fumble and a pick while only completing 17 of 44 throws. Jets receivers have to bear some of the shame with drops and near misses.  The Jets have lost 2 in a row and have to wonder where it all went wrong.

San Francisco 40 Seattle 21: With his job hanging in the balance, SF coach Mike Singletary moved the QB job back to Alex Smith and he was rewarded.  Smith threw three scores all in the first half for a 30-7 lead going into the half.  San Fran’s Brian Westbrook racked up 110 all purpose yards with one TD. Matt Hasselbeck was intercepted four times; one for a pick-six and without more than 90 yards from his RBs, Seattle was toast.  The 49ers are only one game back of the Rams and Seattle who both lost. Ugly NFC West.

Arizona Cardinals 43 Denver 13: Kicker Jay Feely scored 22 of AZ’s points on a TD (fake kick, five yard run) and five FG’s. If only Ken Wisenhunt knew he didn’t need a true QB with Feely on his side.  Cards “real” QB, John Skelton didn’t give anything away but couldn’t complete more than 15 passes for fewer than 150 yards. RB Tim Hightower scored two running TDs for the Cards. Kyle Orton had an awful day with three INTs, one for a late game pick-six and no TDs. The chaos in Denver gets worse. When you lose to a kicker, you should hide your head in shame.

New  Orleans 31 St. Louis 13: St. Louis could only put a few points on the board, despite them gaining just 18 fewer yards than New Orleans on offense. It was the inability to convert their third downs and the inconvenient timing of their three turnovers. Sam Bradford was picked twice, once for a pick-six by Malcolm Jenkins. Steven Jax gained 96 yards but coughed up the ball once.  The Saints running game wasn’t stellar but it was enough to keep the Rams’ D honest.  Brees threw for three TDs, two to Colston and one to Moore.

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Jenn Sterger manager, Phil Reese, appeared on a sports talk radio show Thursday morning to open up about his frustration with the NFL and its investigation surrounding Brett Favre and his alleged voicemails and text messages.

Appearing on the Dan Patrick radio show, Reese spoke about the end game that Sterger and her entourage want. According to the interview, if the NFL suspends Favre and institutes a league-wide sexual harassment policy then the matter will end with no lawsuits brought against anyone. He is saying there would be no lawsuits against the league, Favre or the Jets. Throughout the interview, Reese repeated that pledge while Patrick probed about details that haven’t seen the light of day up to this point.

While stating his case, Reese was not willing to identify the person who provided the audio and digital photo files to Deadspin.com, the site that broke the story and published the photographs. He did say, however, that Sterger had not provided them and that her computer was compromised by a third party.

The talent manager also revealed that Sterger was disturbed by the former Jets quarterback because he would repeatedly stare at her for long periods of time on game day and that she told him that if he was going to stare, at least he could smile. When Sterger began receiving the text messages, minus any obscene pictures, she wasn’t even sure if they came from Favre.

Reese went on to say that once Favre put on the full court press for her attention, she confided in associates within her industry who responded by advising her to remain silent about it. They feared if she went to the Jets organization she would lose her job as the on field reporter for the team.

Reese also got into specific about links between Favre and the naked crotch shots. Sterger’s camp hired an ex-FBI investigator who according to Reese, put together enough credible information to demonstrate that Favre had indeed sent them.

Having issued the equivalent of a demand, Sterger’s side might want to think about how costly a lawsuit will be if the NFL doesn’t do as they suggest they should. She is unemployed at this point having been part of a sports-related show on Versus called The Daily Line that was canceled several weeks ago.

We haven’t heard the details of the NFL side of this investigation yet since the league has elected to keep all of their evidence in-house up to this point.

The audio of the interview with Dan Patrick is on the radio program’s website here.

The other side of the Favre scandal: his marriage to Deanna

Used with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC