Never has dealing out a Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week been as easy as this week’s backhander that is heading in the direction of Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Shaun Rogers. Days ago, Rogers was held at the Hopkins Airport near Cleveland then arrested after attempting to carry a concealed loaded firearm through airport security.

According to the Cleveland Plains Dealer, the police report said the semiautomatic handgun was cocked on safe mode with seven bullets in the magazine and one in the chamber.

After all the over-publicized incidents concerning athletes and weapons over the past year, with two of the offenders, NFL’s Plaxico Burress and NBA’s Gilbert Arenas actually getting jail time, you would think Rogers wouldn’t “forget” his loaded gun was in his bag.

SLAP! There’s a healthy full-on Bitch-Slap. SLAP! And that’s the sound of the cuffs deservingly being slapped onto the wrists of Rogers for this unforgiving incident.

Rogers, now a member of Jocks Behind Bars, has since pleaded not guilty and apologized to his fans and the organization explaining he did not mean to take the gun into the airport.

Burress did not mean to shoot himself in the leg outside the New York nightclub with his loaded concealed weapon and Arenas regrets having his artillery stashed in his locker at the arena in Washington but they both had to face the music.

Almost certain to face a suspension for this incident from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Rogers was previously suspended in 2006 for four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy while playing for the Detroit Lions.

While Browns new president Mike Holmgren issued a statement saying the team “will continue to gather additional information, and until the legal process has taken its course, we will reserve any further comment.” Sports Climax is issuing this statement, SLAAPP!

That’s the sound of a Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week and choosing you, Mr. Rogers was as sure as a Lebron James slam-dunk.

More Mugshots: Jocks Behind Bars – Sports Climax

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the biggest news to come out of Washington since the Health Care Bill passed, the Philadelphia Eagles traded Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb to their division rival Washington Redskins in a move that dropped the jaw of many NFL insiders around the league.

In return the Eagles will get this month’s Redskins 2nd round draft pick (37th overall) in the NFL Draft and another later round pick next year that will be determined later.

New Redskins coach Mike Shanahan signed Rex Grossman earlier in the year and with this move may be expected to move Jason Campbell who has been the starter for more than three seasons.

Shanahan takes over a team that underachieved last season and this move frees up the #4 overall pick to fill another hole on the team. Prior to this trade for McNabb, the Redskins were almost certain to take Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen with that selection.

When asked for an explanation for trading McNabb to a division rival they will be facing two times per year, Eagles’ coach Andy Reid said “You can’t say that we didn’t think about that. We did, but this was a decision that we thought was best for Donovan and, at the same time, the compensation was right for us. We certainly took into consideration Donovan’s feelings here, too.”

“I’m really excited about my future with the Washington Redskins,” said McNabb. “I’m eager to work with Coach Shanahan. He’s been a very successful coach with a couple of Super Bowl victories on his resume. While it’s been my goal to win a Super Bowl in Philadelphia, we came up short. I enjoyed my 11 years here and we shared a lot more good times than bad.”

In his 11 years donning green in the City of Brotherly Love, the 33-year-old McNabb is a 6-time Pro Bowler and guided the Eagles to one Super Bowl appearance and 5 NFC championship games. He holds most of the team’s records at his position including 32,873 yards passing, 2,801completions, a 59% completion percentage and 216 TD passes. On the ground the elusive slinger has rushed for 3,249 yards and 28 TDs.

Kevin Kolb is the new starter after only starting two games and Michael Vick goes into preseason expected to be the backup.

On paper it appears the Redskins got a steal in this move. Last season, McNabb had the 3rd highest QB rating in his career (92.9) and threw for 3,553 yards and 22 TDs.

Mike Shanahan is considered one of the elite minds in the NFL and may be able to convert the Redskins into a contender as soon as this upcoming season.

“Donovan is an accomplished quarterback who has been a proven winner in the National Football League,” said Shanahan. “I have long admired his competitiveness and feel he will be an outstanding addition to the Redskins and our community. He knows our division and the roadmap to success in the NFC East.”

Yes he does and that roadmap may also include a playoff match-up against his former Eagles and the fans in Philly who have long been screaming for his removal.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

PITTSBURGH – Big Ben’s off-season troubles continue for the two-time Super Bowl Champion.

Roethlisberger’s first off-season incident came back on June 12th, 2006 when he suffered serious injuries after colliding with a car while riding his Suzuki Hyabusa motorcycle in downtown Pittsburgh.

Although his multiple facial fractures were repaired in time for the regular season and he didn’t miss any time from that accident, he clearly was not the same quarterback who had just one season prior won a Super Bowl.

After leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to another Super Bowl victory in February of 2009, prior to the season’s start he was accused of rape by Andrea McNulty of Nevada. No criminal charges were filed but a civil law suit is still pending.

In the most recent incident, Roethlisberger and his posse were out celebrating the QB’s 28th birthday this past Friday and after a night of alcohol and partying, assault accusations were made, this time by a 20-year-old female student of Georgia College and State University.

After the alleged sexual incident took place, the student and her friends sought out a police officer to notify of the attack. The student was then taken to a local hospital and treated and released. Her identity is being kept confidential by Milledgeville, GA police.

The police have interviewed the accuser and Roethlisberger and the incident is still under active investigation.

The Steelers’ organization would only say that they are monitoring the situation and will take action when deemed necessary. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s office is also keeping up with the ongoing investigation, and charges if filed could lead to a suspension of the star quarterback.

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax^TM

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Constantly dominating the ratings, the NFL doesn’t need any outside help promoting their league but last night’s Academy Awards show in Los Angeles provided an adrenaline shot into the league’s arm anyways when Sandra Bullock took home the Best Actress Oscar for her role in The Blind Side, the film that featured Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher.

The movie showed Oher’s impoverished upbringing and adoption by a couple in Memphis, Tennessee and his challenging journey that eventually led to being a first-round selection in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Being the first female-lead film to ever hit the $200 million mark, the heart-warming story provided an abundance of PR for Oher, the Ravens and the NFL and Bullock’s Oscar win last night reached an audience that may not have the NFL set on their DVR’s so it gives the league yet another boast.

In addition to the Best Actress category, The Blind Side was also nominated for  Best Picture and is scheduled to be released on March 12, 2010 in Great Britain, a country that has been the location for NFL regular season games over the past few years.

Note: Bullock also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her performance.

© 2010 Sports Climax^TM

While NFC North rivals the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers were forced to sit idle during the free agency bidding wars, the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions were the most aggressive teams on day one.

Lovie Smith and Da’ Bears snatched the biggest prize of the day when they signed defensive end Julius Peppers to a six-year contract worth a maximum $91.5 million. The five-time Pro Bowl player will receive a record $42 million guaranteed.

In addition to Peppers, Da’ Bears also snatched running back Chester Taylor from the Vikings signing the rusher to a four-year deal worth $12.5 million with $7 million guaranteed.

Knowing the importance of granting quarterback Jay Cutler more time to throw, they also added blocking tight end Brandon Manumaleuna from the San Diego Chargers.

Not to be outdone, the Detroit Lions made a few quick moves of their own, signing three sure starters when they inked deals with two defensive linemen and a No. 2 wide receiver.

Wanting to shore up a defense that was last in the NFL in points allowed and total yards, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz personally visited Tennessee Titans defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch at 12:01 AM on day one of free agency and convinced the Pro Bowler to sign with the team.

While Vanden Bosch and his agent were working out the details of a four-year, $26 million deal, the Lions also inked a $25 million contract with Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson.

Burleson played in 13 games for the Seahawks last year, catching 63 for 812 yards and three touchdowns and is expected to free up Calvin Johnson from the double and triple coverage he sees on a weekly basis.

Joining Vanden Bosch on the Lions’ defensive line will be Cleveland Browns Corey Williams, another proven starter who was obtained by a trade.

With the Lions adding these proven veteran linemen to their defense and with the team expected to use their No. 2 overall selection in the upcoming 2010 NFL Draft to select defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy, you can throw last year’s dismal defensive stats out the window.

These aggressive moves by the Bears and Lions are certain to make the NFC North more competitive.

Minnesota lost a huge piece of their offense when Taylor left and while Brett Favre sits on the fence in Minnesota still contemplating a return, The Green Bay Packers lost Pro Bowl defensive lineman Aaron Kampman to free agency as well.

© 2010 – Sports Climax^TM

The NFL announced that the 2011 Pro Bowl will return to Hawaii and be played the weekend before Super Bowl XLV at Aloha Stadium. Game time is Sunday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. ET.

Honolulu had been the home to the Pro-Bowl from 1980 through 2009 until a change was made and for the first time the game was played prior to the Super Bowl in 2010.

The decision to play the weekend before the Super Bowl again in 2011 was fueled by the increase in ratings and attendance for the 2010 game that was held in South Beach in January.

Although that 2010 Pro Bowl game was missing the players from both Super Bowl teams and the game had a slew of reserves, approximately 12.3 million viewers watched the game on ESPN. That number was a 40% increase from the 2009 game that was played the week after that Super Bowl.

The 12.3 million viewers also set a record for most
viewers to watch an All-Star game in any sport on cable television.

NFL Vice president Frank Supovitz commented on the change.

“Playing the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl generated more excitement and interest in the event and also kicked off Super Bowl week in an innovative new way. We are pleased to return to the state of Hawaii, which has embraced the Pro Bowl for 30 years.”

PHILADELPHIA – The incredible era of Brian Westbrook donning Philly green is over.

Just days after the San Diego Chargers released their former All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson, the Philadelphia Eagles followed that lead and sent theirs packing as well.

Westbrook, the Eagles franchise-leading running back was cut Tuesday after a record-setting run that also included a laundry list of injuries.

Over his 8 years in Philly, Westbrook compiled a team record 9,785 yards from scrimmage including 5,995 yards on the ground and had 426 receptions for another 3,790 yards. He also scored 68 TDs.

A dependable back for much of his career, Westbrook surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark 20 times in during his career; tying for second-most in Eagle history.

This decision is believed to be influenced by two factors, one he spent eight games on the sidelines with head and ankle injuries and two he was in line to receive $7.25 million next season.

Eagles coach Andy Reid has a solid relationship with his team and individual players and was the one who called Westbrook with the disheartening news on Tuesday.

“Brian is one of the greatest Eagles of all time and he is an even a better person and leader,” Reid said. “In my mind, there has not been a more versatile running back that the NFL has seen. He had no weaknesses.”

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax™

Chris Berman’s contract with ESPN expires in a few months and he may be allowed to depart the network for the NFL Network or Directv, according to various NFL insiders.

Berman, whose tenure with the behemoth sports broadcast system began in 1979 has other potential employers throwing opportunities his way and no firm extension with ESPN says Sportsbybrooks.com and thebiglead.com.

Leaving the Worldwide Leader,(“WWL”) so to speak, limits his scope to one sport, and it looks like it might just be football – and we all know Berman is about size and scope.

His voice, his delivery, his schtick and his 6’5″ body, Slim Fast diet or no Slim Fast diet render him the biggest presence on any set he shares with other sports personalities.

Leaving aside the critiques of his style, my interest is piqued by the potential for him to rejoin and over shadow the current stars of their respective sports networks: Rich Eisen at the NFL Network and Dan Patrick at Directv’s 101 Channel.

Both of these men are former colleagues of Berman at ESPN and from their references to him when they banter with each other during the course of Patrick’s daily radio program, it is apparent they aren’t Boomer’s biggest fans. Then again he was the top dog there and perhaps wasn’t as gracious about it all as he might have been.

But if the rumors about Berman’s pursuit by either of the other networks is true, the potential to overshadow Patrick and Eisen exists unless he is restricted to particular duties that never intersect with theirs. I find that hard to imagine.

Also on notice is Andrew Siciliano who has competently handled the chores every NFL Sunday for Directv’s Red Zone Channel which surfs from game to game to pick up the action inside the 20 yard line and more.

Adding Berman to any of those networks sports packages could be dicey for the men who have carved out their niche independent of the WWL. But Berman’s fan appeal and “Q” rating would be hard to turn down for networks that only hope to make a dent in ESPN’s sports broadcasting domination.

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. 

NEW ORLEANS – Who Dat Nation celebrated in with their Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in Mardi Gras-style during a victory parade on Tuesday where an estimated 800,000 jammed the streets cheering as carnival floats carrying players, coaches and team owner Tom Benson cruised through the downtown area.

The party comes two days after ‘America’s team’ upset the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl to earn its first championship in franchise history. Music and confetti filled the air as quarterback Drew Brees and several other players tossed beads into the crowd.

The Mardi Gras-style spectacle included 10 floats and 12 marching bands, including one display that donned a giant replica of the Super Bowl Lombardi trophy.

The parade ended at the foot of Convention Center Boulevard where the players were greeted by Mayor Ray Na , Gov. Bobby Jindal and Senators Mary Landrieu and David Vitter. The politicians then toasted the organization with champagne.

The come from behind 31-17 victory Sunday brought the Lombardi Trophy to New Orleans after a 43-year wait.

Related Articles:

Who Dat? They aint the Aints!

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer star Warren Sapp was busted in Miami Beach and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery after police responded to an incident at the Shores Club Hotel.According to the cops, the 37-year-old television sports analyst for the NFL Network and former contestant on “Dancing With the Stars” yanked his girlfriend of two years off a hotel room bed and demanded she leave their room.

As his chick began to get dressed, Sapp allegedly grabbed her neck and began to choke her then pushed her out of the room. When cops got to the scene they observed bruises on her neck and a swollen right knee.

Sapp was taken to the Miami-Dade County jail where he had to post a $1500 bond and cheese for this mugshot.

If this is proven true we have to wonder, ‘What ever happened to doing the deed then conveniently losing her digits?’

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™