‘Fitz Beat’ with Jason Whitlock
By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 09/10/2009
You just have to love the NFL. Recently, popular sports columnist and my good buddy Jason Whitlock sat down with me to talk about some of the big news stories facing the NFL. So far we’ve had a little of everything.
Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress of the New York Giants is going to jail for two years for shooting himself with an unlicensed weapon in a New York city nightclub. Says Whitlock on Burress, “I think the district attorney will use it to get a higher office. I think Plaxico certainly made a mistake. I’m not sure if shooting yourself, even in a public place, deserves two years in the joint. I hope he survives it and comes out of it a better person.”
Donte Stallworth of Cleveland kills a guy in his car while drunk and is sentenced to 30 days in jail. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell promptly suspended him for one year. And, Brett Favre, the three-time MVP quarterback, is a Viking. Says Whitlock, “I think it’s going to work out OK. In the long run, I think it’s going to work.”
Tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams are minority owners in the NFL Miami Dolphins. Says Whitlock, “I think it’s very interesting and fascinating. It should open some eyes of some other professional athletes on how they should handle their money, how they should invest their money and get involved in some major things rather than sitting around trying to put together their rap career. Perhaps invest in something that actually gains value; NFL franchises seem to be recession proof.”
Michael Vick, after 18 months in jail for financing a dog-fighting ring and torturing animals, gets love from Philadelphia, and his NFL career takes flight again as an Eagle.
Do you have sympathy for some of these millionaires? Vick agrees to pay his creditors $20 million dollars — to me, that’s the story. How in the world do you get $20 million in debt?
Whitlock on Vick: “I think if Michael Vick handles every thing well, he’ll be playing by the second or third game of the regular season. I’m glad Vick is getting a second chance.
“I absolutely love what Donovon McBabb and Tony Dungy and Andy Reid have done. This is throwback 1960s stuff that they are doing, and I don’t think people are aware of it. For Dungy and McNabb, two Black men, to step up like this and help this young guy [Vick] rehabilitate is a major move. And, it’s everything I’ve always thought about Donovan McNabb.”
Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:20 am, and on WDGY-AM 740 Monday & Saturday mornings at 7:50 am and Fridays at 3:50 pm; he also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Larry welcomes reader responses to lfitzgerald@spokesman-recorder.com , or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com .
