Money Players

Roger Goodell to NFL teams: Zip It

NFL commish Roger Goodell set memos to NFL teams warning them not to leak confidential information. While NFL fans have an insatiable appetite for draft informaiton, it is imperative that NFL teams protect private information concerning draft prospects. This issue comes up every year, typically over leaked Wonderlic Test scores. NFL teams have legitimate reasons to conduct extensive background checks. However, if they are going to acquire this information, NFL have a responsibility to ensure that players' rights are protected.

Last week Pro Football Weekly revealed that three top NFL prospects admitted marijuana use.

Goodell told USA Today, "I'm troubled by the breach of confidentiality. Whenever you get into these situations leading up to the draft, you have a lot of misinformation put out there...We've got to be very careful not to let information that is supposed to be confidential get distributed."

The Influence of David Halberstam

By Marc Isenberg

David Halberstam, one of my all-time favorite writers, died yesterday in a tragic car accident in Northern California. When I was twelve I remember my grandfather reading "The Best and Brightest," Halberstam's phenomenal book about the Nixon Administration. I had little interest at the time in reading a long political tome, so he bought me "The Breaks of the Game," which had just come out (around 1980). I went from reading "Flubber" and "The Outsiders" to reading a serious, fascinating book about life in the NBA, that was not just about sports, but also social history and politics.

My copy of "Breaks of the Game" is undoubtedly the most dog-eared book in my book collection (I've read it at least three times). There was a quote at the beginning of "Breaks" which always stuck with me. I even recited in my Bar Mitzvah speech.

It goes:

“Fame is a vapor, popularity is an accident, and money takes wings. The only thing that endures is character,” said a football player.

“Where’d you get that from?” his teammate asked.

“Heard it one night on TV…Brought me right up out of my chair. I never forgot it.”

The person who recited this quote: OJ Simpson.

Halberstam also wrote "Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made." For me, David Halberstam writing about Michael Jordan was like Shakespeare writing about Julius Caesar. Nobody captured Michael Jordan or any other athlete, social or political figure like Halberstam.

Halberstam wrote a poignant column on ESPN.com on the 9/11 aftermath and the role sports plays in society:

In truth, our lives are what we make of them. We work hard and, at the end of the day, in a world that is often mundane, the ability to watch one or two sports games a week is a kind of blessing, a relief from what is often a difficult routine. But if we want any kind of real emotional balance, we must get it from our loved ones, family, friends, co-workers.

RIP, David Halberstam.

Tributes
A tribute to my hero [Jim Caple/ESPN.com]
How David Halberstam set me on my career path [Mark Starr/Newsweek]

NY Giant fan stuck in the 90s

The Star-Ledger reported that the ex-wife of Giant defensive end Michael Strahan held a yard sale over the weekend. After a nasty divorce hopefully this everything-must-go sale won't cheapen their memories. Going once, twice. Two television sets sold to Giant fan Jamal Callaway. Price: $100. The reporter then asked if the televisions were flat screens. Callaway replied (Suggestion: give a deadpanned reading for full effect): "She's not that mad at him."

Tough days at VT

The horror that took place at Virginia Tech is still unmanageable, even though the videotape and eye-witness accounts have left little to the imagination.

Seth Greenberg, VT's basketball coach, whom I've known since his Long Beach State days, offered some hope when he said, "Probably the most encouraging thing to me today is hearing students being interviewed say, 'This is my university.' This is a special place. We're going to help rebuild the spirit of Virginia Tech. To me that's important."

There's already a lot of second guessing taking place. I know it's the nature of the media to jump on the most troubling angles, but I see little value in rushing to judgment. This week should be about the victims. There will plenty of time to conduct a thorough investigation and figure what lessons might be learned from this tragedy.

I am pretty underwhelmed by the media coverage. It wasn't enough for CNN's Situation Room to show the video that captured sounds of innocent professors and students being massacred. The Situation Room added a "shots heard" counter, which made it hard to distinguish a national tragedy from a violent video game.

Time media critic James Poniewozik on the Situation Room's coverage

Money Surfing

A few articles worth reading. Another reason to visit Money Players regularly.

• Sports lawyer David Cornwell helps athletes with the agent selection process [True Hoop]
• Atlanta Falcon football player Grady Jackson sues team for releasing private health information [Atlanta Journal & Constitution]
• One and done college basketball players [Atlanta Journal & Constitution]
• Sports agent convicted of smuggling baseballers out of Cuba [ESPN]
• Amateur by association. While family of coaches and athletic personnel get all-expense paid junkets to NCAA tournament games, parents of players must pay their own way. Debbie Shipp, mother of UCLA's basketball player Josh Shipp, said: "When you look at the amount of work and the amount of time … and the amount of money generated, it would be nice if they had some kind of stipend for parents in a (lower) socioeconomic level, where they could (see) their sons reach a pinnacle." [USA Today]

Character matters, revenue counts

By Marc Isenberg

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell took unprecedented action against Bengals WR Chris Henry and Titans CB Adam “Pacman” Jones. Henry is suspended 8 games, while Jones is suspended for the entire 2007 season. Jones’ suspension could be shortened if he meets certain conditions set by the NFL.

The most interesting aspect of the suspensions is that Goodell had the express blessing of the NFLPA and players. Typically, players associations cry foul any time the League flexes its muscle. But the vast majority of players who conduct themselves in an appropriate manner have every right to be fed up with peers who repeatedly break the law.

“Just maximize revenue, baby”
Owners know they are competing for entertainment dollars among fans. They recognize that image, both good and bad, impacts revenue. The NFL and other leagues rightfully want to protect their golden images. The public wants its sports heroes appearing in United Way commercials, not with Nelly making it rain. (Of course, these long-running ads will never be the same),

In 1998 New England Patriot owner Robert Kraft, at his wife's urging, took a stand against players with criminal records. The Patriots drafted Nebraska football player Christian Peter who had been arrested multiple times, but cut him before he ever played a down. While many supported this tough stance, it certainly was the exception to the previously unwritten rule that off-the-field legal matters were handled by the judicial system -- especially when a productive player was involved. Three Patriot Super Bowl victories later, perhaps character really does matter. (Peter still enjoyed a long NFL career with another team.)

Roger Goodell understands today's competitive sports marketplace. The image overhaul is right out of the NASCAR playbook (No, not the one that says keep turning left.) NASCAR has sold the public on the total fan experience; devoted fans reward NASCAR teams by buying anything NASCAR-related, from cars to laundry detergent to erectile dysfunction problem solvers.

The perception is the "thug life" translates into lost revenue. And, as we've seen in the Imus controversy, moral order is largely driven by pocketbooks.

Bob Huggins and loyalty in college basketball

For my money Jay Bilas is the best college basketball analyst in the business. Jay writes a terrific college basketball blog on ESPN.com. Unfortunately it's only available to ESPN "insiders." (Hint: You have to pay $20 to subscribe to ESPN--The Magazine.)

Jay's latest post covers a lot of ground, but I was interested in his comments on Bob Huggins and loyalty (or lack of) in college basketball. I essentially agree with what Jay wrote, but I thought I would add a few more points, done "Marc (MSI) said, Jay said" style.

Bilas: I have grown a bit weary of one-way loyalty expectations. Now that Bob Huggins has left Kansas State for his alma mater, West Virginia, some people are losing their minds over his lack of "loyalty."
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MSI: I think loyalty is an artificial, overdone concept. Big time college basketball and football is a business, despite the lofty pretenses. Business is often a ruthless enterprise, particularly when companies, or in this case college basketball programs, are fighting for its portion of a fixed pie. The NABC and the NCAA may promote the concept that schools cooperate, but that is largely the job of NCAA officials and conference commissioners who market the television rights. In reality, college basketball depends on the concept that it is not enough for a particular program to succeed; others must fail.
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Bilas: With the way that coaches get fired these days, usually without being allowed to finish their contracts, it is not at all unusual or unreasonable for a coach to leave for a better opportunity. In fact, it is almost necessary.

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MSI: I agree with Jay's premise, although that is an acknowledgment that all those lofty ideals that the NCAA and its members fill the public's mind with mean nothing.
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Bilas: Coaches are always going to leave players who have relied upon them in recruiting, no matter how many years they have been at a school. That is just the way it is.

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MSI: Have we reached the point that words, even promises, carry no weight among college basketball coaches? I understand the business, which I've been writing and talking about it for the last ten years. But when a college basketball coach enters a recruit's home, looks him and his parents in the eyes and makes promises that more than suggest he is staying for the next four number of years, the recruit and his family have every right to believe they are being told the truth.

From the player's perspective, the notion that coaches have complete freedom of movement, but athletes must provide an ironclad commitment through the National Letter of Intent is grossly unfair, especially since they must rely on coaches who profess their "word is as strong as oak." I guess I would not react so strongly if the National Letter of Intent reflected reality and fairness. (Later in Jay's post, he rightly suggests the NLI should provide athletes more flexibility to rescind.)
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Bilas: Everyone expects loyalty when their own interests are at stake, but not when another party's are. When a program wants a coach, its fans and administrators show loyalty. When they grow tired of a coach, they do not show any such loyalty, they just want change.

No one at Kansas State complained when Huggins hired Dalonte Hill away from Charlotte, and took with him a committed recruit in Michael Beasley. That was just recruiting. Now that Beasley may want to follow Huggins to West Virginia, Kansas State is having an attack of morality and saying that it will hold Beasley to his national letter of intent until a new coach is in place and he can make the decision.

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MSI: This is an excellent summation of the state of college athletics, even if it's not a pretty picture. Commitments from coaches mean nothing. Caveat emptor. I get it. I just don't think that recruits and parents understand the ruthless business of recruiting, even if it seems so obvious. The National Letter of Intent has a couple lines supporting the notion that a player is signing with the school, not the coach, but that hardly trumps all the hours invested by the coach visiting, chatting, and text messaging.
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Bilas: What did Kansas State expect when it hired Huggins? Did it expect him to end his career there? If the school did, why didn't Kansas State insist upon language guaranteeing that in the contract or insist upon a restrictive buyout? The free market works pretty well with regard to contracts, and the two sides are perfectly able to fully and fairly bargain an appropriate agreement. The truth is, if Kansas State were to insist upon locking up Huggins, he probably would not have agreed to it.

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MSI: Probably bad lawyering on the K-State's part. The reported $100,000 buyout is hardly an obstacle to a school looking to hire a "hot" coach. (Interestingly, John Beilein reportedly owes West Virginia $2.5 million to buy out of his contract.) Huggins probably doesn't deserve all the criticism, but I don't think the coaching profession and college athletics is well served by a "one and done" coach.

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Bilas: Remember, when the West Virginia job came around the first time, before John Beilein took it, Huggins turned it down to stay at Cincinnati. Huggins was loyal to Cincinnati then, and the school fired him a couple of years later. Nice reward for Huggins' loyalty, huh?

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MSI: From my reading up until this point I thought Bilas more than inferred loyalty means little, which I agree. But then he suggests that Huggins was being loyal to Cincinnati when he stayed two years ago. I would say Huggins was acting in his own self-interest then, even if his stated reason for staying might have been loyalty. Without revisiting all the reasons surrounding his firing, I do think that circumstances change. Huggins stature as the long-standing coach may have created the illusion of loyalty, which probably helped him weather some public missteps, but ultimately the university felt it was better served without him. In the end, loyalty literally means nothing, even if it gets bandied around.

Masters Major Achievement Award

My father-in-law is long-time Bay Area sports writer Art Spander. In 1999 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- for his writing, not playing ability. Last Wednesday Art added another special honor to his resume. He was one of 14 recipients of the inaugural Masters Major Achievement Award presented Wednesday morning at Augusta National.

One of the better perks of being married to his daughter Debbie is getting to tag along for such occasions.

The 14 honorees included a who's who of great golf writers and broadcasters:

Horace Billings, Furman Bisher, John Derr, Dan Foster, Ron Green Sr., Dan Jenkins (The funniest sportswriter ever), Kaye Kessler, David Kindred, Hubert Mizell, Dave Moffit, Edwin Pope, Nick Seitz, Art Spander, and Al Wester.

The funniest moment of the ceremony came from long-time Sporting News writer Dave Kindred who remembered the cramped writing areas of yesteryear being a far cry from today's mega-media center.

Said Kindred, "If you can write in a Quonset hut during a rainstorm on a typewriter sitting next to Art Spander, you can write in anything."

Here is the text of the presentation:

CRAIG HEATLEY:  Art Spander, ladies and gentlemen. A popular dynamo among the press and players, art made the cross-country trip to Augusta 41 years ago and has not slowed down since. Stints with the San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner, and now at the Oakland Tribune, have made him a friendly fixture in golf. With his voice and opinion in print and on the air, Art's knowledge and respect for the game is evident. A long-time friend of Jack Nicklaus, it was Jack's win in 1986 that still stands out in his memory.

Art, we are delighted to honor you today.

ART SPANDER: Well, thank you. As everybody said or at least implied, it is we, the writers, and announcers who should be thanking Augusta. One, for the tournament. I thank Billy Payne and the administration and everybody else for making the writers always feel wanted here.

As Dave Kindred more than implied, I talk a bit. (Laughter) so I won't talk too long up here. Just two things I remember. I showed up here, I was the first writer west of Dan Jenkins. You'll notice everybody else is from the east or Texas. And, "oh, you're coming" and I would wear my badge, with your name and little badge and people would say, "Oh, you're a long way from home"; Yes, I am.

The other thing is, there used to be a golf writer at New York times, some of you knew him, Lincoln Warden, a crusty old guy, and I was like 27 years old, and he would say, "Hey, kid, go down and see if Arnold Palmer is coming in." And I wonder what Lincoln would think now seeing this.

The ceremony is online at Masters.org.

Highlights
1) Beginning: Billy Payne's intro of the Masters Major Achievement Award and his description of the carved wood plaques (at about the 3 minute-marker)
2) 23:30 marker Dave Kindred invoking Art for laughs
3) 37:00 marker Augusta National member Craig Heatley presenting Art

Billy Payne, Augusta National chairman, and Craig Heatley, chairman of the media committee, and the entire Augusta National membership and staff could not have been nicer and more gracious. Plus we got to spend a few days walking around the greatest golf course in the world.