After the firestorm that erupted over ESPN sports analyst Chris Broussard's bold declaration that NBA player Jason Collins' homosexuality isn't consistent with biblical scripture, ESPN president John Skipper has dismissed the comments as "one mistake."
In a discussion with reporters in New York this week, Skipper shared his thoughts on how ESPN handled Collins' announcement that he is homosexual.
"I think we did great other than we made one mistake," said Skipper. "The mistake was not being more careful with Chris Broussard, and there is a collective responsibility there. Chris Broussard's job was to come on and talk about the news of the league, how the league was representing it, and through a series of events he made personal comments which was a mistake." more >>
Tony Boselli, former Jacksonville Jaguars legend, has argued that "crazed fans" and the media have created a "circus" around free agent Tim Tebow, which is making it a problem for him to find a new team.
"I like Tim and I think he's a great person, but if I were [in charge of] the Jaguars I would not do it (sign Tebow)," Boselli said in an interview on the Open Mike radio show. "I wouldn't do it because of the distraction. I'm not convinced either way on whether Tim could be a franchise quarterback ... The problem is people like this lawyer (John Morgan who wants the Jaguars to sign Tebow), the media and the crazed fans who are hurting Tebow."
Boselli, who played as an offensive tackle for the Jaguars between 1995 and 2001, refers to prominent Orlando attorney John Morgan, who launched a radio campaign trying to persuade Jaguars owner Shad Khan to sign Tebow. more >>
Though a full blown conspiracy by the NFL may be in doubt, the fact that unashamed Christian QB Tim Tebow has not been picked up by any team since he was let go by the N.Y. Jets more than two weeks ago leaves room for speculation. Regardless of whether Tebow has been blackballed from the NFL or not, teams from alternative leagues like the Arena Football League have shown an interest in him.
The co-owner of the Philadelphia Soul, ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski, says he's interested in offering a job to the free-agent quarterback, according to Sporting News. Tebow has not responded, however. Jaworski reportedly said, "I'd love to have him."
"I haven't heard back from him, and I'm not going to push it," Jaworski said. "If he decides he wants to play Arena Football, we'll make a spot for him." more >>
Many NFL players have dealt with injuries and the unnerving experience of becoming a free agent, but Benjamin Watson, a veteran tight end who was recently acquired by the New Orleans Saints, says those experiences have helped him understand what it means to have his identity in Christ and to live within the grace of God.
After a successful college career at the University of Georgia, where he met his future wife, Kirsten, Watson became a first-round draft pick for the New England Patriots in 2004. He joined the team hoping to make an immediate impact, he told The Christian Post in an interview, but was quickly sidelined in his first season when he injured his ACL. The Patriots went to the Super Bowl that season while Watson watched from the sidelines, and his frustration with his injury was reflected in his relationships.
"I was a jerk to everybody. I was a jerk to my family, who came to support me. I was a jerk to my girlfriend at the time, who's now my wife. I mean, I wasn't fun to be around ... because I had everything tied into what I could do, and since I couldn't do it anymore, I felt like garbage, really," he said. more >>
No cemeteries in Massachusetts will bury Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev's body, according to Peter Stefan of Graham Putnam & Mahoney Funeral Parlors of Worcester, Mass.
Tsarnaev's body was released by the medical examiner on Thursday. It's been 17 days since he died after a shoot-out with police in Watertown, Mass., on April 19.
The Associated Press reported that Stefan might ask the city of Cambridge to bury him there, but according to a statement the Cambridge City Manager Robert Healy gave on Sunday, there has been no formal application for a burial permit or purchase of a cemetery plot. Healy urged Stefan not to request a burial permit for the city-owned Cambridge Cemetery, saying that the city "would be adversely impacted by the turmoil, protests, and wide spread media presence at such an interment." more >>
Did a former Denver Broncos fan sum up the potentially short-lived career of quarterback Tim Tebow more succinctly than any ESPN sports analyst has so far?
"What did Tim Tebow do wrong – nothing," writes Nancy Ickes in her recently published letter to the Colorado Springs newspaper The Gazette.
Despite Ickes emphatically stating that Tebow was not to blame for his primarily bench-warming role on the New York Jets, the former Jets backup to Mark Sanchez was cut by the team last week and is now a free agent. more >>