Terrell Owens may have a point.After shooting his way out of town in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Dallas, Owens says he was a good citizen in Buffalo last season. Facing the reality that no team wants an aging wide receiver whose skills may be diminishing and will demand to start, Owens has adopted his nice-guy persona and says that there are lots of guys worse than him who are getting a pass.That may be missing the point, but he’s right that the NFL has been a smorgasbord of punks – from the owner’s box to the mascot to the fans. Here are some candidates, current and near past.
Coach - Tom Cable, Oakland RaidersAny vote taken outside of New England would no doubt have Bill Belichick a landslide winner and the SpyGate architect does nothing to soften his image. But the nod here is to Cable, the Raiders coach. Cable admits to hitting only one woman, his first wife. But another ex-wife and an ex-girlfriend both say that Cable went Manny Pacquiao on them, and former assistant Randy Hanson had his jaw re-arranged by Cable last summer. The Raiders love these types of players, so it’s no secret that’s one reason Al Davis has kept Cable on board.
Player - Larry Johnson, Washington RedskinsAnyone who takes delight in torturing animals sets the bar pretty high, but the sheer volume of Johnson’s BS is impossible to ignore. He’s been suspended by his team (then the Chiefs) and league, violated a variety of team rules, belittled gay people, criticized Kansas City coach Todd Haley for his alleged lack of credentials and been arrested four times for assaults on women. Chiefs fans hated him so much that thousands signed a petition demanding that Johnson be let go when the running back got close to breaking Priest Holmes’s career rushing record.
Executive - A.J. Smith, San Diego ChargersThe man with an ego large enough to fill San Diego’s football stadium alone has been called “The Lord of No Rings” by North County Times columnist Jay Paris. And for good reason. Smith was at the helm for the Buffalo Bills during their glory years in the 90s. You know, four Super Bowl appearances, zero Vince Lombardi trophies. He enjoys getting into verbal spats with his players and humiliating fan favorites like LaDainian Tomlinson whenever possible.
You can’t argue with his track record in the draft but that doesn’t excuse his pompous attitude toward his players. Mike Ditka summed up A.J. Smith best during the GM’s draw-out dispute with former Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer, which eventually got the coach, who was coming off a 14-2 season, fired.
“Anyone who can’t get along with Marty,” Ditka said on ESPN Radio, “is a real horse’s butt.”
Owner – Dan Snyder, Washington RedskinsWith Eagles owner Leonard T