Idiots in sports

Plaxico Burress

Plaxico, or “Plexiglass” as many adoring fans know him, began his illustrious career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. While it was a rocky start at first, it was only a few games before he showcased his impressive decision making skills. When the Steelers were playing the Jacksonville Jaguars, they had no choice but to play good ol’ Plax. In the fourth quarter, Plax made a catch, and went down to the ground untouched. So beside himself that he actually encompassed the skills to catch a ball, he immediately jumped up to spike the ball and celebrate. Now this isn’t uncommon, nor would anyone call you an idiot for doing this. However, only an idiot would do this before they were down. The Jaguars recovered the ball and gained possession.
Plax didn’t stop there. He decided to bring his one man band to a new team. Next stop NY with the Giants. While he did manage to contribute to Super Bowl win, he again became haunted by his uncontainable drive to celebrate. Apparently having some of the largest men in the NFL (if not the world) in your entourage is not enough protection for Plaxico. So Plax, strapped with his favorite unregistered firearm, headed out for a night at a NY club. As he’s having a good time ordering drinks and spiking them before he drinks them, his gun goes off, shooting him in the leg. Why? Because Plax is an idiot. I am sure we can all look forward to learning about how Plax celebrates when he’s in prison.

Adam “Pacman” Jones

I am sure by now you’re thinking that this man is an anomaly. How could an idiot be a product of WVU? While it is uncertain if WVU is the starting place of the best and brightest, one thing is for certain, Adam Pacman Jones is an idiot. Pacman decided to forego his senior year, and a degree, to join the NFL. To say the least, his first two years in the league were eventful. Despite many suspensions and attempts to turn Pacman into a decent person, the idiot in him rose out like flowers blooming in spring. In June of 2007, Pacman decided to make it rain. Who would have thought that throwing piles of hundred dollar bills in the air at a strip club would turn out bad? To no ones surprise, this stunt led to a shooting outside. Unfortunately for Pacman, this eventually led to the end of his career in the NFL. Although he did miss out on the big money of being a standout athlete in the NFL, at least he has that WVU degree to lean back on. Oh, wait…

Michael Vick

I am sure by now you’re seeing a trend. These guys are in sports. Another trend you might have noticed is that they’re undoubtedly idiots. So who is Michael Vick to disappoint? While he has had quite a career and shocked the NFL with his innate ability to scramble all over the field, he also has an innate ability to make bad decisions. In August of 2007, Vick plead guilty to charges regarding his interstate dog fighting ring. He was suspended from the NFL and sentenced to 23 months in prison. Most would think with his success so early in his career he must have a few million to rest on until he gets out of prison. In July of 2008 Vick filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Since then Vick has been released from prison. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has reinstated Vick. He was subsequently picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles. While at the moment it may look like things are turning around for Vick, history may be a good indicator that this man is in fact an idiot.

The Minnesota Vikings

The outlook for the 09-10 season for the Vikings looked promising … and then they signed their new QB. Apparently Minnesota didn’t have the NFL Sunday Ticket and managed to ignore Sports Center when they showed highlights of the Jets last year. The Vikings decided to sign Brett “grandpa football” Favre for one season. While he has had a very impressive career, and appears to be hall of fame bound, he might be a little bit past his prime. His last season with the Jets he apparently didn’t wear his prescription bifocals because he had some difficulty identifying his own players and/or throwing the ball in their general direction. While the future is yet to be known for Favre and the Vikings, we can definitely say that the decision makers for the Vikings are idiots (with much thinner wallets). However, this could turn out ok for the Vikings. They may not be holding the Lombardi trophy at the end of the year, but I am sure Favre can hook them all up with some sweet Wrangler Jeans.