Another overpaid thug bites the dust

Un-freakin-believable!

Another millionaire athlete goes to the house!  Only I am not talking about the endzone, I'm talking about the big house!

Everyone knows by now that Cleveland Browns wideout Donte Stallworth killed a pedestrian last week.  Ran over a guy who was trying to catch a bus home after work, like the victim did everyday.

Although the man he killed WORKED FOR A LIVING, he probably worked in a job that couldn't afford him the luxury of owning a car for transportation to and from that job, and therefore had to utilize public transportation.  And here's this citizen walking across the street, trying to catch the bus, and he's hit and killed by a speeding motorist who just happened to be a professional athlete, who just happens to PLAY A GAME FOR A LIVING.  An athlete who makes hordes of stacks of cash to catch passes in the NFL, who on this day was probably driving from South Beach to his million-dollar condo in Miami Beach, rolling down the causeway in his Bentley (a car that carries such a heavy price tag that makes it's monthly payments more than most middle-class mortgages).

Oh, and the professional athlete in this case just happened to be driving under the influence of alcohol.  The legal limit is 0.08.  Stallworth's reported blood-alcohol level was 0.12.

Absolutely disgusting.

The incident occurred just three days after the Browns released hometown fan-favorite wideout Joe Jurevicius and 15 days after they traded tight end Kellen Winslow for picks.

The Browns receiving corps right now looks like this:

WRs:

 - Braylon Edwards

 - Joshua Cribbs

 - Syndric Steptoe

 - Paul Hubbard

TEs:

 - Steve Heiden

 - Robert Royal

 - Darnell Dinkins

 - Martin Rucker

No words needed to describe how bad that group is.

Prior to last season, Stallworth signed a seven-year, $35-million contract with Cleveland as a free agent but hardly played because of nagging injuries.  He was due a $4.75 million signing bonus the day before the accident.  Last year his base salary was $5,155,000.

His combined salary and the bonus totaled $9,905,000.  That's how much money the Browns have paid out since acquiring him.

He finished last season with just 17 catches for 170 yards and 1 TD.  Due to the nagging hamstring injury, Stallworth made just seven starts for the Browns but overall had little impact on the field.

If you consider the amount of money he's made as a Cleveland Brown and divide that by his on-field contributions (170 total yards netted for the offense), Stallworth earned $58,264 for every individual yard he gained.

Compare that gaudy number to $2,651 - which is the amount of cash paid out per yard gained in 2008 by the Steelers to former OSU Buckeye and Super Bowl hero Santonio Holmes.

Allow me to reiterate.

Donte Stallworth made $58,264 for each receiving yard he produced for the Browns in 2008.

Santonio Homes made $2,651 for each receiving yard he produced for the Steelers in 2008.  And all he did was pretty much single-handedly win the Steel City a Super Bowl.  No biggie.

I don't know what else to say right now other than the fact that I am thoroughly disgusted - as a Browns fan, as a fan of the NFL, and as a working American citizen.

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT!

The NFL is regularly touted as being one of the most well-run big businesses.  But really, Mr. Goodell needs to seriously re-evaluate some things, starting first and foremost with the judging of character of those who fill the uniforms, and secondly by determining their monetary value.

Browns WR Stallworth hits, kills Fla. pedestrian

MIAMI (AP)—Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth hit and killed a pedestrian with his Bentley on Saturday morning on a busy causeway linking Miami and Miami Beach, police said.

Stallworth was headed toward the beach when he hit a 49-year-old man around 7 a.m., said Miami Beach police spokesman Juan Sanchez. The unidentified pedestrian was taken to a nearby trauma center, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later. He was near a crosswalk but it’s not clear if he was crossing legally.

Stallworth, 28, was cooperating and no charges have been filed, Sanchez said. Officers drew blood to test for drugs or alcohol, which is routine, but police said it was too early to tell if Stallworth was impaired or violating traffic laws. Police would not say where he was coming from or where he was headed.

Miami-Dade County property records show Stallworth owns two condos in a building on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami not far from the causeway and another condo in a different building in Miami.

A message seeking comment was left on the voicemail of his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

The Browns said in a statement they were aware of what happened.

“We understand the seriousness of this situation, but will not have any further comment at this time as this is an ongoing investigation,” the team said.

Stallworth signed a seven-year, $35 million contract with the Browns as a free agent before last season but hardly played because he was hurt. He was due a $4.75 million signing bonus Friday.

Stallworth, who previously played for New England, Philadelphia and New Orleans, finished last season with just 17 catches for 170 yards. He was slowed all season by a nagging hamstring injury and made just seven starts for the Browns.

Stallworth had his best season with the Saints in 2005, when he made a career-high 70 receptions for 945 yards and seven touchdowns. He was drafted in the first round (No. 13 overall) by the Saints in 2002. Stallworth played his college ball at Tennessee.

AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.

Browns Release Local WR

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns released wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, who missed last season after getting a staph infection in his right knee. Jurevicius played two seasons for his hometown Browns. He caught 40 passes in 2006 and had 50 receptions with three touchdowns in 2007. The 34-year-old underwent a simple procedure to clean out scar tissue in January 2008, and he contracted staph. The infection ravaged Jurevicius' knee and he had to have six more operations. Jurevicius joined the Browns as an unrestricted free agent in 2006. In 11 seasons with the New York Giants, Tampa Bay, Seattle and Cleveland, he had 323 receptions for 4,119 yards and 29 TDs.

Salty's Thoughts: Hope he's doing well.

Lynch gets probation for guilty plea (WHAT!?!?!?!)

This article is from ESPN news.  Here is it, with my thoughts in CAPS:

Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch pled guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a firearm in his vehicle.

FUNNY HOW HE PLED GUILTY AND HE WASN'T EVEN THERE.  HIS ATTORNEY PROBABLY TOLD HIM NOT TO BE THERE, BECAUSE USUALLY WHEN THESE CRAP-BAGS OF SOCIETY SHOW UP IN COURT THEY WEAR XXXXL WHITE T-SHIRTS, BLUE JEANS, AND THE TIMBERLAND BOOTS (WHICH IS CONSIDERED COURT ATTIRE FOR GANGBANGERS).  GOOD MOVE BY THE DEFENSE.

Lynch was sentenced to 80 hours of community service and three years of probation.

AWESOME.  THE 80 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE HE WILL PROBABLY BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THIS YEAR, BUT THE THREE YEARS OF PROBATION ... NOT A CHANCE.

Attorney Gerald Schwartzbach entered the plea for Lynch in a Los Angeles court Thursday.  Two other gun charges were dismissed as part of a pre-arranged plea agreement.  The 22-year-old Lynch was not present.

Lynch was arrested Feb. 11 after surburban Culver City Police smelled marijuana coming from a parked car and found a loaded gun and four marijuana cigarettes inside.  No drug charges were filed.

FUNNY HOW THE SCUMBAG DEFENSE ATTORNEY STRIKES A DEAL WITH STATE PROSECUTORS TO DROP TWO GUN CHARGES AND POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA CHARGES IN EXCHANGE FOR A GUILTY PLEA FOR ONE GUN CHANGE.  MAKES ME SICK.  THE GUY BEATS TWO GUN CHARGES AND A DRUG CHARGE IN EXCHANGE FOR PLEADING GUILTY TO ONE GUN CHARGE AND GETS COMMUNITY SERVICE AND PROBATION AS A RESULT.  SERIOUSLY!  IF THAT WERE YOU, ME OR THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR, WE'D FACE ALL FOUR CHARGES - NO QUESTION.

"Today I pled guilty to a misdemeanor violation of having a firearm in a vehicle," Lynch said in a statement.  "I am embarrassed by my recent arrest and conviction.  I deeply regret that I placed myself in this situation."

SURE YOU ARE.  THIS STATEMENT WAS PREPARED BY HIS ATTORNEY AND ALL LYNCH DID WAS SIGN OFF ON IT.  I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF THIS TACTIC.  WHY NOT HOLD A LIVE PRESS CONFERENCE AND DELIVER THE STATEMENT FROM YOUR HEART?  LOOK AT HOW HE IS SURE TO STATE THAT IT IS A MISDEMEANOR VIOLATION AND NOT A FELONY ... AND FOR "HAVING A FIREARM IN A VEHICLE." REALLY IT WAS FOR CARRYING A CONCEALED WEAPON.  THIS CRIMINAL PROBABLY HAD THE GUN IN THE FIRST PLACE BECAUSE HE WENT OUT WITH HIS "HOMIES" TO PURCHASE THE DRUGS FROM A DEALER.  SO THE GUN WAS FOR PROTECTION BECAUSE HE WAS GOING TO MEET UP WITH PEOPLE WHO SLANG DOPE AND ROB PEOPLE FOR A LIVING.

AND IS HE REALLY "EMBARRASSED," OR IS HE HAVING HIS ATTORNEY PACKAGE TOGETHER ALL THESE WORDS ("REGRET") IN AN EFFORT TO LESSEN THE PENALTY HANDED DOWN BY THE NFL?

"I have made mistakes in the past.  Although I have learned many lessons over recent years, I obviously had not learned enough.  I apologize to my family, the Buffalo Bills organization, my teammates, the Buffalo community, and Commissioner [Roger] Goodell.  I have already learned from this recent mistake and am sincerely committed to being a more responsible citizen and better representative of the NFL."

I'M SORRY, BUT WORDS LIKE "LEARNED," "APOLOGIZE," "COMMUNITY," "MISTAKE," "SINCERELY," "RESPONSIBLE," "CITIZEN," AND "REPRESENTATIVE," ARE NOT IN MARSHAWN LYNCH'S VOCABULARY.

Schwartzbach said Lynch could have pleased no contest but chose to plead guilty.

WOW, REALLY?!  HE ALSO COULD HAVE ELECTED TO PLEAD INNOCENT.  BUT IF HE HAD PLED INNOCENT OR NO CONTEST, HE WOULD HAVE FACED FOUR CHARGES INSTEAD OF ONE.  

ALL THE STATE ATTORNEYS WANT IS A CONVICTION.  AND IF THEY CAN GET ANYONE TO PLEAD GUILTY TO A CHARGE, THEY WILL DO ALL THEY CAN TO STRIKE SOME KIND OF DEAL.  SO SCHWARTZBACH'S STATEMENT OF HOW LYNCH COULD HAVE PLEADED NO CONTEST IS JUST ANOTHER LOW-BALL ATTEMPT TO MAKE HIS CLIENT LOOK BETTER THAN HE ACTUALLY IS IN THE FACE OF THE PUBLIC.

THE FIRST THING LYNCH NEEDS TO DO IS UPDATE HIS NFL PROFILE PIC.  BECAUSE THAT THING MAKES HIM LOOK LIKE THE DYSFUNCTIONAL MEMBER OF SOCIETY THAT HE IS.

RIGHT NOW, IN MY EYES AND PROBABLY IN MANY OTHERS', LYNCH IS NO DIFFERNET THAN ALL THE POOR THUGS WHO SPEND THEIR MONEY ON MATERIAL THINGS LIKE (AS I SAID IN THE EARLIER POST ON THIS MATTER) CARS SITTING ON A SET OF $20,000 RIMS, DRUGS AND GUNS, AND IF THEY ARE LUCKY, MAYBE A MANSION OR TWO ... OH YEAH, AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN CHILD SUPPORT.

TO QUOTE MY PREVIOUS POST:

"SO MAYBE IF THEIR PRIORITIES WERE STRAIGHT THEY WOULDN'T BE CAUGHT IN THE SITUATIONS THEY ARE SO FREQUENTLY BEING CAUGHT IN.  I MEAN, IS IT REALLY NECESSARY FOR A MILLIONAIRE TO HANG OUT AT A DINGY STRIP CLUB AT 3 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING?"

OR DRIVE AROUND THE TOWN WITH GUNS AND DRUGS IN YOUR CAR, TOKING IT UP?

"WHY NOT THROW A POLE OR TWO IN YOUR MANSION AND HAVE THE GUYS OVER, HIRE SOME DANCERS, THEN DRINK YOUR LIQUOR," SMOKE YOUR POT, "AND HAVE YOUR LAP DANCES IN-HOUSE?

"THAT'D BE MUCH SMARTER THAN BEE-BOPPIN' UP AND DOWN THE STREETS LIKE THE 'BANGERS WEARING BLACK HOODIES WITH THEIR PANTS SAGGIN HALFWAY DOWN THEIR ASSES SLANGING ROCKS AND BREAKING INTO CARS."

I'M DISGUSTED.

Man Traded for Bats ends in Tragedy

Ask the most hard-core baseball fan about John C. Odom and most likely you'll get a blank stare. Yet millions of people have heard of the slender right-hander.

He was "Bat Man" or "Bat Guy" or "Bat Boy," the minor-league baseball player traded for 10 maple bats.

It became a big joke last May when word of the unusual swap jumped off the sports pages, and the former San Francisco Giants prospect went from pitcher to punch line.

"People are like, 'I'd kill myself' and stuff," Odom said at the time, dismissing any such notion.

Three weeks after the trade, he abruptly left the team.

Six months after the trade, he was dead.

Full Story.

Salty's Thoughts: Bummer.

"I think they were not to be found."

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- After three days of combing 24,000 miles of ocean, the Coast Guard on Tuesday stopped searching for two NFL players and a third man lost in rough, chilly Gulf of Mexico waters off the Florida coast.

Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free-agent defensive lineman Corey Smith, who played with the Detroit Lions last season, and former South Florida player William Bleakley, had been missing since Saturday when their boat capsized during a fishing trip.

Bleakley's father said he thought the Coast Guard did everything it could and that his expectations lowered after only one survivor was found Monday, nearly two days after the four friends were knocked out of their 21-foot boat.

"I think they were not to be found," Robert Bleakley said.

Coast Guard Capt. Timothy Close said officials were sure that if there were any more survivors, they would have been found.

Link.

Salty's Thoughts: Terrible. Just terrible. Keep them and their families in your thoughts.

Mo-Blogs

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett writes that he's blogging from prison so others will learn from his wrong decisions. The tailback who led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship is in the Toledo Correctional Institution on his 2006 conviction for aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon. In his first blog entry, Clarett said in October that defects in his character put him behind bars. This week, he wrote he's interested in public speaking once he's out. He's serving at least 3 1/2 years for a holdup outside a Columbus bar and a highway chase months later that ended with police finding loaded guns in his SUV. Clarett doesn't have computer access in prison. His mother tells The Columbus Dispatch he phones the blog entries to relatives, who post them.

Salty's Thoughts: People always jockin' my style. I blog, so he blogs. Whatever. By the way, that picture is from Clarett's car when he was arrested.

Rifle: check.
Pistol: check.
Lint brush: check.
Mmm Bop Single CD: check.
Grey Goose: check.

Oddest mix of shit ever. Talk about ridin' dirty.

Bye Bye Brady?

On Monday, a league source advised us that the new regime in Cleveland -- known lovingly in league circles as "ManKok" -- would likely be interested in Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler as an alternative to Derek Anderson and/or Brady Quinn.

profootballtalk.com

Salty's Thoughts: KNR in Cleveland is reporting the same thing. Rumor there is Brady Quinn, Shaun Rogers for Jay Cutler and a third round draft choice.

Interesting.

NFL Players Missing at Sea

The Coast Guard is searching for up to four missing boaters, including two active NFL players near St. Petersburg, Fla.

Among the missing is Detroit defensive end Corey Smith and Oakland linebacker Marquis Cooper. Also on board is Nick Skyler. A press release sent out by the Coast Guard also said there is a possible fourth person on board. Agents for both Smith and Cooper confirmed that their clients are among the missing.

"We are in contact with the Coast guard and Corey's family has been informed," Smith's agent Ron Del Duca said. "Corey is one of the good guys out there. We're just waiting for more information and hoping for the best."

Troy Asmus, one of Cooper's agents, said he has been in contact with the NFL and that the league is aware of the situation.

Full Article.

Salty's Thought: Let's hope they are found ASAP.

Couple NFL (Browns) Questions

1. Jon Kitna was traded for Anthony Henry. If you're the Browns, would you of sent DA for Anthony Henry? If you're the Cowboys, would you of rather had DA over Kitna? Were the Browns in this mix, or was it better they stayed out?

2. Rumors keep circling that the Browns may move DA. New England sent Matt Cassel (and Mike Vrable) to KC for a 2nd round pick. That being said, what could we even expect for DA? Is a 4th round pick worth moving him?

3. Is Steve Heiden the TE next year or do we sign a FA? Do we draft someone and hope they can contribute in year one? I still believe the Browns offense moved smoother when K2 was not on the field.