Now about 4 days before the draft, I picked up on a story that was posted by our friends at ProFootballTalk.com -- The Best Pro Football Scoop on the Internet which provides not only some first class gossip, but does so with a sort of sarcastic edge that we love and appreciate. The article in question was the first to bring up some....uh...."slight discrepancies" in recently hired Vice President of Player Personnel
Fran Foley's resume. You might say....he pulled an O'Leary. Sort of fudged on one or two things....well, okay....maybe about five things. (To his credit, I think O'Leary only lied about ONE thing). Anyway, after that news hit the wires....some people were openly questioning how much longer Vikings owner Zygi "Played Guitar" Wilf was going to stand by his man--especially after issuing the zero tolerance plan in relation to his players and their off the field shenanigans. Well....then....just to make it that much better, Foley proceeds to go into the draft....and by most accounts....completely drop the ball! And what's even worse...he dropped the ball while acting like a total tool!
From what I've read, Foley on the way out, it wasn't like he was the most beloved guy in the front office either---which of course begs the question as to why Wilf didn't just can his sorry ass BEFORE the draft. So now, the Vikings are once again in search of a new GM//Vice President//front office big shot....let's hope they don't drop the ball again. But wait! There's more to the Foley story. After he gets the axe, the guy probably ruins any chance whatsoever of ever getting himself a high profile NFL position ever again---by suing the team! And get this one....his reason? The Vikings violated the terms of his contract! You remember...the one he signed after the Vikes reviewed the falsified resume? According to his attorney....
Just before noon Wednesday, the Vikings released a one-sentence statement relaying that the team had "terminated the employment contract ofvice president of player personnel Fran Foley." Later in the afternoon, Foley's attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, said his client was "wrongfully terminated" and that he would seek full compensation for the three-year deal Foley signed in late January, as well as "additional damages."
Kessler declined to comment on the value of Foley's contract. But a source close to the team said the total was more than in excess of $1 million.
"It's shocking to us that the Vikings are refusing to honor his contract, after inducing him to leave his job in San Diego, where he was quite happy and successful," said Kessler, a partner at Dewey Ballantine LLP. "The reason we're shocked is the emphasis the club and owner in particular have put out to adhering to a code of conduct and ethical standards. You'd think it would start with honoring contracts."
You have to admit...the guy has quite a set of stones on him.
And anyway....on to a different slant here....we're proud to enlighten you, oh lucky reader, with a couple of book reviews! WOOHOO! How about all this culture, just seeping our of our very pores!
First of all....let's take a look at the recent autobiography of wrestler Steve Austin:
Amazon.com: The Stone Cold Truth: Books: Steve Austin,J.R. Ross,Dennis Brent.
I have to be totally honest. I bought this book and wasn't expecting much. I got it in the discount bin over at a Barnes & Noble and thought it would be a lot of kay fabe (that's a wrestling term that loosely translates to....uh....bullshitting) about how real the business is, etc etc. Boy was I wrong. This is a really good insider's account of the business. I really liked a lot of the stories of the road from his days in Memphis & Dallas....riding in the car with guys like Dutch Mantell & Scandor Akbar....soaking in all the knowledge that guys like that possess and using it the way that he should. He pretty much has something good to say about everybody, with the possible exceptions of Lex Luger (who really NO ONE has anything good to say about) and his trainer//mentor Chris Adams, who he describes as a con artist a not-such-a-nice-person. Which is also something that a lot of people have said about Chris. I liked his stories about the late Brian Pillman, including the revelation that the gold chain he wears around his neck was a gift from Pillman...as well as some of his thoughts on some of the guys in the WWE today. A very pleasant surprise....and well worth the read--ya know, if your a wrestling fan....if your not....you probably didn't even read this review....so who cares?
Next on our little book review list is the latest Notre Dame book that I've read. Its:
Amazon.com: Touchdown Jesus : Faith and Fandom at Notre Dame: Books: Scott Eden. This one set on my book shelf for awhile as I found myself wondering just how much I was going to like it. The book begins as an attempt to look at the way that Notre Dame football collides//intersects with//coincides with the Catholic faith that is preached at Notre Dame. It was a surprisingly interesting look....and then, about a 1/3 of the way through the book, it becomes sort of a study of various fans of the football program and school--the wealthy alums, the "subway alums"--people who have never attended or even been to Notre Dame but whom are for reasons that they are sometimes unsure of themselves, root and cheer for Notre Dame with religious fervor.
The last part of the book, which for me was the most fun, was the collision that occurred between the Notre Dame administration, the wealthy alumni base....and the newest breed of Notre Dame supporter: the internet cruiser. The person who follows the program with the assistance of various websites--NDNation, IrishEyes, Blue-Gray Sky, etc etc. The collision that occured during the fall of 2004, when the writer just happened to be covering the program and school--that lead to the termination of former head coach Ty Willingham (don't get me started) and the hiring...after much hand wringing...of current head coach Charlie Weis. The backroom dealing, the administration backstabbing (among priests mind you!) makes for terrific reading. This may be one of the best books that has ever been written about Notre Dame. The football team, the school, the experience, the administration....its really good stuff.
Later,
Jeff
No comments:
Post a Comment