Terrell Owens Claims Media Saya He's Selfish Player - AP

T.O. blames media for portraying him as selfish player
Posted: Monday July 17, 2006 8:21PM; Updated: Monday July 17, 2006 8:29PM

IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Terrell Owens blames the media for portraying him as a selfish player, although he admits a tendency of saying things about others that he wouldn't want said about himself.

In an interview with Bryant Gumbel airing Tuesday night on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Owens acknowledges dishing out more criticism than he's willing to take.

"The only thing I can really think of is maybe it was the way I grew up, you know," he said, according to a transcript released Monday to The Associated Press. "I got picked on so much, and it's like I feel like I'm still constantly being picked on."

Owens said he doesn't think reporters are necessarily conspiring against him as much as using him "to gain viewers' attention." As a result, he believes that he is "misunderstood." He said other players have been, too, "but I feel like I have been one of the main guys who've been vilified."

Why?

"That's the million-dollar question," he said. "Why me? ... At some point it does get to me. And I can't say it enough. Dude, I'm human and that's what I'm trying to get people to understand."

Owens also discussed his spat with quarterback Donovan McNabb that eventually led to his release by the Eagles.

As he wrote in a recently released book, Owens said he believes McNabb was jealous of the attention Owens was receiving in Philadelphia and that things boiled over when McNabb cursed at him in a huddle after a play. Owens said he took it as more than something said in the heat of competition.

"When I tried to address that after the game, he blew me off," Owens said. "So, that let me know it's more than just being competitive. It was more than that."

Owens is scheduled to report to his first training camp with Dallas Cowboys at the end of next week.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Wecoming Walter Anaruk Of FieldPosition.com

Walter Anaruk runs Fieldposition.com, the most popular NFL football podcast in the World. Walter graciously accepted my invitation for him to join this NFL Business Blog and our team of contributors, Anja Crotts, Bill Chachkes, and myself. I'm totally jazzed to have him here.

Zennie on Fieldposition.Com - Talking About The NFL Hedge Fund Scandal

Fieldposition.com is the number one football podcast on Yahoo! Walter Anaruk is the founder and host of Fieldposition, and someone I was introduced to via our own Bill Chachkes.

Walter was kind enough to seek out my view on the NFL Hedge Fund Scandal. The result is a podcast that you can hear with a click here: NFL Hedge Fund Scandal.

This show starts with Walter and Mark's discussion on Reggie Bush and how he will fit into the New Orleans Saints personnel groupings. Mark says that Saints Halfback Deuce McCallister will not be happy with sharing time with Reggie Bush as the season progresses. Walter says that Deuce wants to win.

They then turn to the matter of Ben Rothlisbugger and the Steelers offense, and other topics.

After that, they turn to the NFL Hedge Fund Scandal, and my talk.

On the whole, Fieldposition.com is an entertaining and informative podcast, and it's no wonder that it's number one in its category.

NFLPA Hedge Fund Scandal - The Word From Kelly McKean at Blue Corner

To get more in-depth answers on the NFLPA Hedge Fund Scandal, I turned to my friend Kelly McKean, who's the founder and Principal of Blue Corner.

Blue Corner is a boutique marketing and capital introduction firm based in San Francisco. They specialize in building relationships with clients who use the services offered by independent research analysts and both alternative and traditional investment managers.

The firm was founded on the belief that by combining industry best practices with integrity, professionalism and hard work, that they can deliver tangible results to their clients.

1. Kelly, what is a hedge fund?

A private investment vehicle whose manager receives a significant portion of its compensation from incentive fees tied to the fund's performance -- typically 20% of annual gains over a certain hurdle rate, along with a management fee equal to 1% of assets.

The funds, often organized as limited partnerships, typically invest on behalf of high-net-worth individuals and institutions. Their primary objective is often to preserve investors' capital by taking positions whose returns are not closely correlated to those of the broader financial markets.

Such vehicles may employ leverage, short sales, a variety of derivatives and other hedging techniques to reduce risk and increase returns. The classic hedge-fund concept, a long/short investment strategy sometimes referred to as the Jones Model, was developed by Alfred Winslow Jones in 1949.


2. What, if anything, can the NFL PA do to recover their losses?

The assets for the rogue hedge fund have been frozen -- I suppose a judge will decide how the assets are returned to investors on a pro-rata basis.


3. The players are suing the NFL PA. Can they win?

I cannot speculate the answer to this. If the Players Association did not perform proper due diligence on the fund, they could be liable.

NFLPA Hedge Fund Scandal

Two players are suing the NFL Player Association in a hedge fund scandal.

According to this Yahoo! Report:

"The two former NFL defensive backs insisted Friday that the league and its players' union are to blame for the $20 million they and five other current and former players lost in an alleged investment scam.

The seven players have sued the league and its union to recover the money, claiming the union endorsed the services of an investment firm even though its manager had liens against him.

According to authorities, Kirk Wright and his company collected as much as $185 million from at least 500 investors since 1997 and misled some of them to believe the value of those investments was increasing using false statements and documents. As recently as Jan. 25, the firm reported $166.6 million in assets spread across five hedge funds it manages and advises. That money is now missing, according to the SEC.

While Steve Atwater, 39, and Blane Bishop, 35, wouldn't disclose how much money they each lost, they said the scam has affected their lives and perhaps their futures, as they have relied on their NFL earnings for their retirements and vacations."

Geoffrey Rapp at The Sports Law Blog writes that..

The leading negligence case by an athlete against his own union is Peterson v. NFLPA, in which the court found for the NFLPA in an athlete's claim for misdirecting him to an "injury grievance" procedure when he ought to have filed a "non-injury grievance."

The court explained:

A union breaches its duty of fair representation only when its conduct toward a member of the collective bargaining unit is "arbitrary, discriminatory, or in bad faith." . . . The Supreme Court has long recognized that unions must retain wide discretion to act in what they perceive to be their members' best interests. . . . A union's representation of its members "need not be error free." . . . We have concluded repeatedly that mere negligent conduct on the part of a union does not constitute a breach of the union's duty of fair representation. . . . [A] union's unintentional mistake is "arbitrary" if it reflects a "reckless disregard" for the rights of the individual employee, but not if it represents only " simple negligence violating the tort standard of due care."

But there's no clear evidence in this new lawsuit that the NFL was trying to poorly invest funds. But according to Atwater and Bishop the NFLPA hired Wright without checking his background. Both players signed up for the NFLPA's Financial Advisor Fund , and that's how they were matched with Kirk Wright, who had been apprehended by authorities.

Will this have impact on the NFL's retirement fund? I don't think so. This was a program that some -- not all -- players particpated in, so it should have no impact at all on the total NFLPA retirement system. What should change is the NFLPA's way of evaluating hedge fund managers.

Oh..What is a hedge fund? It's bascially defined as a private investment fund or pool that trades and invests in various assets such as securities, commodities, currency, and derivatives on behalf of its clients, typically wealthy individuals. Some Commodity Pool Operators operate hedge funds, though there are many variations on this definition.

New York Giants Chad Morton Sues Leigh Steinberg and Dave Kim Over Loans

I post this to make this comment: David Kim should have set up a company with stock and given part of that to Morton, rather than a loan. That's just wasn't the best decision.

NFL's Chad Morton Sues Sports Agents Over Loans

The New York Giants' specialist says O.C.-based representatives haven't paid back $336,000.

By Dave McKibben, LA Times Staff Writer

July 8, 2006

NFL player Chad Morton has alleged in a lawsuit that his former sports agent, Leigh Steinberg, and an associate defaulted on a series of loans totaling $336,000.

Morton, a New York Giants return specialist who starred at USC, alleged in a suit filed in Orange County Superior Court last week that Steinberg and David Kim promised several times over three years to pay him back but did not.

Steinberg, whose offices are in Newport Beach, said he was a minority partner in SLL Enterprises, a company run by Kim, and was initially unaware that Morton had loaned SLL money.

"I was not involved in the initial transaction, and I only later became aware that the transactions had occurred," said Steinberg, who represented Morton until earlier this year. "When I did, I attempted to assist Chad in unraveling the situation."

Kim agreed that Steinberg knew nothing about the loans and said he intended to repay Morton.

Kim said he ran the U.S. operations for SLL, which stands for Steinberg, Lee and Lou, with the same Newport Beach business address as Steinberg's sports agency, Tollner, Moon & Steinberg. Kim, who worked at Steinberg's sports agency until earlier this year, said he met Morton while working in USC's athletic department.

He said the loans from Morton were to fund a chain of sports and entertainment ventures throughout China. But Kim said the businesses never got off the ground.

In court papers, Morton alleged that he loaned Kim and Steinberg $300,000 in June 2003.

When the money was not paid back seven months later, Steinberg and Kim offered to repay Morton by giving him a 5% stake in the China business venture, according to the suit. Morton said he agreed but grew frustrated because he was never shown documentation, and he asked for his money back, according to documents.

In December 2004, Morton alleges, the defendants bounced a repayment check of $175,000.

A month later, a $240,000 check from Kim was returned marked for insufficient funds, according to the suit.

Woman Asks For Santonio Holmes Charges To Be Dropped

There's always more to these than meets the eye -- here's proof

Woman asks for Holmes case to be dismissed
NFL.com wire reports

COLUMBUS, Ohio (July 7, 2006) -- The woman who was allegedly assaulted by Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes has asked that charges against the former Ohio State star be dropped, his attorney said.

Holmes was arrested June 19 and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and simple assault. The woman, the mother of one of Holmes' children, accused Holmes of choking her, throwing her to the ground, grabbing her arms and slamming her into a door, according to a Columbus police statement.

The woman has asked that the charges be dismissed, Sam Shamansky, Holmes' attorney, said after a pretrial conference in Franklin County Municipal Court.

The woman couldn't be reached for comment later. A telephone listing in her name has been disconnected.

City Prosecutor Stephen McIntosh said his office discussed the case with the woman and told her it is up to the prosecutor's office to decide how the case will be handled.

"We'll take into consideration her concerns and issues in trying to fashion what we consider a fair resolution," he said.

McIntosh and Shamansky said a deal is possible in the case. Shamansky has said Holmes is innocent.

A trial has been set for Aug. 15.

After his arrest, Holmes apologized for the negative attention the charges have brought to the organization.

It was his second arrest since being selected in the first round of the NFL draft in April. Holmes was arrested in Miami Beach, Fla., on a charge of disorderly conduct over Memorial Day weekend.

Holmes led the Buckeyes in receiving last season with 53 catches for 977 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Super Bowl XIX - 49ers 38; Dolphins 16 - Press Conference

This nine-minute video shows the press conference after Super Bowl XIX where the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins 38 to 16 in 1984, and the presentation of the Lombardi Trophy to San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Bill Walsh and Owner Eddie Debartolo. It features the late NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, the late Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Tom Landry, a younger Al Michaels and Jim Lampley of ABC, and O.J. Simpson interviewing the losing coach, Don Shula.

It also has the late President Ronald Reagan asking Bill Walsh to come and help him deal with Congress.

Darren Woodson - Single Parent Family Foundation 5K September 23rd 2006 - Austin Ranch

In this video, Dallas Cowboys Darren Woodson promotes the Kind Fest and 5K run for the Single Parent Family Foundation of Dallas. You can learn more by watching the video below and visiting their websiite at Single Parent Family Foundation

Tony Dorsett - Dallas Cowboys - 99 Yard TD Run Vs. Vikings

Dallas Cowboys' Tony Dorsett, #33 has always been my favorite running back because of his combination of speed and quickness and his unique running style: low to the ground as he approches and then passes the line of scrimmage, and to protect the football. Tony didn't run -- he would glide.

This video of his Monday Night Football 99 Yard touchdown run against the Minnesota Vikings shows all you need to see to understand why Tony Dorsett is one of the NFL's all time best backs.

Charger Girls - NFL Network's Fourth Cheerleader Series Is Coming

The NFL -- NFL.com -- reports:

As budding NFL rookies go through the job interview process, a different group of hopefuls try their hardest to make another NFL roster ... a cheerleading roster. NFL Network goes behind-the-scenes to get an understanding and appreciation of what it takes to become an NFL cheerleader in Making the Squad.

On Mondays in July, NFL Network will follow the San Diego Chargers cheerleaders after profiling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders in June.

The July schedule is as follows:

The Chargers Cheerleaders: Making the Squad
July 10, July 17, July 24 at 8 p.m. ET

Here's the video on The Charger Girls:

Falcons Arthur Blank and Rich McKay to Randy Moss: "You're Not Wanted Here"

If this ESPN story is true -- and why would Randy Moss lie? -- it's the dumbest decision Arthur Blank and Rich McKay ever made. This is not a personal comment in that I've met and like Rich McKay, and have respect for how Arthur Blank has reconstructed the Falcons organization. But this individual action -- just plain stupid. Can you immagine Randy Moss paired with Michael Vick? That would have made the Falcons offense completely dangerous.

ATLANTA -- Wide receiver Randy Moss had hoped for a trade to the Atlanta Falcons or Baltimore Ravens before the March 2005 deal that instead sent him to the Oakland Raiders, he said here this week.

Randy Moss could have been slapping high-fives with Falcons fans if the trade he wanted came to pass.

But his hopes of joining electrifying quarterback Michael Vick on the Falcons' roster, Moss suggested in an interview with a local radio station, were thwarted by the fact that Atlanta owner Arthur Blank and team president Rich McKay wanted nothing to do with the perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver.

"I wanted to play with Atlanta just for the fact of Michael Vick's elusiveness," Moss said. "And I wanted to play with a guy such as [Ravens star middle linebacker] Ray Lewis, because he's on defense and I'm on offense. So I did have dreams and high hopes of being traded to the Atlanta Falcons, but the president and owner . . . told me specifically that [they] did not want me in Atlanta, there's nothing that I can do to get [to] Atlanta, and then wished me the best of luck. [Blank] did not think that Randy Moss would be a good fit in Atlanta."



The admission by Moss was the first confirmation of longstanding rumors that, when Vikings officials were seeking potential trade partners last spring, the wide receiver was eyeing Atlanta as a possible landing spot. But there were never any substantive trade negotiations with the Falcons, and Blank and McKay both said at the time that Moss was not a target, while hinting his off-field problems would keep the team from considering a deal for him.

It is not known if the Ravens ever discussed acquiring Moss in a trade.



Under the ownership of Blank, and the front office stewardship of McKay, the Falcons have stressed the desire to add high character players. In fact, the Atlanta front office has even created a term, the "Falcons' Filter," to describe how it often eliminates players of dubious background from roster consideration.

Neither McKay nor Blank could be reached to respond to Moss' comments, but the wide receiver's story certainly dovetails with the previous reports that the Falcons were not a suitor for his services, principally because of his past problems.

"Basically, it was the president and the owner of the team saying there [was] no cold chance in hell that [I] would be playing for the Atlanta Falcons," Moss said. "So I took the Atlanta Falcons off my list and I tried to go elsewhere."

That elsewhere was Oakland, to whom Moss was dealt on March 3, 2005, for linebacker Napoleon Harris and first- and seventh-round selections in the 2005 draft.

In his first season with the Raiders, the eight-year veteran had 60 receptions for 1,005 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 appearances, 15 of them starts. The receptions and receiving yards were the lowest of Moss' career for seasons in which he played in all 16 games.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. To check out Len's chat archive, click here .