Where do the Giants go from here?

The Giants suffered one of the more embarrassing losses in franchise history last Sunday at Jacksonville.

As soon as Giants Quarterback Eli Manning was sacked and fumbled the football deep in his own territory in the third quarter of last Sunday's game at the Jaguars, every Giants fan with any glimmer of hope in retaining some positivity from this woeful season jumped up shouting "Fall on it! Fall on it!" Only the Giants could not secure the ball as it rolled into the end zone, and the Jaguars somehow managed to recover the loose ball for a touchdown. It appeared as though running back Rashad Jennings was going to be able to recover it, as it sat on the turf waiting for him to fall on it, but just as it has felt much of the 2014 season, it slipped away right through his grasp. At this point, the Giants still held a 21-10 lead with plenty of time remaining in the game, but if you have followed this team during this tumultuous season, it felt as if things were beginning to unravel and the game was getting away from them. Sure enough, the Jaguars continued to pressure Manning off the edge and up the middle, and the constant pressure the Giants generated in the first half on Jags quarterback Blake Bortles slowly decreased. The defensive numbers looked good, 258 yards allowed, 7 sacks, 12 points surrendered (the Jaguars had 2 defensive touchdowns), but the end result was the same. Similar to the Dallas game the previous Sunday night, when asked to come up with a game-clinching stop, the Giants defense could not rise to the occasion. Similar to the Seattle game several weeks ago, they could not defend the read-option and mobile quarterback. Defensive ends collapsed and allowed Bortles to get the edge and rush for a big gain to put Jacksonville in field goal range late. It was like watching a bad movie. The same bad movie that we've watched the last several weeks. Perry Fewell's defensive calls continue to baffle most of us, as he elects to rush four down linemen when they cannot generate the necessary pressure all game to disrupt the flow of the opposing offense. Injuries and personnel have a lot to do with his schemes, but there are fatal flaws in his approach to calling a game. You cannot allow an offense to get into a rhythm on your defense and torch you for plays in the passing and running game, all the while continuing to play conservatively and "die a slow death." Offensive coordinater Ben McAdoo gets a little bit more of a pass than Fewell, since this is his first go-round overseeing the entire play calling of an offense. Fewell has been at this awhile, and has been torched on several previous occasions. Manning may not be the best quarterback for McAdoo's uptempto style of offense (he's no Aaron Rodgers), and that's what this season may be pointing out moving forward. Regardless, moving forward will be challenging, and no one person or group should shoulder the entirety of the blame. Having the 3rd highest amount of players (20) put on the injured reserved list is an unfortunate thing to have happen for a team, but it is no excuse to drop 7 consecutive games. The musical chairs situation with the offensive line is a direct result of these injuries, with key components missing valuable time, such as free agent acquisition Geoff Schwartz. But other parties such as Will Beatty, John Jerry and J.D. Walton have drastically underperformed. Regardless of how the remaining quarter of the season unfolds, there will have to be changes to the Giants front office, roster and coaching staff come next season. A storied, successful franchise like the Giants cannot tolerate one losing season, let alone two consecutively. This team is firmly in rebuilding mode, so it will be interesting to see if they decide to completely clean house top to bottom or elect to re-up some of their key components, such as Coach Tom Coughlin and Manning, and continue to put faith in their abilities. Unfortunately for the fans, the Super Bowl runs of 2007 and 2011 seem like a distant memory. 

The Case For...Shortening the MLB Season

Ever since the NBA and NHL playoffs have ended, there has been a lull in the sports world. Some of you may disagree, given the captivating World Cup games, epic matches at Wimbledon and a multitude of baseball games everyday. Personally, this is my favorite time of year, but my most disinterested in terms of sports. Soccer fans will be immersed in the World Cup for a month, but that only comes around once every four years. Tennis fans will be glued to their televisions for two weeks of high quality grass court battles, only to be disappointed to realize the US Open is still almost two months away. Baseball fans are certainly getting their daily fix, but c'mon, even for the die-hards it has to be tough to get jacked up for every single regular season game. The hockey and basketball seasons are 82 games before the playoffs begin, and I'm starting to think its time for baseball to shorten their regular season by at least 40 games. You would still have plenty of games for teams to make late season surges, and it would make the season less monotonous. I'm speaking from a casual baseball fan's standpoint while presenting this idea, but also realizing that in the scheme of things a 40-game trim would not take away a whole lot from die-hards. There are so many great things about the game of baseball, including the strategic play and little decisions made throughout the course of a game by a manager that have such a great impact on the outcome. These things go unnoticed by many people while watching baseball, who will only see lots of down time between pitches, at bats, etc. I've heard people complain about, "Why do they keep throwing over to first?" not realizing the strategy behind the pitcher and first baseman's attempt to keep the runner close to the bag and prevent a steal. For all of its intricacies, highlight reel homers and 'web gems,' baseball is lacking in its appeal to the "social" or casual fan. Shortening the season would be the first step in trying to reach this market of fans, making each game more meaningful and create less of a mid-season lull. Secondly, once the NFL season begins, even the pre-season, the MLB automatically takes a backseat to football. The home stretch of the MLB regular season and the playoffs are simultaneously occurring with the first two months of the NFL season. While playoff baseball is much more exciting than regular season  baseball, it will still be hard for these playoff games to outshine Thursday, Sunday and Monday football games in the ratings during September and October. If the MLB could find a way to schedule the season so that the playoffs could conclude roughly by the time the NFL regular season begins, they would avoid conflicting sports schedules, have the opportunity to have more eyes on their games and potentially earn more revenue from ticket sales. Die hard baseball fans may respond by saying, "this is America's pastime, we shouldn't have to change anything about our league," but if you look at all of the other leagues, they are continually innovating and experimenting with new things; since they know they are in competition with one another. The NHL is implementing more outdoor games to appeal to audiences with the 'Winter Classic' and the 'Stadium Series.' The NBA is adding new jerseys and on-court apparel for players in the hopes that this will translate in an increase of sales in merchandise. The NFL added 'Thursday Night Football' on now a multitude of networks (CBS and NFL Network) to gain viewers more nights of the week. While the NFL has been the clear-cut market leader for sometime now, each league is constantly trying to improve and outdo the other. Whether the MLB implements a scheduling change or not is completely unknown, and it does not appear that it will happen soon; but if they want to make the regular season more meaningful and appealing to common fans, they should consider this option. 

Who Will Fill the New York Knicks' Head Coaching Void?

It seemed that the plan was clear.  The new Golden State Warriors Head Coach and Phil Jackson disciple Steve Kerr was originally supposed to fill the vacated New York Knicks head coaching position. That had been the plan even before lame duck ex-Knick head coach Mike Woodson was fired last month. Steve Kerr is now a part of the Warriors' organization, and the hunt for a new Knick head coach continues. Names such as Denver Nuggets' coach Brian Shaw, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Derek Fisher, former NBA head coach Mike Dunleavy and ex-Warriors head coach Mark Jackson have been frequently thrown around in the media since Kerr was hired. Technically, Dunleavy is the only one who is jobless, as Shaw, Fisher and Mark Jackson are currently employed by the league or ESPN. Dunleavy and Shaw have the most head coaching experience in the NBA, but Mark Jackson and Fisher appear to be the more attractive options for Phil Jackson and the Knicks' organization. Mark Jackson was let go by the Warriors after leading them to the second round of the postseason last year, losing in six games to the San Antonio Spurs, and a hotly contested seven-game exit at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round this year. The Warriors players publicly expressed their displeasure at their organization's decision to fire Mark Jackson, since they clearly loved playing for him. Fisher is currently playing in the Western Conference Finals and maintains that he is not focused on the possibility of being the next head coach of the Knicks. Although he is not concentrating on it at the moment, in no more than a month he will shift his focus towards his next potential endeavor. Fisher has previously stated that he will retire at the conclusion of this season, and having been an integral part of Phil Jackson's championship teams with the Los Angeles Lakers it seems as if he would be a great fit to instill the triangle offense into this beleaguered Knicks roster. Fisher and Phil Jackson have similar perspectives on the game of basketball, and will surely implement their views on the makeup and style of the Knicks on-court game. The Fisher-Jackson connection is undeniable, and even though Fisher lacks coaching experience, he is one of the smarter players in the league who has been through many championship runs. He has also been the head of the Players' Association, which shows positive leadership qualities the Knicks desperately need in a head coach. Fisher, like Nets head coach Jason Kidd, could make the  direct switch from player to coach. Knicks fans and the organization would have to show some patience with a first year coach, as the Brooklyn community did with Kidd. Eventually, Fisher would gain his bearings and have the Knicks moving in the right direction. 

Mark Jackson was one of the greatest players to ever put on the orange and blue uniform as a point guard, and will surely be a player and fan favorite if he were to be hired. Unlike Fisher, he would most likely instill a slightly different mindset in the players, but would be guided by Phil Jackson in molding the team. Mark Jackson unfairly had his coaching career halted by the Warriors, but could potentially resume next season if Phil Jackson feels as if he would be a good fit for the organization. As cushy and nice his career as an NBA broadcaster would continue to be, I'm sure Mark Jackson would jump at the opportunity to try and lead his former team back to the Finals. This process of hiring a new coach should be carefully thought out by owner James Dolan and Phil Jackson. They should be in no rush to fill the coaching void, but rather evaluate their options and make the best decision moving forward. Knicks fans have to realize they will need to exercise patience in this process, and that a championship will not come overnight. With the lack of cap space and draft picks they have in the next year, the Knicks may be a few years away from getting back to contention. Regardless of whether or not Carmelo Anthony decides to take a pay cut and remain in New York, the Knicks have to concentrate on hiring the best head coach they can find. Melo's decision is somewhat out of their hands at this point, but the hiring of a coach is completely within their control. Shaw is not available at this juncture, but with the Nuggets' struggles this past season he may be on the market this offseason. That could be unlikely, since the Nuggets have been a regular playoff team in the last decade, but Phil Jackson could definitely lure Shaw to New York if he feels he is the right man for the job. Dunleavy hasn't coached since the 2009-10 season when he was head coach of the hapless Clippers. He had not had a winning season since 2005-06 with Los Angeles, so it has been awhile since Dunleavy has tasted success in the NBA. I do not see the rumors about him coming to fruition with any sort of hiring or offer, since he is the stalest of the candidates. His lengthy experience could be seen as a positive, but it has been a long time since he was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1998-99 with the Portland Trail Blazers. Of these four options, I believe Fisher is the best of the group, even though he lacks any coaching experience in the league. He understands Phil Jackson's philosophies and how to implement them in a team's system. Fisher may endure some growing pains as a head coach, but those will be short lived. In terms of the Knicks returning to glory,  that is entirely another matter. 

The Evolution of Fantasy Sports

The Evolution of Fantasy Sports

By Adam Purdy

In the past, being a diehard Jets fan has meant that by about Week 11, on a good year, the Jets have eliminated themselves from the playoffs and all my attention shifts over to my fantasy football team. Now I’m not saying that I’m not completely invested in my fantasy football team all season long, but before week 11, I’d rather see the Jets beat the Steelers than Josh Gordon bail out Brandon Weeden and lead my fantasy team to victory. After the Jets have no shot of making the playoffs though, I’m all about my fantasy team and pray that every time Tom Brady drops back to pass he is going to toss it to Shane Vereen on the outside for a nice 20 yard gain and more importantly, 3 more points for my fantasy team.

Now I’m the kind of person who after a long night out will still set his alarm for 8am on a Saturday or Sunday morning and somehow wake up in time to catch the Everton game. Hell, I almost missed Yom Kippur services this year just so I could make sure my Crimson Tide held on for the win against Texas A&M, sorry Dad. But for all of the time I spend watching and reading about sports, football is the only fantasy sport I play.

I still play in a league with all of my boys from home and we do a live draft every year at my friends’ house that usually takes about 3 hours, an hour of that time consists of everyone declaring why their team is best and should be declared the outright champion before the first game is even played. The thing that makes it so great though is that I only have to set my lineup once a week. I can get home from work on Monday, read a few articles to get a feel for who is set to have a big week, set my lineup, and barring any midweek injuries, be set for all the games on Sunday. I used to play fantasy baseball and basketball but after the first few weeks, I get tired of having to set my lineups every single day and having to check if Matt Harvey is out because he’s getting Tommy John Surgery or if Greg Popovich is going to bench Tim Duncan and Tony Parker because it’s a midweek game. I’ve even been the guy who tried to start a fantasy English Premier League, EPL, with my friends in college. Believe me; you don’t want to be that guy. As a result, I’ve been tied down to just playing fantasy football for a while now, a fantasy monogamist you might say. However, thanks to one of my roommate’s and our good friend, I might be back to playing the field very, very soon.

It all started in college when one of my roommates, who is also a sports addict, told me about this site FanDuel.com. On this site you could join one-night fantasy NBA leagues for cheap and win money depending on what place you finished in on the night. You were given a certain budget each night and players were valued at different prices depending on their season performance and who their opponent was that night. Obviously the idea of betting $5 on one night of NBA games and winning upwards of $50 was very attractive to me but for some reason I never acted on it. We would talk about it from time to time and there were times I would come into our TV room to see him on the edge of his seat watching the Bucks vs Pistons game, as funny as that sounds, because he needed a big night from Larry Sanders or Andre Drummond to win his FanDuel league.  A few nights here and there he would come in the top 5 or 10 in his league and win over $200 and half of our friends would be excited because our friend just won $200 from one night of NBA games while the other half were stoked because that meant one less round of Fireball shots they would have to buy that night at the bar.

After we graduated from college last May, my roommate and I moved into an apartment in New York that happened to be right next to another friend of ours from college who we had played soccer with and was as big of a sports fan as the two of us. Now my roommate and our other friend had always loved talking about sports, especially fantasy sports, but when my roommate told our friend about FanDuel, a spark went off in both of their heads. They had this idea of comparing player’s statistics, their opponent that night, and their listed price on FanDuel to come up with a list of the best possible team that they could pick each night with the budget they were given. It was basically the fantasy sports equivalent of Money Ball. 

They worked on this huge excel document for a few weeks trying to perfect it so that it always provided them with the team that gave them the best chance of winning every night. I was around one night when they were early in the process of creating this algorithm. I fancy myself a pretty smart person but I’ve never been more lost in my life hearing these two configure all of these excel formulas to create what they now call “The Tool.” It honestly felt like that scene in the Social Network when Mark Zuckerberg was creating Facesmash and I was his drunk friend sitting on his bed having no idea what was going on and what it would eventually lead to. 

After listening to them talk about FanDuel and all these other one-night fantasy sports websites I started joining a few one-night fantasy NBA leagues on this website SkyllZone.com. On SkyllZone, you are given two free drafts for the Wednesday night slate of games. You draft in a ten team league, the nine other teams are all computers, and if you come in first place you can win $20. Now $20 is obviously not a number you go bragging to your friends about but I did actually win one time and let me tell you, it felt pretty damn good when I got a $20 check from SkyllZone for taking a 10 minute break out of my day to draft a team for one night of games. While this seemed pretty cool to me, my roommate and friend had their sights set on bigger and better things.

It has been about 5 months since my roommate and our friend created “The Tool” and they have continued to increase their winnings night after night. The other night I came home from soccer hoping to catch the end of the Heat vs Pacers game but when I walked in, my roommate was watching the Kings vs Knicks game with our other roommate. He was in 2^nd place at the time and had the possibility of winning $100,000 if Tyson Chandler could have a good game. You’ve probably never seen three guys root for Tyson Chandler harder in your life than we did that night. Unfortunately for my roommate, Tyson Chandler and good games have not been synonymous many times this year and he ended up not winning the $100K. While he didn’t get first place, he still ended up winning a very impressive amount of money from watching one night of NBA action.

So after the other night I had to check this FanDuel website out for myself finally. The page is pretty straight forward. It explains that FanDuel is a one-night fantasy sports website where up to $1,000,000 in cash is paid out every day.  Seemed pretty cool to me. There were a few endorsements for the site from places like the Wall Street Journal and Fox Sports as well as some YouTube clips you could watch, but what really caught my eye was what I found at the bottom of the page.

Look at this guy Chris Prince. He seems like a very nice, average guy from Detroit. But Chris Prince is no average man; he has won over $539,638 from playing fantasy sports on FanDuel. Are you kidding me? He might be my new hero; he’s definitely my roommate’s hero. “Playing a game in one day and getting paid the same day is awesome,” said one Chris Prince. You’re damn right it is Chris. You sir are an inspiration. If you’ve made it this far in this article I highly recommend you check out FanDuel or SkyllZone or any other of the one-night fantasy league websites just to give it a shot and see what it’s like. Take it from a man, Chris Prince, who has won more than $539,638 on FanDuel and a guy who once won $20 on SkyllZone, me, playing a game in one day and getting paid the same day is awesome.

Should College Athletes Be Paid?

A recent article I read in Bloomberg Businessweek detailed the academic 'fudging' of college athletes' grades, specifically Division I basketball and football players, at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. Many of these athletes were enrolled in 'paper classes,' where they were not required to physically attend the class throughout the semester, and were only required to write one paper in order to get course credit. It was noted that most of the time these papers were never even read and were automatically given 'A's' or 'B's' by the professors, who were knowledgeable of whose papers they were 'grading.' Grades were also reportedly altered and boosted for those struggling athletes, namely football and basketball players, in order to preserve their athletic standing. These increasingly commonplace developments in university's athletic/academic programs is not exclusive to UNC, but rather a growing trend and issue for traditional scholars across the country. An athletic advisor at UNC named Mary Willingham investigated these issues and challenged the school's academic integrity. Her evidence and research was warranted and eye-opening, but was also met with disdain from university officials and UNC athletic supporters who believed Willingham was just stirring the pot. College athletics has become a $16 billion dollar business, namely from the revenue generated from football and basketball through media contracts, ticket sales, etc. The unfortunate part about this business, which is a word that was not associated with amateur athletics years ago, is that many feel as if these athletes are overworked and underappreciated. With the amount of money the NCAA and big-time schools generate through their athletic programs, these athletes who are essentially worked like professionals should be fairly compensated for their continuing efforts.

College athletes receive financial aid for their athletic skills and talent through grants and scholarships. The amount of the scholarship ranges based on the individual's athletic ability and perceived worth to the team. Revenue sports such as football and basketball oftentimes, especially at big conference programs, have a large amount of scholarship money to allocate to the players on their rosters. They generate a ton of revenue for the school, mostly at the Division I level, and some of that money is put into the betterment of the overall quality of the teams. However, there are plenty of players who are overworked without a moment to spare who do not receive a nice, juicy athletic scholarship in order to help fund their college education. For example, not all 53 players on a football roster can be granted large sums of financial aid, leaving some players with minimal funds to help get them through college. The advantage the revenue sports have is that the athletic department has more money to put into the advancement of the program, whereas non-revenue sports are usually operated on a tight budget. I received an athletic scholarship to play tennis in college, which categorizes as a non-revenue sport. Tennis is an example of a sport that generally does not generate revenue for their schools' athletic program. There is usually little to no television coverage, which means no media revenue for the school, and there are no ticket sales, as most matches have roughly 30 people watching in the surrounding area. These sports are not given the financial support of revenue sports because, guess what?, they don't generate any. I started out playing at the Division III level and was given an 'academic grant' (Division III is not allowed to give athletic scholarships). This scholarship was very valuable in helping my family pay for my education. A couple of years later I transferred to play at the Division I level and was now given an athletic scholarship along with academic financial aid. Again, these scholarships were helpful in lessening my family's financial burden. My point is that while scholarships and grants are great, the athlete is not given the option of being paid directly for their services. Being a college athlete is liking going to college with a full-time job. No matter what sport you play, you have weight-training/running requirements, on-court/field practice, travel (sometimes for a full week) and your actual games/matches. And you have to balance all of this with a rigorous academic schedule and coursework, and are expected to maintain good academic standing. I would like college athletes to at least have the option to directly accept payments or choose to accept aid in the form of scholarships to reduce their annual tuition. Generally, college students are not swimming in the dough, and every bit of money could help pay for meals, nights out, groceries, gas and other basic needs. There should also be an option of the athlete being permitted to take a cut of their scholarship in the form of a direct payment and allocating the rest to reduce their tuition bills. Employees are paid to perform a job or do a service to their company, so why should college athletes (basically employees of the university) be restricted in their financial options in terms of how to receive their aid? This ongoing debate is a significant one, as individuals who make a big commitment and sacrifice over the course of four years, should have the right to choose how they receive their money. 

Melo's 62 or LeBron's 61?

Two of the best players of this generation have put together their career-high scoring outputs in a single game this season. Both LeBron and Melo have the capability to put their teams on their backs and carry the offensive load. They displayed that in full force in their 60+ point performances this season, where you saw everything from step-back jumpers, ferocious dunks and long-distance three-pointers that were made to look easy by these two compatriots. You knew early on in the games that each man was locked in and was ready to put forth a super-human effort in order to make history. Melo broke Bernard King's Madison Square Garden point total of 60 when he reigned in 62 against the Charlotte Bobcats on January 25th, 2014, and LeBron broke Glenn Rice's Heat record of 57 when he put in 61 points of his own against the same foe on March 4th, 2014. Both were impressive displays of basketball talent, but which one was a better individual performance? It is ironic that the only 60+ point games of the season came against the same opponent (poor 'Cats), but which warrants more praise? Melo is perhaps one of the only men at the small forward position in the NBA that can compare to LeBron from a strength and stamina standpoint. LeBron is more explosive and dynamic off the dribble and driving to the basket, while Melo is definitely a better pure shooter. Melo's performance included a halftime, half-court buzzer-beater, while LeBron's included several acrobatic finishes around the rim. They are both masters at using the ball-fake in order to create space from their defenders while shooting the basketball. From an entire season perspective, there is no question who is in better shape in terms of the standing of their team and potential for an NBA championship, but who had the best single-game performance of the season? And neither of these men are considered the front-runner in the MVP race. Something to think about. 

Wells' Report Sheds Light on Incognito-Martin Case

After reading Ted Wells’ 144-page report on Miami Dolphins players Richie Incognito, Mike Pouncey and Jerry Jones’ harassment of fellow teammate Jonathan Martin among others, including a Japanese Assistant Trainer, it is clear the ‘Fins locker room and workplace culture is hazardous and needs a serious overhaul. The text messages released a couple of weeks ago between Incognito and Martin painted a drastically different picture than Wells’ report. Although the language was vulgar, it did not appear as if Incognito was bullying or harassing Martin. If you had known nothing about the case and decided to read the conversations between the two young men, it would seem like normal banter (to some) between two close friends who were interested in the same things (clubs, girls, drinking, football, etc.). Whether the language included in their texts was offensive to you or not is irrelevant, because it did not clearly appear as if anything was seriously wrong. But Wells’ report vividly depicted that something was indeed wrong, and Martin, along with a few others, was being subject to over-the-top harassment, even for an NFL locker room.

Martin had noted that his early time with the Dolphins was not that bad in terms of hazing, but as time went on it became progressively worse. He was repeatedly taunted and singled-out, according to his accounts, and Incognito along with fellow offensive linemen Mike Pouncey and Jerry Jones were the three main catalysts. Incognito called him names such as ‘stinky Pakistani’ and told him ‘you’re my bitch,’ while Pouncey and Jones had said he was not ‘black enough.’ Martin had a different upbringing and other intellectual interests, such as high-level reading, that appeared to bother pure jocks such as Incognito, Pouncey and Jones. He was not your typical jock that only loved football, partying and women. Martin was passionate about all three of those aforementioned things, but had other interests that led to him being nicknamed ‘Big Weirdo’ by Incognito. Incognito, according to notable players such as Pouncey, Jones and quarterback Ryan Tannehill, was an outstanding, outspoken team leader and inspired others to work hard, get in the gym and play a physical brand of football. But, as Martin noted, Incognito had a ‘bi-polar’ personality, which usually went from friendly and caring to aggressive and out of control when he was either drinking or surrounded by a bunch of teammates. Martin acknowledged that he sometimes liked Incognito and that they had similar interests, but their ‘friendship’ was very unusual and could turn on a moment’s notice. One example was during a 2012 Christmas party hosted by Pouncey for the offensive linemen that, according to Martin, displayed Incognito’s bipolar tendencies. After they had started drinking, Incognito and Martin got into, what at first seemed like, a playful altercation. Soon after, Martin noted, that Incognito ripped his shirt off and started seriously punching and hitting him. Martin did not want to further escalate the situation, so he took the blows, which by his account were not seriously injuring, until his fellow teammates pulled Incognito off and stopped the fight. Five minutes later, they were having a great time at the strip club as if nothing had happened. According to Martin, this was regular behavior from Incognito, whom he separated into ‘Good Richie’ and ‘Bad Richie.’ Martin had been continuously subject to name-calling and inappropriate physical contact from these three, which led him to contemplate suicide and, at one point, check himself into a mental hospital.

Martin had been in constant contact with his parents while this was all occurring. Wells’ report has several text conversations between Martin and his parents that show the fragile mental state he was in at the time. Martin vented his frustrations about himself to his parents and complained that he wasn’t tough enough or man enough to stand up for himself and confront his teammates. According to the report, he had been subject to bullying and unfair treatment in middle and high school, but it had tapered off during his college years at Stanford under now-49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. It was obvious Martin had been depressed and had low-self esteem as a result of the bullying throughout his life, and this malicious hazing from his Dolphin teammates only exacerbated his issues. His parents continued to check in on him and support him, and at one point Martin’s mom flew down to Florida to see how he was holding up. He got to the point where he would arrive to the Dolphins’ facility in the mornings and tell himself, ‘Just get through the day.’ That is not a normal thought to be having for someone supposedly living their dream of playing professional football in the NFL. A grown, 24-year old man should be able to walk into his workplace on a daily basis without fear that he will be humiliated or embarrassed by his co-workers or teammates. I understand that NFL locker rooms are a different environment, and that much of the language used can be vulgar. I have played on sports teams my entire life, and although I did not play organized football I am well-aware that a lot of the camaraderie is developed because of cracking jokes, making insults and talking with a certain careless vulgarity. There reaches a point where, as veteran teammates, you have to be aware of the mental state of your younger teammates. Rookie hazing and younger players getting the brunt of the jokes and pranks is nothing new, but it becomes a totally different issue when a young man is being brutally broken down to the point where he is contemplating suicide and has to leave the team for his own mental health purposes. The NFL locker room should not be held to a different standard from other workplace environments. Just because a man is 6’5”, 320 pounds does not mean that it should be permissible to make demeaning comments about his sister and mother on a regular basis, as Incognito, Pouncey and Jones did to Martin. The veteran offensive linemen on the team, notably the ones who were Martin’s harassers, should be held accountable and should have recognized when enough’s enough. Not everybody is from the same background and is accustomed to banter that goes on in locker room settings, and Martin should have been respected enough to be given space. I’m sure the usual rookie hazing and infrequent jokes would not have bothered Martin, but when it became harassment and detrimental to his emotional well-being, that is when the veteran players should have known to back off.

Martin was not the only one who was subject to this unfair treatment, as a Japanese Assistant Trainer was abused and called names such as ‘gook’ and ‘chink.’ In addition to the Japanese Trainer, a previously unidentified player, who has now been identified as Andrew McDonald, now a member of the Carolina Panthers, was subject to harassment. Incognito had said that McDonald ‘took it well’ and was not one to complain about getting a hard time. During his time with the Dolphins, McDonald had been the center of a joke that he was gay and had been given a male blow-up doll as a prank by offensive line coach Jim Turner. Turner had been unclear during his interviews that he played a significant role in harassing or mistreating any of his players. Martin, in an attempt to fit in, even admitted that he sometimes participated in this long-running joke about McDonald. Clearly, McDonald had not been as affected by the harassment as Martin, and has said that ‘he has no problem with the Dolphins organization.’ Martin should not be looked upon as a snitch, or a rat, in this situation. If anything, he should have spoken up to his coaches earlier than he did and not have allowed this to keep going on. It is unfortunate if other GMs and coaches hold what happened to Martin against him going forward, as Wells’ report clearly shows that this was not a normal case of rookie hazing or joking. The vulgar harassment continued beyond Martin’s first year into his second, which led to him walking away from the team late this past October. This issue should open the eyes of Commissioner Goodell, GMs, coaches and players across the NFL to the unhealthy nature of some of their workplace environments. At the end of the day, professional football is a job for the players, and for many of them it’s the only thing they can do at a high level. If Martin does not feel as if he can succeed in the NFL because off the nature of his surrounding environment, and he has devoted his entire life to being a professional football player, that leaves him at a major disadvantage. Martin is good enough to be a starter in the NFL, and this should not be compromised because of off-the-field issues. He should be surrounded by an atmosphere that boosts his morale and gives him the upmost confidence to perform at a high level on the field; not where he has to worry about being ridiculed and humiliated by his fellow teammates every time he walks into work in the morning. 

Here is Ted Wells' entire, eye-opening 144-page report: Wells' Report

And over 1,000 text messages exchanged between Incognito and Martin between October 2012-November 2013:: Incognito-Martin text messages

Super Bowl XLVIII Takeaways

Stan's Scintillating Run

Two weeks ago, Stanislas Wawrinka was not a household sports name. Now, two weeks later, the 2014 Australian Open Champion and World No. 3 has sprung out of fellow Suisse Roger Federer’s shadow and into the spotlight. ‘Stan the Man’ announced himself as a legitimate contender for the Aussie Open title by out-slugging and, more importantly, outlasting three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. He came oh so close to pulling off that tremendous feat in last year’s Aussie Open Round of 16, falling just short against Djokovic, 12-10 in the 5^th set. However, he and many analysts point to that crushing defeat as the springboard for his recent surge into the top tier of men’s professional tennis. The ‘Big Four’ of Rafael Nadal, Djokovic, Andy Murray and Federer have been utterly ruthless and dominant for the past handful of years in controlling the outcome of major championships. Until Stan crowned himself a major champion, no one outside the ‘Big Four’ had been able to capture a Grand Slam title since Juan Martin Del Potro announced himself as a major contender when he beat Nadal and Federer back-to-back to claim the 2009 US Open. And you would have to go back another four and a half years to find another ‘non-Big Four’ player to win a major in now-retired Marat Safin’s run to the 2005 Australian Open crown. What this all means, despite Nadal’s injured back and hampered play, is that what Stan accomplished in this Australian Open is an incredibly difficult and rare feat. Not only did he win his first major title in an era where most guys outside the ‘Big Four’ don’t get a sniff, but he became the first player ever to defeat both Nadal and Djokovic in a Grand Slam. Pretty impressive for a guy who went into the tournament with a combined 2-27 record against the Top 2 players in the world.

The ‘Stanimal’ had always had the game to compete and play with the big boys, but it was his lack of confidence and belief in the big moments that had slowed his progress. His one-handed backhand has long been amongst the best in the game and, along with his booming serve and much-improved forehand wing, he has managed to become a relatively complete player. There are no aspects of Stan’s game that shout “Hey, come attack me, I’m weak!” His service return, especially off of big first serves, has been criticized for being too defensive and not damaging, but why don’t you try and be offensive off of a 140 mph bomb placed into either corner of the box? He has even shown the ability to volley effectively and play touch shots around the court, which has not been viewed as his strong suit during his career. Stan’s hiring of former top-player Magnus Norman as his coach at the beginning of last year has proved to be the difference in his belief and Norman has given him the voice he so desperately needed to hear. Norman, although not a Grand Slam champion, has played in Slam finals before and knows what it takes to believe you can compete at the top of the game. His influence on Stan should not go unnoticed, and he has been without question a huge positive in Stan’s corner. Wawrinka has always hit the ball big off of both wings, but it seems as if he is hitting the ball with even more aggression and power than ever before. He is also as strong and fit as he’s ever been, and flies around the court roping balls crosscourt and down-the-line. Stan is very hard to break, even when he is serving at a 55% first serve percentage like he did in the final against Nadal, because even if his percentage is somewhat low he wins a very high number of points when he makes his first delivery. He is able to control the point with that first serve right away and the way he is hitting his groundstrokes it is near impossible to get control of the point as a receiver. Even though Nadal’s back locked up on him during the early part of the 2^nd set in yesterday’s final, he showed all of us why he is without question the No. 1 player in the world right now. He could barely serve or move, and knew it was going to take a monumental effort and historic collapse in order for him to prevail. However, Nadal did not give in and managed to sneak out the third set and make the fourth competitive until the very end. Nadal should be commended for sticking it out when he was clearly less than 100 percent, but nothing should be taken away from Stan’s performance in the final and throughout the tournament. For his efforts, he will wake up Monday morning as a Grand Slam champion and the number one Suisse player in the rankings, above Federer, for the first time in his career. Not a bad two weeks for a man who was set at 451/1 odds of winning the title before the tournament. I’ll leave you with evidence of just how good the ‘Stanimal’ was during the Aussie Open:

NFL Conference Championship Weekend Predictions

Patriots vs. Broncos (-5)

Broncos 30-23 (Broncos cover spread)

The legendary quarterback matchup we’ve been waiting for all season is finally here. QB Tom Brady has to be commended for leading this depleted roster to an AFC Championship game, and will do whatever he can to get them to their sixth Super Bowl in the new millennium. Even though QB Peyton Manning has won a Super Bowl, make no mistake that this is the biggest game of his career. He can put to rest discussions of his ‘subpar’ playoff resume by capturing a second Super Bowl title. The Broncos, with home-field advantage, have the better overall team and will find a way to limit RB LaGerrate Blount and the Pats west-coast offense enough to give Manning the opportunity to win the game with his arm. Neither defense is very impressive, but the raucous crowd at Mile High will play a huge factor in the outcome of the game. This will come down to which superstar quarterback can come up big late in the game, and I’m going with Peyton to silence some of his critics and get the job done against his arch-rival.

49ers vs. Seahawks (-3.5)

Seahawks 21-17 (Seahawks cover spread)

This is a tough one to pick despite Seattle only dropping one home game since QB Russell Wilson took over the reins at the start of the 2012 season. If any team is built to go into the toughest stadium to play in and come out with a win against the best defense in football, it is the San Francisco 49ers. They are a very similar team to the Seahawks, and possess an equally as devastating running back-quarterback-defense combination. It’s hard to imagine this one being anything other than a knock-down, drag-it-out slugfest. This budding rivalry is becoming the best one there is the NFL, and this most important encounter will not disappoint. The difference in the game will be which running game can get off the blocks and create sustained drives, while keeping the opposing offense on the sidelines. Both teams don’t make many mistakes and are very disciplined groups, so don’t expect a turnover to decide this one. The game will be won in the trenches, and I’m going with Seattle to earn their way into their first Super Bowl under Head Coach Pete Carroll.