04/24/24
February 04, 2005
Local Columnist Runs Down Emmitt: Emmitt Smith's retirement press conference included a weird attack on the media, and it appears the animosity was mutual. Remembering Smith calling himself a diamond surrounded by trash after his final year in Dallas, sports columnist Gil LeBreton of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram waved 22 goodbye: "Maybe there were some Super Bowl media members in the packed conference room who, too, had to swallow back a tear. I wasn't one of them."
He's had a great career, but I get the feeling--like Bruce Smith--he hung around a couple years longer than necessary for the sole purpose of padding his stats. I mean, he's been hanging on in the NFL the last couple years to do what? Play with the Cardinals?? Give me a break...
posted by Proto_Helium at 04:58 PM on February 04, 2005
When will players learn that they will never beat the media. The reporters will still be covering that game long after these egomanics retire. The players are not bigger then the game. They are very replaceable then forgotten. It makes me laugh when these huge ego players leave the field for the broadcasting booth and get upset when the current players treat them as they treated others. Emiitt will only reap what he sowed. He will never get the love and adulation that Walter Payton received. He has only himself to blame.
posted by McLaw at 05:11 PM on February 04, 2005
Did anyone else see Emmitt at the SportsCenter desk last night for a half-hour? He was a pro -- well-spoken, intelligent, and polished. He even looked directly in the camera for many of his comments. If that segment gets him into the broadcast booth or an anchor desk, as I expect, that will mean all three of the Triplets and Moose have become national sports broadcasters.
posted by rcade at 05:29 PM on February 04, 2005
I'm a big fan of Emmitt's skills but I always thought his persona was totally phony. When he was saying 'I love you' puh-leeze. The comedy is priceless though. I also met a Cowboys fan who had gone all the way to see the Cowboys play and met Emmitt only to get the prima donna treatment. He was one great football player though.
posted by Mike McD at 05:47 PM on February 04, 2005
During my senior year of high school we had our "beach week". A week at the end of the year to rent a beach house and celebrate graduating. Almost all schools in pensacola have the same thing. One night while most of us were out emmitt and some of his friends came over and ate all our food. ALL our food. Also, he played his first high school against us and rushed for 200 yards in the first half. He wasn't real kind to us.
posted by justgary at 08:31 PM on February 04, 2005
These kind of columns always get my goat. Why the fuck should I care if this writer liked Emmitt or not? It's not a requirement for either one of their jobs, nor one for me to enjoy Emmitt's work (or the writers', but I typically don't). Ooooo... Emmitt's a phony - no, he's a running back. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate that as a public figure we are interested on some level about personality, drive, etc. but this is a public shot at a guy following his retirement. It's sensationalism.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:05 AM on February 05, 2005
An evening host on KTCK, a sportstalk station in Dallas, related an anecdote last night about how Smith sometimes went out of his way to belittle the media. As the host related, Smith once interrupted an interview two small-time KTCK hosts were conducting with Jamie Foxx, ordering them to walk away and declaring "I want to see your heads getting smaller." Obviously, this is just one anecdote, but I've wondered for a while why the Dallas media didn't have as much praise for Smith as I'd expect. If he was big-timing them like that very often, I can imagine they'd carry a grudge.