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Aikman: ‘Skins more dysfunctional than Kardashians
The starting quarterback job with the Washington Redskins was supposed to be Robert Griffin III’s to lose. Well, he lost it halfway through the preseason schedule. Griffin was ruled out of the third game (Saturday vs. Baltimore) with a concussion. But coach Jay Gruden announced that Kirk Cousins not only would be an injury replacement for that game but that he also would start the season opener, Sept. 13 vs. Miami, regardless of Griffin’s health. Gruden said, “It’s Kirk’s team.” That was a surprising show of confidence in a quarterback with a 2-7 record. Gruden wants to trade Griffin, but the team’s owner, Dan Snyder, is still reluctant to part with the 2012 Rookie of the Year. The waffling on Griffin has become too much for NFL commentator Troy Aikman, who said, “People compare the Redskins to the Kardashians, but I don’t think the Kardashians are nearly as dysfunctional.” The circus continued when Griffin became embroiled in another social media snafu. His device registered a “Like” in response to an Instagram critical of Redskins management. Griffin later said the “Like” was not his view but that of an intern he hires to manage his social media affairs.
Tyrod Taylor rises from No. 3 to be Jets’ starting QB
Tyrod Taylor, drafted in the sixth round by Baltimore in 2011 and cut at the end of last season, has become the New York Jets starting quarterback. He beat out veteran Matt Cassel and a first-round draft pick of 2013, E.J. Manuel. Taylor, 6-1, 215 pounds, provides a running dimension that gave him an edge over the competition in a race where no one stands out as a thrower. Taylor ran a 40-yard dash in 4.51 seconds at the NFL Combine.
Will Smith’s new film Concussion will annoy Goodell
Will Smith’s new film, Concussion, will not be well liked by the NFL, as its hero is Dr. Ben Omalu, who has done more than anyone else to bring attention to the prevalence of brain trauma in pro football. In the trailer for the movie, Omalu, played by Smith, says, “Head trauma chokes the brain.” After studying the brain of deceased Hall of Fame center Mike Webster, Omalu concluded that football players suffered from the same sort of brain trauma that afflicts boxers. The movie shows how Goodell tried to discredit Omalu’s findings.
Fan sues Red Sox over foul-ball injuries
Major League Baseball continues to have a problem of foul balls injuring fans. Stephanie Taubin of Brookline, Mass., last week sued John Henry, principal owner of the Boston Red Sox, claiming she was behind home plate, in Fenway Park’s EMC Club, on June 17, 2014, when a foul ball traveled through an opening usually protected by glass and hit her, causing facial fractures and neurological damage. The glass had been removed for renovations. The amount of damages was not disclosed.
P.S.: Another tough week for fans in ballparks: One of them in Atlanta fell from the second deck and was killed when striking the concrete below.