A New Line to Back
So Junior Seau is a Charger no more. The
linebacker held his first press conference as a
Miami Dolphin today, showing the same strong
loyalty and professionalism for the Dolphins that
made him such a valuable member of the Chargers
team. The news was disheartening, to say the least.
When Michelle and I broke up a few months ago, I
knew she would eventually meet someone else, but it
was still a shock to learn she already has a new
boyfriend. Similarly, I knew Seau's time as a
Charger was up when the organization announced he
was "free to pursue a trade," but the news today
that he had signed with the Dolphins still
stung.
As I've said before,
Seau was the heart and soul of the San Diego
Chargers. He was a beacon of loyalty and passion
that grows more rare in the NFL with every passing
year. Though he played in 12 Pro Bowls, and could
have pursued the big bucks of free agency long ago,
he loved our town and our city with fierce
dedication. I have long grumbled about the
mercenary-like attitude of football superstars,
chasing the paycheck instead of the pigskin, but
seeing how a franchise rewards loyalty gives me
pause. Close analysis would probably become a
chicken-or-egg debate, but the reality is that Big
Business is driving out the last vestiges of
sportsmanship from the game.
I've already done my
share of ranting about the money-lust
corrupting the NFL, so I'll just leave it at that.
Instead, I'll just offer my thanks to #55 for 13
years of pride. Seau led his team through some of
the franchise's darkest days, and shared some of
its finest moments. I wish him all the best as he
spends the rest of his career in the humidity of
southern Florida. Till we meet again in Qualcomm
Stadium on Monday night, October 27, I hope all of
the quarterbacks you meet SAY OW!
Development note: I've
noticed that this site doesn't look like it should
in Netscape Navigator. Rather than waste time
jury-rigging it to look right in a
soon-to-be-obsolete browser, I'll just add the
cliché "This site best viewed with Internet
Explorer."
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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