The Way I See It

In this Way I See It, I take a look at Mike Evans prepping for the WWE, Brett Favre exposing his hillbilly roots, and Ime Udoka getting busted for busting a nut.

This has been a pretty rough week for me. I got hit with COVID, so I’ve been off my feet for five days… still not back 100%. Thank God I’ve been assured by hillbilly professors and high school dropouts that this virus is a hoax. Otherwise, I’d be concerned at this point. So with a sore throat and clogged head, here’s this week’s pearls of wisdom.

Be Like Mike

The Bucs-Saints game once again produced tension, if not a well-played contest. I’m referring to Evans-Lattimore III, which in today’s NFL ranks on the same level as the Thrilla in Mannilla.

Let’s face it; Bucs WR Mike Evans doesn’t care for Saints DB Marshon Lattimore, and vice-versa. In 2017, Evans was suspended for one game for running onto the field and shoving Lattimore in the back; in 2020, Lattimore was fined $10,500 for unnecessary roughness for shoving Evans in the back, prompting Evans to rip his helmet off. In this round, Lattimore was jawing with Bucs RB Leonard Fournette and QB Tom Brady when Evans took exception and came off the sideline to deck Lattimore. The two teams brawled, and the net result was that both Evans and Lattimore were ejected. In the aftermath, Evans has been suspended one game (week 3 vs. Packers) while Lattimore was fined for his part.

Sports talk and social media are all appalled at Evans’ behavior, not me. I applaud Evans’ behavior, as he protected his geriatric QB from potential harm at the hands of a punk opponent. Give me a team of Mike Evanses, guys who ball out and have each other’s back, over punks like Lattimore.

Hillbilly Hijinks

Brett Favre was one of those good ol’ boy throwback football players. When Favre was still playing, he reminded you of those old-school Sonny Jurgensen type of QBs: strong arm, gunslinger attitude, just as likely to lose the game as win it for you. Mix that with that hillbilly charm, and you had an NFL icon.

Or so we thought. We were made aware of some of his indiscretions while he was still an active player, like his addiction to painkillers and his marital infidelities. Yet as much a lowlife as those acts showed him to be, Favre still had room to fall.

Favre is being sued for welfare fraud, accused of misspending millions of dollars intended for low-income families in order to build a volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi.

That’s right: millionaire Favre participated in a fraud (in the nation’s poorest state) that diverted welfare funds from poor families to the University of Southern Mississippi so that a new volleyball facility could be built. He also was found to have accepted $1.1 million dollars for no-show speeches, ordered to repay the money plus interest… and has done neither.

Shannon Sharpe rightfully ranted about the issue, referring to Favre as “the lowest of the low”. Compare that with Jason Whitlock‘s political take, wherein he focused on Sharpe’s claim that Terrell Owens would still be waiting to get into the Hall of Fame had he Favre’s record of off-the-field issues, rather than Favre’s alleged crimes. Typical for Whitlock, who has chosen to be the obese version of Candace Owens.

Favre was a garbage human prior to these allegations, and the current allegations just make him an even bigger piece of garbage.

Ime Suspended

Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is facing a season-long suspension for relationship with member of franchise’s staff. Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla is likely to become Boston’s interim coach for the season, sources told ESPN.

As is usually the case in these types of situations, it helps to take a moment and sift through the facts as we know them. This isn’t a Weinstein-type of scenario; there haven’t been any allegations of coerced behavior. So from a legal perspective… there’s nothing to see here. This is a case of the Celtics suspending an employee for behavior that violated corporate guidelines. While I think this unwarranted- the matter would’ve been better handled quietly, keeping the NBA informed- is a reasonable response.

While Stephen A. Smith can claim this is a racially-motivated “outing” of Udoka, I’m not so sure. I’m not saying it is or isn’t, but Smith’s simple assertion is not enough to convince me. Smith claims knowledge of similar situations with the Celtics that weren’t leaked to the press because the participants were white. Again, unless he’s naming names, I can’t take him too seriously.

As always, I fall on the side of “no crime, no time.” Unless you break the law or have a direct negative effect on business, no action is the best.