Big Tigger and Warren Sapp Continue to make the rounds this time turning up at The Dream Hotel with fellow proCane and Denver Bronco’s SuperBowl Champ KC Jones all hosted by 99Jamz radio personalty Felisha Monet.


 

Fox’s upcoming celebrity dating show The Choice has lined up a list of famous bachelors and bachelorettes to audition sexy singles in prime time.

EW.com has the complete list of celebrity contestants, the first photo from the set and some behind-the-scenes insight from Fox’s alternative series guru Mike Darnell.

The Choice has cast singer Joe Jonas, actor Dean Cain, fashion model Tyson Beckford, former American Idol star Taylor Hicks, Jersey Shore stars Pauly D and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, chef Rocco Dispirito, TV personality Rob Kardashian, former NFL star Warren Sapp and more (full list below). The female celebrities include actress Carmen Electra and model Hope Dworaczyk.

In each episode, four celebrities sit in spinning chairs and listen to non-famous prospective dates pitch themselves. Over the course of three rounds, the contestant pool is paired down until each celebrity has chosen their date for the evening

“What started out as a goof ended up being a ridiculously good format,” says Fox’s Darnell, who was on hand during The Choice‘s recent taping. “It really feels like a hit. It was charming and funny… [The show] works beautifully. It’s going to sell all over the world.”

Five of the episodes will feature male celebrities; one episode puts women in the power seats. The contestants were unaware who the celebrities were until moments before they went on stage, but that didn’t stop the sparks. “The [female contestants] took it ridiculously seriously, like they were getting married,” Darnell says. “A couple of the setups really had chemistry.”

These type of shows can go either way, more often than not people end up playing themselves.


(bossip.com)

Last month a familiar story hit the front page of the sports section: "Multi-millionaire athlete declares bankruptcy." This time it was 39-year-old football legend Warren Sapp. He played defensive tackle for 13 seasons in the NFL, won a Super Bowl title with Tampa Bay in 2002 and banked -- by his own count -- $60 million. Now he's filed for Chapter 7 liquidation.

According to court papers, he owes creditors more than $6.7 million. Sapp says he made bad real estate investments just before the housing bust, among other financial woes. And because of the debt, his paychecks as an analyst for the NFL Network were garnished. He also specifically pointed to an expensive divorce and taking a huge paycut (from $5 million annually to less than $1 million) as factors that led him into his financial predicament.

He's hardly alone. According to Sports Illustrated, nearly 80 percent of NFL players file for bankruptcy within two years of their retirement.

"Trust me, you don't choose this," Sapp said.

He said while most people may not understand how he got into the financial trouble that he did, he wanted to clarify that he is current on his child support payments.

"I will eat trash before my children are not not taken care of," he said.


(marketplace.org)

As mentioned in the Daily Dump, Warren Sapp has moved on from his gig at the NFL Network to the frontier of TV court judge. No, we’re not kidding. This is the real deal. He’s really going to be a judge on your television at some point very soon. Again, not kidding. The former NFLer joins the likes of Judge Joe Brown, Judge Judy, Judge Greg Mathis, etc. How serious is this situation? A production company paid people to sit in Sapp’s court this weekend. 

According to OnSet Productions, taping of Judge Sapp took place Saturday. Audience members, usually willing to waste time at a judge show just to be on TV, were actually compensated.

This is a PAID AUDIENCE of $50 Cash, paid same day to attend this show. Must be 18 and over to apply and available for 6 hours. Each shift is listed to the left.

Description- As a studio audience member, you will be watching and reacting to court cases as presiding Judge Warren Sapp decides who is right and wrong. You will be ON CAMERA.

Of course slackers were super pumped for the easy cash. No word on if and when Judge Sapp will make its TV debut.
Were you part of the Judge Sapp tapings? In the audience for the show? Do you have a photo of yourself with Judge Sapp? We want to hear all about it.


(bustedcoverage.com)

Are you having trouble deciding whether or not Janine, who failed out of beauty school, owes money to Stephen, who's never worn long pants before today, for not paying back money she borrowed from his Aunt Dotty for a really good deal on cigarettes?

Well, now you can ask seven-time Pro Bowler Warren Sapp.

Joining a list of immortals that includes Judge Judy, Judge Wapner and Judge Reinhold, Warren Sapp will now sit behind a big fake judge's desk and wear a big fake judge's robe in the middle of the weekday. That's according to Media Rantz, who uncovered several bits of evidence that "Judge Sapp" is already filming. Perhaps most telling was this call for audience members to sit and be paid to watch Judge Sapp dispense justice.

Sapp is an analyst on the NFL Network (though he wasn't seen working at the NFL draft and his contract is expiring in August) and he recently filed for bankruptcy protection in Florida. At the time, he also said he feared being sued by Jeremy Shockey, who Sapp said was responsible for blowing the whistle on the Saints bounty system.

But if it turns out that Sapp is really good at the TV judge thing, it could solve all of his financial problems. I'm sure he's a long way from this, but Judge Judy is currently pulling in $45 million a year for yelling at people.

I'm of the opinion that Sapp did good work on the NFL Network, but I don't know if he's the guy I'd seek out for a fair and reasonable ruling on a dispute. "Yes, the court has determined that since Mr. Clifton happened to be looking in the other direction, it was perfectly acceptable to destroy his pelvis."


(yahoosports.com)

In a comprehensive look at the media coverage of the upcoming NFL draft, Richard Deitsch of SI.com makes mention of the tenuous status of NFL Network (for now) analyst Warren Sapp.

Deitsch writes that Sapp isn’t assigned to the draft.  NFL Network executive producer Eric Weinberger tells Deitsch that the decision has nothing to do with Sapp’s comments from last month outing Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey as the bounty whistleblower.

Sapp is currently on the NFLN schedule through May, according to Deitsch.  Two weeks ago, Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe reported that Sapp hadn’t appeared on NFL Network since the Shockey incident, and that Sapp’s contract “likely” won’t be renewed after it expires in August.


(profootballtalk.com)

NFL legend Warren Sapp has warned the judge in his bankruptcy case that Jeremy Shockey might sue his ass for defamation ... because Sapp accused him of being the "snitch" in the NFL bounty scandal.

As we previously reported, Shockey has been considering taking legal action against Sapp ... claiming Warren went on the NFL Network and FALSELY identified Jeremy as the man who blew the whistle on the New Orleans Saints just a few months ago.

For those unfamiliar with the bounty scandal ... the Saints were punished BIGTIME when league officials discovered players were encouraged to intentionally injure certain opponents ... and were even rewarded with cash prizes. Bad stuff.

Now, Sapp has filed new docs in bankruptcy court, listing Shockey as a potential creditor ... joining a long list of creditors that includes baby mamas, the IRS and a speech therapist.

Since Sapp initially filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy -- claiming he's broke-ass broke -- he's required to inform the court about any person who could make a financial claim against him.

Obviously, Sapp feels there's a chance Shockey will come after him in court.

Stay tuned.


(tmz.com)

Warren speaks.

The voice is the same, a low growl that can turn blunt and pointed over the length of a conversation, punctuated by short bursts of laughter. It is the same sound you heard in the good times, and now that bad times have hit, it has not changed.

Warren Sapp still sounds like Warren Sapp.

Despite his financial problems, despite the headlines about bankruptcy filing, despite all the jokes about 240 pairs of sneakers and a large painting of a naked woman in his bedroom, Sapp still sounded positive Thursday as he attempted to explain his troubles in detail for the first time in a phone call to the Tampa Bay Times.

"Do you think I wanted to declare bankruptcy?'' Sapp said. "Do you think if there was any other way possible I would have done it? It was either this or go to jail. Those were my choices.''

In the days since Sapp, 39, filed for bankruptcy with $6.7 million worth of debt, he has once again become a polarizing figure in Tampa Bay. Sapp was a great player as the Bucs turned from one of the worst franchises in the NFL to one of the best, but a lot of people seem to remember a lot of stories about how rude he could be in public.

I wrote a column about Sapp in Tuesday's paper, and the email still hasn't eased. To be honest, there doesn't appear to be a great deal of sympathy for Sapp. Imagine the same financial troubles falling on another Buc, such as Derrick Brooks or Mike Alstott or Warrick Dunn, and more fans might try to feel their pain. Not so much with Sapp.

The trouble started, he said, with the wrong construction deal at the wrong time. By the time it went bad, most of Sapp's money was gone.

The idea was to build low-income housing in Fort Pierce in 2005. Sapp said the original agreement was the houses would not be built until a buyer had been approved for a mortgage, but one of his partners approved the construction of three houses so there would be something to market. But 2005 was not a good time for real estate, and the houses went unsold.

"It didn't go well,'' said Sapp, who has a condo in Hollywood, Fla. "At the end of the day, we owed them a million dollars, and the two numb- - - - put their heads in the sand. They went after me.''

Because of the debt, Sapp's earnings from the NFL Network — 100 percent, he said — were garnished for 11 months. That meant his bills went unpaid, causing the debt spiral that led to his Chapter 7 filing.

"You tell me what to do,'' Sapp said. "Do you keep working without a check? If you don't pay your child support, you go to jail. This wasn't something I wanted to do. This was something I had to do.''

Sapp said his financial situation has left him a little embarrassed but not distraught. After all, the seven-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle estimates he made a gross of "about $60 million'' during his playing days.

"When you live like I do,'' he said, "you know where you are and what you have to do. I'm not at war with me. I promise you this. I will never go to jail.''

After Sapp's legal documents were released, there has been a lot of laughter and a lot of comments about his list of assets. Skeptics have wondered about his missing Super Bowl ring he earned with the Bucs in 2002.

"Is it so unbelievable that I misplaced my ring?'' said Sapp, a first-round pick out of Miami in 1995. "I wore it for 365 days, and we had a 7-9 season (in Tampa Bay in 2003) and I went to Oakland and I took it off. You never saw me with it anywhere. The only time I brought it out was when the NFL Network wanted us to wear it.

"We were at the Super Bowl, and I thought I handed it to someone, and he said I didn't. I checked my luggage to see if it was in a side pocket. I checked my suit to see if I put it somewhere. What was I going to do? Yell and scream because I lost a ring? That ring didn't make me a champion. Derrick Brooks, Simeon Rice, Ronde Barber, Brian Kelly, Dwight Smith. That crew made me a champion.

"In my life, has anyone called me a liar? Why would I start now? Someone told me something that John Adams supposedly said. Facts are stubborn. I like facts.''

Sapp said he finds it funny that most reports of his assets mention the nude woman in the painting of his bedroom wall.

"I'm not an interior decorator,'' Sapp said. "Some designer put that on the wall, and I liked it. It's in my bedroom. By the time a woman gets there, she might be naked, too.''

He laughs, then the conversation turns to the lion-skin rug at the foot of his bed.

"It isn't as if I shot him,'' Sapp said, laughing. "I didn't go and get him. I just like the rug. I have a zebra skin rug, too, but I shot that one.''

As for the 240 pairs of Nike Airs?

"I didn't know I had that many,'' Sapp said. "I've said for years, if you wear size 15, I have some shoes to donate. I've been with Team Nike for a long time. I didn't pay for most of those.''

For the record, now that his NFL career is over, Sapp said he has moved for a reduction of child support payments. He said he "doesn't know'' if he will be retained by the NFL Network as an analyst. As far as Bucs' memorabilia, he said his ex-wife Jamiko has the jersey he wore in Super Bowl XXXVII and from one of his Pro Bowls.

"They can fight her for them,'' he said, "but I don't think she'll give them up. They can have it all, man. I put myself in this position.''

Despite the debt, despite the criticism, Sapp said he is positive.

"This is just another situation I have to get myself out of,'' he said. "I grew up without cable and without air conditioning. Things aren't that bad yet.

"This isn't as tough a situation as when I came out of college, and there were reports of seven positive drug tests, and I was a 21-year-old man. I was coming to the worst franchise in pro football, and Sam Wyche was running a five-ring circus, and my teammates were calling me 'super-rook' because they didn't want me here. You stick a diamond in a pile of s- - - and it's still a diamond.

"If there is air in my lungs, I'll find a way.''

Do you believe him? Do you doubt him? Are you disappointed in him? Amused by his situation?

Throughout Sapp's career, it has always been the same.

Even now, broke but unbroken, he seems to do the same.


(tampabay.com)

Whenever we suggest that the sportswriters and broadcasters with the keys to the Hall of Fame consider as part of their deliberations factors such as off-field behavior and/or whether and to what extent the candidate was a jerk, one of the voters inevitably will claim that “no one has ever said ‘I’m not voting for [insert name of player who may be a jerk] because he was a jerk,’” and we inevitably will respond by saying, “No one is dumb enough to admit to it, but it remains an unspoken factor.”

Reinforcing our theory is Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune, a Hall of Fame voter who’ll be charged with the task of convincing enough of his colleagues to give a thumb’s up to former Buccaneers and Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp in February 2013.  As Kaufman recently explained on WHBO-AM radio (via JoeBucsFan.com), he’s concerned that recent controversies regarding Sapp will make it harder to make the case for induction.

“He’s killin’ me.  He’s killin’ me,” Kaufman said of Sapp.  “And by that I mean that in nine months it’s going my pleasure, my privilege to present the case for No. 99 in front of the Hall of Fame panel.  Forty-four people are going to be looking at him.  I have very powerful ammo to get this man in, I believe, based on the merits of what he did on the football field.

“But you’re right.  Some of those people in that room are looking for a reason to vote ‘no’ on this guy based on the way he treated them.  We don’t need anymore ammo.  We don’t need him getting fired from NFL Network, which could happen.  We don’t need the bankruptcy.  We don’t need him getting him in trouble with Jeremy Shockey.  Whether it’s true or not, he shouldn’t have said it.  All these ancillary things are not helping my case.  So from a very selfish and personal point of view, he’s killin’ me.”

It’s no secret that Sapp has few fans in the media.  At times, he can be very engaging and charming.  At other times, well, he can be neither engaging nor charming, to say the least.

But according to the voters who don’t want to see the voting process change, none of those extraneous issues even enter the thought processes of the folks who determine who does and who doesn’t get in.

Kaufman’s candid comments should forever put to rest the idea that the voters consider only on-field football feats.  The human beings who have to come up with a pass/fail assessment for each candidate are influenced by the factors that typically influence human beings.  And even if they know they shouldn’t consider the way Sapp treated them or Sapp’s comments about Shockey or the fact that Sapp filed bankruptcy or his claim (which some in the media find dubious) that he has lost a Super Bowl ring that otherwise would have been sold to pay off his debts or his ownership of a “Large Nude women painting,” at some level those thoughts are going to creep into their brains.

Of course, if the folks who determine who gets in to the Hall of Fame would like to try to prove Kaufman wrong, they can put Sapp through on the first ballot.  But that won’t change the fact that, regardless of what the Hall of Fame’s bylaws say, the voters can’t limit their focus to the space between the white lines.  Maybe the only way to fix this flaw is to change the rules so that they don’t have to try.


(profootballtalk.com)

Warren Sapp currently averages more than $100,000 per month in income. Despite having earned millions during his time in the NFL with both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders, he has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Chapter 7 bankruptcy will lead to the liquidation of his assets to pay his creditors and some of his back owed child support and alimony. He is far from the only former NFL player to earn millions of dollars during his career only to retire and become bankrupt.

Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas was drafted into the NFL in 1955 and he was the quarterback for the Baltimore Colts until 1972. He retired after one final year as a San Diego Charger. After retiring, Unitas joined some business ventures. After a business dealing failed, Unitas had little choice but to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1991. This bankruptcy is one that would allow Unitas to avoid liquidation of assets. Unitas died in 2002.

Chris McAlister
A more recent example of a football player who made millions but found himself nearly in bankruptcy is Chris McAlister. McAlister played in the NFL from 1999-2005 and made millions. In 2011, however, he sought modification of the child support he was being ordered to pay. He had originally been ordered to pay approximately $11,000 per month in child support. He sought a modification of the order stating that he had no income and lived with his parents.

Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Taylor spent more than a decade in the NFL and was considered one of the top players in the 1980s. Between a drug addiction, tax troubles and a failed business, Taylor quickly became insolvent after his career ended and he was forced to file for bankruptcy. However, Taylor ended up have much bigger problems than just financial troubles. In 2011, Taylor was sentenced to probation for allegedly having sex with an underage prostitute. He is required to register as a sex offender.

Terrell Owens
Terrell Owens was once a top football player in the NFL who made millions. After leaving the NFL at the end of 2010, the player quickly ran out of money. As he has four children by four different mothers, he was paying over $40,000 per month in child support. Though he has not filed for bankruptcy, he is, according to court filings, out of money. Owens is hoping to return to the NFL, but he currently has no contract in place.


(yahoosports.com)

Though his best football was left behind in Tampa Bay, where he won a Super Bowl and polished his Pro Football Hall of Fame credentials, Warren Sapp still had plenty to offer when he signed with the Raiders in 2004.

Sapp was the voice of experience, a locker-room counselor who often settled in front of his cubicle to dispense advice to teammates, team employees and even reporters.

He was loud, sometimes obnoxious, but he usually made sense.

So the news that Sapp is the latest former multimillionaire athlete to file for bankruptcy was a surprising jolt of reality.

Athletes frequently go broke, but it seems we're in the midst of an epidemic. Recent news accounts have told the sad tales of -- take a deep breath -- Dennis Rodman, Terrell Owens, Lenny Dykstra, Antoine Walker and Allen Iverson. They all made tens of millions and lost it.

Sapp, though, figured to avoid that fate. He seemed to have learned from his restless youth, when he fathered two children with his wife and two more with other women. Divorce had made him more thoughtful and discerning. He retired with relative quiet and made a smooth transition to the TV studio.

Sapp's big, bold personality graced Showtime and NFL Network, even got him a gig on ABC's "Dancing With The Stars."

But behind the contented grin and the hearty laugh was a man who had made a string of unwise business decisions and, moreover, felt the sharp end of those relationships.

He now is a cautionary tale, but how often do folks actually study and learn?

Too many athletes spend as if their money is being grown on a 400-acre orchard. They trust the wrong people, too often turn to "friends" and relatives, actual and otherwise, for advice and investments. They dive onto the money pile, having so much fun they fail to realize their dollars are evaporating.

Why on earth won't these slow-motion train wrecks pick up a phone and start making calls until they reach another ex-jock who also has been in the news lately -- but for impressive and admirable reasons.

Magic Johnson is the face of the group selected to purchase the Los Angeles Dodgers. The $2.15 billion bid submitted by Guggenheim Partners not only leveled the competition but stands to change the landscape at the highest levels of all major American sports. If the transaction is approved, perhaps as soon as this week, the vast majority of current MLB owners instantly become appreciably richer.

Though Johnson is not the primary money man in this proposed deal, his very visible involvement speaks to his astonishing rise from a national championship at Michigan State to world championships with the Los Angeles Lakers to an oversized seat at end of the biggest tables of high finance.

While Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods built their financial empires through uniquely spectacular careers and immensely profitable marketing partnerships, Magic's came through building relationships. He learned from Lakers owner Jerry Buss, picked the brains of the moneyed folk sitting courtside at games in L.A.

Though he partied plenty during his NBA career, Johnson also was careful about spending, insistent on saving and committed to financial growth. He spent $10 million to buy a small percentage of the Lakers in 1994 and sold it for at least three times that in 2010.

He made less than $20 million in salary as a player, and now he likely is the world's richest ex-athlete, with net worth estimates as low as $500 million (Forbes magazine) and as high as $800 million (Fortune magazine).

Moreover, Johnson is a titan in the community. His companies, largely concentrated in underserved areas, employ an estimated 40,000 people.
And folks thought Magic was "set for life" in 1981, when he signed a $25 million, 25-year Lakers contract that was the biggest and longest deal in pro sports history.

Twenty years after many presumed he would die young as a result of an AIDS-related disease, Magic is the template for athletes who wish to avoid going broke. He says he gets calls all the time from active athletes seeking advice.

Why wouldn't a guy like Scottie Pippen or John Daly or Latrell Sprewell or Walker or Sapp -- who I know appreciates intellect and welcomes knowledge -- reach out before their pockets are empty?

Failing to seek advice, or ignoring it, is as unfathomably dense or stubborn as ringing up a $20,000 bar tab, staggering to a $150,000 car and getting behind the wheel -- rather than spending $500 for a driver.

Such inexplicable negligence happens far too often among athletes. So sad, when it's so incredibly easy to avoid.


(mercurynews.com)

Warren Sapp could be facing more financial hardship. It appears the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders defensive tackle is likely done as a studio analyst for the NFL Network.

Citing two unidentified league sources, The Boston Globe reported Sapp's next appearance on the network has not been determined and his contract is not expected to be renewed. Sapp reportedly is paid $540,000 annually with the NFL Network.

Sapp owes more than $6.7 million to creditors and back child support and alimony, according to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in South Florida.
Sapp's $6.45 million in assets includes 240 pairs of Jordan athletic shoes worth almost $6,500, a $2,250 watch and a lion skin rug worth $1,200. He also reported losing the 2002 Super Bowl ring he won with the Bucs and the 1991 NCAA national championship ring from Miami (Fla.).

The court documents were filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on March 30. TMZ.com first reported the filing. A phone message and e-mail left Saturday with his attorney, Chad Pugatch, were not immediately returned.

Sapp's average monthly income is $115,881, according to the filings, and includes $45,000 for a final contract payment with Showtime, $48,000 for an appearance with CCA Sports and $18,675 as an advance for a book deal. His contract with the NFL Network ends in August, the filings show, and it was unknown if the contract will be renewed.


(sportingnews.com)

Warren Sapp, a future Hall of Famer and current NFL Network analyst, has filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in Florida on claims he racked up millions in debt to several creditors.

Most surprising about Sapp’s filing is that he notes he lost his 2002 Super Bowl ring from a championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the 1991 National Championship ring he won as a collegiate with the Miami Hurricanes, according to a TMZ.com report.

In the court documents, Sapp says he has $6.45 million in assets — including items such as 240 pairs of Jordan sneakers and sandals, a lion skin rug, and a boxing glove signed by Muhammad Ali.

Sapp says ... he's pretty sure he lost the Super Bowl ring while traveling a few years ago ... because the last time he saw it was right before a trip.

Sapp says he never really wore the ring ... so he's not bothered by the loss.

Ditto for the college ring ... Sapp tells us, "Have you ever seen the Miami Hurricanes championship ring? It was 10 carats of cubic zirconia and yellow gold. it might be worth 300 bucks."

Sapp owes more than $6.7 million in debt to creditors and back child support and alimony. The outstanding amount outweighs Sapp’s 6.45 million in assets, which will be liquidated as a result of his filing for Chapter 7.

Sapp's average monthly income is $115,881, according to the filings, and includes $45,000 for a final contract payment with Showtime; $48,000 for an appearance with CCA Sports; and $18,675 as an advance for a book deal. His contract with the network expires in August 2012. Over a 12-year NFL career, Sapp made well over $40 million with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders.


(sportingnews.com)

Former NFL defensive lineman Warren Sapp now makes his living as an NFL analyst for NFL Network. On Wednesday, he went on air to out the whistleblower in the Saints bounty scandal.

“My source that was close to the situation informed me that [name omitted] is the one that was the snitch initially,” Sapp said (via PFT.com). ”I trust my source unequivocally. … ”I did not call anybody at the league and I did not receive any information from the league. …"

The "snitch," as Sapp put it, was former Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey, who promptly denied the accusations. New Orleans head coach Sean Payton confirmed as much to Shockey in a text message, and CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman "asked people familiar with the NFL's investigation and was told Shockey had nothing to do with the case. Nothing. At all."

Understandably, Shockey wants the NFL Network to punish Sapp.

"Is the league going to come down on their own people when someone does something so wrong and outrageous?” Shockey asked Yahoo's Jason Cole. “There should be a standard for punishment, like getting suspended or fined or losing your job. If I say something about officials, the league fines me."

In a statement released Friday, NFL Network Senior Vice President of Programming and Production Mark Quenzel said that Sapp had been remind that "he is an analyst and not a reporter for NFL Network. In the future, if he comes across something he thinks is news he will let his producers know and before it is reported or Tweeted, that content will be subject to the same verification procedure that our reporters follow.”

As for punishments … well, Jeremy, we have some bad news for you: Quenzel told USA Today that Sapp wouldn't lose his job over the incident.

"We're not going to fire Warren....The way we look at it, Warren clearly crossed the line in terms of what his responsibility is. He's an analyst for us. We use him to talk about what happens on the field and in the locker room and use that expertise. He's not a reporter."

Quenzel declined to tell USA Today whether Sapp would be suspended without pay, pulled off the air or punished at all. Good news, though: the network will remind all employees of the "implications" of going rogue in the news gathering process.

Meanwhile, Shockey, who has a history of rubbing people the wrong way but still doesn't deserve to be wrongly accused, now has to deal with the ramifications of being called a snitch on the NFL's own network. But could he take legal action? According to Michael McCann, a sports law professor and Sports Law Institute director at Vermont Law School, the short answer is … maybe.

McCann told SI.com's Richard Deitsch that Shockey could have a claim against the league for retribution.

"But there are factors that may limit the likelihood of his complaint succeeding," McCann said via email. "Namely, Sapp is not an employee of the NFL. If he's an employee (and he might be an independent contractor) his employer is the NFL Network, which is league owned but is a separate entity, and with some editorial autonomy, from the NFL. I think it's a crucial point that the network did not conduct the bounty investigation, and therefore Shockey, if he is the whistleblower, never whistle-blowed to the network. Shockey could argue the NFL Network is a mouthpiece for the NFL and thus the distinction I'm raising is one without real meaning, but I'm sure the NFL and NFL Network could show they are not only legally separate entities but also distinguishable through their business practices."

But if Shockey isn't the whistleblower, McCann writes that "he could sue Sapp and possibly the NFL Network to the extent it controls its hosts' tweets, for defamation. I think he would have a good argument, unless he in fact is the whistleblower in which case truth is an absolute defense to defamation."

So, to recap: Shockey tells the truth and he's identified as a snitch. Sapp doesn't tell the truth on an NFL-owned network and he could avoid punishment altogether.


(cbssports.com)

Much ado was made last week of comments from Warren Sapp that Jeremy Shockey was the "snitch" in the Saints bounty scandal. Sure, our own Mike Freeman shot down Shockey as the snitch as soon as Sapp came out strong, and, sure, Shockey had a text from Sean Payton to prove it wasn't him.

Sapp skated from any major punishment, as the NFL Network decided not to fire him. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about Sapp's naming of names on Monday at the owners meetings and said that Sapp was "inaccurate" in his belief that Shockey was the snitch.

"I didn't see his comment," Goodell said. "He's inaccurate, so we'll start with that."

Goodell didn't just classify Sapp's naming of Shockey as "inaccurate," though he did do just that. He also said it was inaccurate to name a single "snitch" and that it was several sources who provided the information to the league office.

And finally, Goodell believes that Sapp's characterization of the word "snitch" is wrong. And Goodell is spot-on here -- portraying whoever informed the league office of the Saints violations doesn't deserve a negative connotation attached to his/her name.

Instead, that person/those persons helped contribute towards stopping some incredibly unsportsmanlike behavior from a team that was clearly out of control.


(cbssports.com)

During his counterattack against Warren Sapp's accusation he's the "snitch" behind Bountygate, former New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey came up with an interesting idea.

To settle the matter of who's telling the truth, Shockey tweeted he and NFL Network analyst Sapp should take a lie detector test on ESPN.

Imagine the TV possibilities. Rather than LeBron James and The Decision we could have The Test. Maybe Jim Gray from The Decision would be the interrogator. Boffo ratings.

Unfortunately, ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz poured cold water on the idea. "We haven't thought about it and aren't really interested in exploring it," he said.

Too bad. The NFL Network says it's not firing Sapp. But network brass have strongly reminded him to stick to his analyst job and stay away from reporting, or trying to make, the news.


(usatoday.com)

Jeremy Shockey, an NFL free agent, isn’t letting Warren Sapp forget that he works for the NFL and his comments aren’t helping his case to find an employer for the 2012 season. In a phone conversation this afternoon, Shockey tells BC that Sapp “needs to retract and apologize” for saying the NFL vet was the Saints bounty whistleblower. We also have texts that add context to the Sean Payton-Shockey relationship. 

“It was just a stupid move on his part,” Shockey said about Sapp’s snitch allegation that has caused extra drama in the Saints story.”This came out of nowhere and now I can’t even enjoy my offseason. I have a huge fan base in New Orleans. We won a Super Bowl. And now my name is being dragged through the mud.”

Shockey says that he’s not sure what punishment he’d like to see for Sapp. “I don’t know what he has against me, but in the end I have bigger things in my life than Warren Sapp.”

Fox Sports is reporting that Sapp could face severe consequences for naming Shockey as a whistleblower. Federal labor law “protects employees against retribution as result of complaining about unsafe work environments.”

The fact that Sapp might have outed a whistle-blower could pose a problem for the analyst and the NFL, according to Los Angeles-based employment lawyer Arthur Whang, the principal of Whang Law Firm.

“Sapp is technically a league employee,” Whang said. “If Shockey is the whistle-blower, he is protected. So, by outing him, Sapp may have opened Shockey up to retaliation, such as someone not signing him.“

Shockey provided us with earlier texts between himself and Payton that took place December 31 as the Carolina Panthers were flying to New Orleans for a New Year’s Day game against the Saints. Shockey, who had three catches for 18 yards, tells us the ‘her’ Payton is referencing is his mother.

“He’s very close with my family,” Shockey says about his former coach. “My mom is a huge Sean Payton and Saints fan.”


(yardbarker.com)

With the Saints' bounty scandal coming to its conclusion on Wednesday (at least, the beginning of the conclusion), it makes sense to look back at how it started. At some point along the way, obviously, someone in the Saints organization said something to someone that maybe should've stayed in house.

Who's the rat? According to Warren Sapp, it's former Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey. Here's how their Twitter conversation unfolded, complete with denial from Shock-J.



Sapp later defended his stance on NFL Network, saying his source was very close to the situation and he trusted what his source told him. Here's the full conversation with Rich Eisen:

Warren Sapp: I was sitting in the production meeting getting ready for the day and my source that was close to the situation informed me that Jeremy Shockey was the snitch initially. So I went with that. I trust my source unequivocally because he is right on top of the situation. I understand what this is. Shockey comes out and says that he's not.  We just found out who 'Deep Throat' was and he almost died. I understand. Whenever you inform something of this caliber, your identity should be protected, but I was given that information and I went with it by a reliable source that I know.

Rich Eisen: Does it matter? Is that what players in that locker room are thinking about right now?

Sapp: No. They should be ducking making sure that they are not in the wake of these punishments that are coming out because as we see, the Commissioner is dead serious about the integrity of our game and the safety of the players. Rightfully so, and so on with the punishments. And if you are in that line, you'd better duck.

Eisen: The league also says that it did not speak with Jeremy Shockey.

Sapp: I did not call anybody at the league and ask them a thing and did not receive any information from them.

Eisen: But you believe from your source that Jeremy Shockey was the individual?

Sapp: That's the information I got and I trust my source.

Put as much stock in that as you'd like. Warren Sapp "heard" something, and Jeremy Shockey denied something he'd probably deny either way. I don't know if it's true, but it is a fun little theory and it certainly didn't make the NFL look good.

Shockey was most recently in the headlines for reportedly wanting to rejoin the New York Giants, or any team, really. Being labeled a clubhouse snitch, whether it's reality or fiction, isn't going to help his cause (at the very least, it's a bad idea to put him in the same city as Carmelo Anthony). And if Sapp is tweeting about it, then there are certainly people within the league bouncing about the same idea.

NFL.com's Jeff Darlington spoke to Shockey, who said he never had any knowledge of the "bounty" program when he played in New Orleans in 2009 and 2010.

"I don't even play defense," Shockey said. "I don't understand how he can say that. But there's nothing I can say that will take people's opinion away. The credible people like (Jonathan) Vilma or (Drew) Brees will let you know what kind of teammate I am. I don't have to defend myself."

An NFL spokesman said Shockey wasn't part of the league's investigation.

If Shockey does get back in the league, and it's on a team that plays the Saints, imagine the bounty on that guy.


(yahoosports.com)

As the Dolphins continue to try and fail to attract players to South Florida, more and more attention is being placed on G.M. Jeff Ireland as the reason for the current state of the roster.

On Monday, NFL Network’s Warren Sapp and guest analyst Joey Porter threw some more jet fuel onto the fire on the TV operation owned by the Dolphins and the 31 other NFL teams.

“Jeff Ireland has a big part to do with it,” Porter said.  ”I don’t think when you come in and you’re being recruited by him you really believe the things that are coming out of his mouth.  He’s just a guy that is not trustworthy.  He really doesn’t hold up to what a G.M. is supposed to be.  You think that he has the right tools to lead that franchise in the right direction but obviously nobody is buying into it.”

“Ever since he made that comment to Dez Bryant about his mother,” Sapp said, “we’ve always questioned [Ireland]; like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me?’ [Asking that question] doesn’t happen in football environments.”

“When you look at a guy that hasn’t even been a G.M. for a long time and here he is asking this type of question to [Dez Bryant] who is looking to be a top-five, top-ten pick, and this is the question you are going to ask me about my mom in front of everybody?” Porter said.  ”Who wants to go up there and play for a guy that thinks like that?”

While lingering disdain for Ireland based on a pre-draft interview with Dez Bryant from two years ago may be a factor, the problems in Miami originate a level higher in the organization.  Owner Stephen Ross, in an effort to legitimize his ownership, continues to create a sense of desperation when pursuing coaches like Jim Harbaugh and Jeff Fisher, and quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn.  Going 0-4 creates the perception, right or wrong, that anyone with options won’t opt to join the team.


(profootballtalk.com)

The results of the NFL’s probe into a “bounty” system instituted by the Saints has permeated throughout the league and, one by one, players are talking.

The distinction for many remains the line between motivational, bonding-type payouts for big hits or splash plays and rewards for premeditated intent to cause injury. Within the rules, even in retaliation, football is about hitting. But the term “bounty” brings with it an uncomfortable connotation.
NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp, a veteran of 13 NFL seasons and a member of two all-decade teams who many remember for a violent hit that nearly ended the career of Packers lineman Chad Clifton, draws the same line at intent to target.

“There’s a big difference between a ‘bounty’ — that means putting a price on someone’s head to be taken out of a football game — and gas money. I don’t have any problem with gas money,” Sapp said on “NFL Total Access” on Monday. “Because on Saturday night before a game, I’m in a special teams meeting, I’ll tell my L4 and my L5: ‘A tackle inside the 20, that’s $200. You get him inside the 15, I’ll give you $400.’ That’s gas money.

“But a bounty, to maliciously go out and target someone to take them out of a football game? Never. Not in 13 years. If you walked into my room and said this to me and my defense, I would ask you to leave.”


(nfl.com)

According to TMZ, Warren Sapp is being sued by his ex wife for lack of child support.

According to the article, “sources close to Sapp tell TMZ he’s current on his child support and that to Warren, his kids “always come first.”

This sounds like a pretty simple case of an ex wife trying to milk Sapp for all he’s worth. What, is 25,000 a month not enough? I mean- Sapp is no longer playing so he shouldn’t be expected to pay the same amount when his own paycheck amount goes down.

A judge has yet to make a decision on the lowering of a payment, but this kind of case is getting quite annoying to read about. The former Mrs. Sapp should probably try and find herself a job.


(rantsports.com)

Indianapolis — You can say what you want about Warren Sapp, but the man knows more about playing defensive tackle in the NFL than most. He's a seven-time Pro Bowler, a four-time first team All-Pro, who recorded 438 tackles and 96.5 sacks over his illustrious career.

His opinions about Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh have merit, and, they are going to sting.

"From his first year to his second year, he hasn't worked on anything," said Sapp, who is working the Super Bowl with NFL.com. "We're looking at the same guy rushing in the same fashion as he did when he first got into the league.

"You can get away with that at first because they haven't seen you. But that second year, you've got to come show me something, son. He came with that same bull rush."

Suh had 10 sacks and 66 tackles as a rookie. His production fell to four sacks and 36 tackles last season. Besides not learning any new pass rushing techniques, Sapp believes Suh also suffered from having offseason rotator cuff surgery after his rookie year.

"What affected him was, he plays such a power game; just grabbing people and slinging them out of the way," Sapp said. "He had rotator cuff surgery. I had one on each shoulder and I know what that's like."

Asked if he ever regained full strength in his shoulders, Sapp said, "They say when you rehab, you are supposed to come back stronger than you were, but, no."

Suh was also set back, Sapp felt, by the lockout.

"He was put into a situation where there was no offseason, no rehab or any of the things you need to do to get that shoulder strength back," Sapp said. "Without that power, I mean, he's never been a hip-flipper or a real pass rusher, per se. He just overpowered people out of his way.

"At this level, everybody is that strong and that's what you saw. Him with the shoulder and people started to understand that he was just going to go through them; that's all he was going to do. So, all I have to do is get a nice strong base and be ready."

Sapp also blamed defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham a bit for not moving Suh around more on the line.

"It was a joke," Sapp said. "He was always on that left side. Finally they moved him to the right side late in the game (at Green Bay) and he got a sack. They put him on the same side all the time so people could wham block him and everything because they knew where he was every time.

"When I was moving from side to side, teams had to map that thing out. Suh was in the same spot every time and I was like, 'Come on, Gunther, stop it.'"

Sapp is still shaking his head over Suh's continuous attempts to defend himself after his infamous stomp on Thanksgiving Day.

"He's still talking about how he was trying to step over the man," Sapp said. "What universe is he living in? I don't get it. If you can't be honest about your actions on tape, let's just send this out."


(detroitnews.com)

It is a difficult transition from playing sports to reporting about them.

There are two ways it can go down. Either the athlete is very bland because he is scared of offending any of his old teammates and becomes a homer to players and teams he likes or he just tells it as it is.

Either way they will always get some push back. Warren Sapp doesn’t hold his tongue and he definitely has some sort of grudge against the Raiders and Chaz Schilens was tired of hearing about it.

Larry Brown Sports picks it up from here.
“Warren Sapp is a fool,” Schilens said, apparently bothered by Sapp’s disrespect of the Raiders. “That dude is stupid. He played for the Raiders 20 years ago, no one cares what he says, nobody likes him, he’s a joke … Everyone on this team thinks he’s a joke. So, he can make his predictions next week, and we’ll watch ‘em and we’ll go out and win. … That’s about it.”

Sapp had his feelings hurt and went on the offensive. He responded via his Twitter account.

“Ok Just Woke Up From My Tuesday Slumber. Who’s Chaz Schilens ?? Oh Wasn’t He Just On DWTS? Did He Win??”

“My Bad! I Looked Ole Chaz Up, 8 & 6 Starts His 1st Two Yrs. ONE Start In Last 2yrs, Better Start a Career Before It’s Over!”

“And someone tell Chaz I left High School 20yrs ago! And in my 4th year I had Pineapple in my Diet!”

Click here to order Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.


(blacksportsonline.com)

The notion of Miami Heat star LeBron James playing in the NFL -- especially as the NBA's lockout drags on -- has been floated several times, including by LeBron himself.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll even had a Seattle jersey with LeBron's name on it made up last month.

But could the 6-8, 250-pound James survive, or perhaps thrive, against the NFL's even bigger bodies? After all, many former college power forwards -- Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham -- have morphed into elite tight ends.

"He's a tremendous athlete, probably the best physical specimen you'll see in sports," former NBA star Jalen Rose said of King James while serving as a guest panelist on NFL Network's No Huddle on Wednesday night.

"The one thing about football -- you can go up for the football -- I don't think his feet'll hit the ground on the way down because they will take him out. I think that game is too physical, I think it's too demanding, I think that it's hard to block defensive ends -- it's more to that job of being a tight end than just running routes."

Fellow analyst Warren Sapp said James would also be a marked man in the NFL.

"How about LeBron do one-sixth of what (Michael) Jordan did, let's see him go win a championship," Sapp said.

"Go do that. Go see if you can conquer your sport before you come over here because them boys on defense, we like pretty boys like that. We want to split them."

Though James, who played football in high school, can certainly catch, run and would be an intriguing red-zone target, Sapp and Rose questioned his ability to block in the run game and if he could cope with the game's inherent contact.

But he would have something going for him.

"I know one thing, it'd be hard to get a hit to the head on him," said former NFL coach Jim Mora.

Click here to order Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.


(usatoday.com)

Appearing on Rich Eisen's podcast on the NFL Network, former NBA superstar Charles Barkley challenged Warren Sapp to a foot race.

Calling Sapp, now an NFL analyst, a big fat lineman, Barkley said he would race him anytime, anywhere at any distance.

"I was highly, highly offended when Warren Sapp thought he could outrun me," said Barkley. "I'll bet anything in the world that Warren can not out run me."

Barkley is 1-0 or 0-1-0 in match races. Years ago he challenged 67-year-old NBA referee Dick Bavetta to a race. Barkley had a lead in the stretch before both the ref and Barkley tripped before the finish line.

Click here to order Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.


(usatoday.com)

Despite the headline, the NFL Network’s Contender/Pretender discussion on the Redskins was actually largely positive toward the club. Including Michael Irvin, who struggled with how to categorize the team. Still, in the end, three of the four panelists agreed that Washington belongs in the “Pretender” category.

Transcript:

Jim Mora Jr.: “You know what, I’m not sold on them yet but I like the direction they’re headed. They’re playing better defense.”
Warren Sapp: “They’re running the ball, play-action pass, and they’re physical inside.”

Mora: “And that’s what Mike Shanahan likes to do offensively, he likes to run the ball, play-action pass, get the edge. Jim Haslett’s got them playing good defense, and kind of believing in what they’re doing.”

Heath Evans: “There is a lot of similarities between that Chicago team that Rex led to the Super Bowl and this. There is a solid defensive core there that has struggled, but I think they struggled more because their offense couldn’t get on the field and stay on the field.”

Michael Irvin: “The one thing I will say though when I watch the Redskins, you know, I was a problem sometimes with my crazy butt in Dallas, but wow, what a difference peace will make....You can say what you want about the Redskins, all of that mess is gone, they’re on one accord, and you’re seeing the results of that.”

Then the Contender/Pretender question was raised. 

“This division?” Evans said. “Pretender.” 

“Pretender for me too, for me too,” Sapp agreed.

“No kidding,” Mora said. “Contender.”

“Philly’s going to be in there, so you can only pull two from the division,” Irvin said. “So if I put contender on Washington, I’m saying pretender on Dallas....I’m gonna put pretender on Washington. I’m gonna put pretender on Washington.”

Click here to order Michel Irvin’s or Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

Tonight at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime -- one of the many wonderful properties owned by the mothership -- "Inside the NFL" will, as usual, go inside the world of professional football.

And Warren Sapp, as usual, will have a spin on things that's going to offend a few folks. In this instance, I'll go out on a limb and say the Steelers won't be loving what he has to say, as he basically leaves the Pittsburgh football dynasty for dead.

"The Pittsburgh Steelers. I have three things: old, slow and it’s over," Sapp says. "It’s just that simple. James Harrison told us that he was 70-to-75 percent. It looked more like 40 percent to me if you are looking at the ballgame I was looking at. And Hines Ward, Mercedes Sapp can cover Hines Ward right now. You have to be kidding me ... Mercedes is my 13-year-old daughter. She will cover Hines Ward in a heartbeat.

"And Troy Polamalu, Ed Dixon runs this crossing route. Troy Polamalu is trying to grab him to have a pass interference and he can’t even get close enough to grab him. [It] looked like he was dragging a wagon behind him. Touchdown Baltimore. Pittsburgh Steelers done."

Them, as we say in the South, is fightin' words. And while Sapp has a point about the problems that plauged the Steelers in Week 1 against Baltimore, I'd probably lean more towards Phil Simms' take on things.

"That’s a tremendous over-reaction to Week One," Simms says.

Look, the Steelers looked downright dreadful as Baltimore was beating them up and down the field in every aspect of the game. But lots of teams have looked bad in the first week of the season and then circulated right back around to have good seasons.

This is especially true of teams that turn the ball over seven times in the first week of the season. That's not on Harrison, that's not on Polamalu, and I'm not even sure it's really on Ward.

Most importantly, though, is the fact that just last year, this was an AFC Championship-winning team. They are most certainly older, but they are not dead just yet. In fact, if anything they're a motivated giant that might not be sleeping anymore.

Click here to order Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.


(cbssports.com)

The three-man crew of Warren Sapp, Cris Collinsworth and Phil Simms at Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” debated this week Tony Romo’s performance in the Cowboys’ 27-24 season-opening loss to the New York Jets.

Sapp is down on Tony big time.

“Tony Romo did something that no other Cowboys quarterback in the history of the franchise has done: That’s lose a 14-point fourth quarter lead,” Sapp said. “…Tony Romo is not made for the big stage.”

Cris Collinsworth and Phil Simms offered pro-Romo viewpoints.

“If you put him out there for a trade, I think there might be a few takers on that one,” Collinsworth said. 

Collinsworth zeroed in on the interception that Romo threw to Darrelle Revis with seconds left that led to Nick Folk’s winning 50-yard field goal. Revis easily stepped in front of a hobbled Dez Bryant to make the pick.

Collinsworth suggested Cowboys coach Jason Garrett was as much as fault as Romo for the interception.

“That was a poor play call at the end of the game,” Collinsworth said. “They had to have seen that Dez Bryant couldn’t run anymore…And now you’re going to throw into that area with a safety over the top. It was a poor choice.”

Simms had Romo’s back.

“If I’m a head coach or general manager, give me Tony Romo and let’s saddle up,” Simms said. “That’s a very good Jets defense. For the Cowboys, everything was wrong. Three defensive backs were out. The wide receivers: Miles Austin with a hamstring. He was 70 percent. Dez Bryant really done after the first series or so…Tony Romo really covers up so much on that team like most really good quarterbacks do.”

I agree with Simms. While Romo’s turnovers hurt, the blame for the loss can’t solely be placed on him. Jason Witten’s 64-yard catch and run should have gone for a touchdown, the blocked punt returned for a score by the Jets was inexcusable and Garrett’s play calling was suspect on both of the possessions that ended with Romo turnovers.

Romo’s play allowed the Cowboys to be in position to pull off the upset. He’s not nearly as bad as his critics make him out to be. Like Simms said, there are a ton of teams that would gladly have Romo running their huddle.

Click here to order Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.


(mysanantonio.com)

Former UM great Warren Sapp, who had criticized Al Golden's hiring, told WQAM's Sid Rosenberg that he's now cool with Golden and will go to lunch with him.



Click here to order Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.


(miamiherald.com)

No, these aren’t an equestrian sample mocked up for Seabiscuit. This Air Jordan 13 player exclusive is a super high cleat made up for Teflon d-tackle Warren Sapp. Designed during his Raider Nation days, this AJ 13 uses the same color blocking as the “He Got Game” colorway minus the red Jumpman and hologram.

Air Jordan 13 Warren Sapp PE




Click here to order Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.

We’ve devoted quite a bit of blog space discussing Tiki Barber, who announced in March that he intends to return to the NFL after a four-season layoff.

Expectedly, opinions vary on if Barber, who will be 36 next season, has enough left in the proverbial tank to make an impact. Of course, there’s also the issue of Barber throwing his former Giants coach and teammates under the bus in comments during his post-career role as a television analyst.

Discussing the topic on “The Rich Eisen Podcast” with Barber’s ex-teammate, Michael Strahan, NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp took issue with the way the running back later turned his back on the Giants’ locker room.

“I didn’t think much of him when he did play,” Sapp said. ”I mean that’s the whole point. He was a fumbler all the way through his life, and then all of a sudden, somebody taught him how to hold the ball up high and then he (left the Giants) and said, Eli (Manning) can’t lead them and they’ll never win a championship.

“That kind of lends to who I’m talking about. This is the same guy. This is all encompassed into the same thing. There’s no way you turn your back on your teammates that block for you, that gave you the ball on short fields and did whatever they did. … There’s still no reason for you to attack your teammates.”

Strahan didn’t disagree with that assessment.

“Sapp is 100 percent right,” he said. “Only thing is, if it comes to playing football, he can play.”

Barber presents a tough decision for teams, given that he would take up a roster spot as a backup but likely wouldn’t play special teams. Strahan maintains a belief that Barber can be productive, but he admits he’s not sure how his ex-mate would impact a team’s chemistry.

“I think it plays into the minds of some of the teams that will probably go, ‘Well, he can come in, he can be productive. We think he can. But how does that play into the chemistry of our team?’” Strahan said. “So I think that’s important if you’re a GM. That’s what you’re going to look at if you’re a head coach. Now, if you want guys that are going to give you production, that’s going to work hard, is going to bust his butt, you’re going to get all of that.”

“But the other part, I’m not sure myself.”

Click here to order Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nfl.com)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies are searching for a man who wore an Oakland Raiders football jersey when he tried to rob a Subway in Boca Raton.

The attempted robbery occurred June 14 at the restaurant on Powerline Road.

Surveillance photographs released by the sheriff's office Monday showed that the man was wearing a No. 99 Oakland Raiders jersey -- the same number worn by former defensive tackle Warren Sapp.

Deputies said the man claimed to have a gun, but the weapon was never seen.

Anyone with information about the attempted robbery is asked to contact the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

Click here to order Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.


(wpbf.com)

We all know former NFL star Warren Sapp loves to eat, well know he’s looking to open his own spot in NY. BMS has learned he’s in talks about becoming an owner of a new outpost of Murray Hill hot spot Teqa.

The restaurant is in negotiations with a hotel in the Union Square area to open a taqueria on the ground floor and a tequileria on the rooftop. Sapp and Teqa’s owner, Derek Axelrod, who are close friends, were seen talking business this past weekend over dinner at the restaurant.

Click here to order Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.


(blackmediascoop.com)

Warren Sapp, who criticized the Al Golden hire in December, was at it again last week. “I stood in that locker room two hours on Pro Day and the head coach didn’t come down and say hello or nothing,” Sapp told WINZ’s Finsiders. “Let’s stop talking about this Al Golden reaching out and telling everyone is welcome. It’s bull.” Several former Canes have raved about how Golden has embraced alums. But Sapp, who wouldn’t offer his time for the U documentary, always seems to have a complaint. … For all the buzz about some of UM’s other receivers, coaches are talking up Allen Hurns as a player ready to bust out. “He’s the guy that really caught our eye,” receivers coach George McDonald said.

Click here to order Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.


(miamiherald.com)

Two Hall of Fame caliber proCanes will be eligible in 2013 to be inducted into the NFL Hall o Fame. Here is a short list of notable eligible players. 2013: Quarterback Vinny Testaverde, offensive linemen Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden, defensive tackle Warren Sapp, defensive end Michael Strahan.

Warren Sapp is a lock. We personally think Vinny should be inducted as well as though it may take a few years.

Click here to order Warren Sapp’s or Vinny Testaverede’s proCane Rookie Card.



(espn.com)

Before hiring Kevin Millard as one of two co-defensive coordinators, Millard received an enthusiastic endorsement from someone the Bucs have a little bit of history with.

Former Tampa Bay great Warren Sapp, now an analyst on the NFL Network and Showtime, said he gave a strong recommendation to general manager Mark Dominik and coach Raheem Morris, having played for Millard.

"They put me on the phone with Dominik and I told him to hire this man," Sapp told my colleague Rick Stroud. "You'll never have a problem with him. He's not looking to become a head coach. He's nothing but a workaholic. You think he doesn't know the Cover 2 (defense) or the three technique? He is the original. It's always been him, John Randle and me. I was with the man. I know a hard worker. I worked for (Rod) Marinelli."
Sapp played under Millard at the end of his career when Millard was an assistant with the Raiders. Sapp credits the coach for much of his late-career success.

"I told Raheem, I don't know what you're thinking, but if you've got a defensive line position open and want somebody to work with a young guy like Gerald McCoy, Millard is the guy," Sapp said. "I've done everything I can, but I don't have the time to really teach the kid. This man I played under, and he gave me 10 sacks with the Raiders as a 32-year-old. This is the man you got to hire."

Anyone whose had at least a 30-second conversation with Sapp knows he can be, um, persuasive. Seeing as how he's so passionate about Millard, we can only imagine how compelling a case he made to Dominik.

Click here to order Warren Sapp’s proCane Rookie Card.



(tampabay.com)

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Chad Clifton is still a sore subject for Warren Sapp.

On Tuesday, more than eight years after Sapp's then-legal blindside hit on Clifton, the Green Bay Packers' left tackle, put the offensive lineman's career in jeopardy, it was still a topic of conversation at Super Bowl XLV Media Day.

Although the NFL's competition committee implemented a rule change in 2005 that deemed hits such as Sapp's unnecessary roughness, the now-retired NFL Network analyst doesn't understand why he's been vilified.

Asked about Clifton's performance the last five weeks on Tuesday, Sapp said, "Next question."

Told that Clifton said the two shook hands in 2003, Sapp said, "That's a very long time ago. I was the only person who tackled Jerry Rice and got him off the field for the first time in his career. It doesn't come with the same vile as Chad Clifton. I'm trying to figure out why."

Sapp continued his defense.

"I made him a household name and $42 million," Sapp said. "What's the problem here? I still don't understand. You wouldn't know who Chad Clifton is if it wasn't for me. But now I'm so vile that I put a block on the guy?

"Really? C'mon. Stop it."

Sapp offered his take.

"In the trenches, we play a different game," he said. "We play a game that none of you are familiar with. We do things to each other that only linemen are allowed to do to each other.

"He needed his head on a swivel. He understands that now."

(usatoday.com)