This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/patriots-deflategate-the-latest-sideshow-magnified-by-super-bowl-spotlight/2015/01/23/af90700c-a33c-11e4-9f89-561284a573f8_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Patriots’ DeflateGate the latest sideshow magnified by Super Bowl spotlight | Patriots’ DeflateGate the latest sideshow magnified by Super Bowl spotlight |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| He bought an airplane ticket on a Thursday, leaving the next day for New Orleans to go clear his good name. | He bought an airplane ticket on a Thursday, leaving the next day for New Orleans to go clear his good name. |
| Mitch Ross pulled on his finest sleeveless T-shirt and black beanie for his big moment, sliding a pair of sunglasses onto his covered forehead. His bulging, exposed arms carried an energy-shot-size bottle of something called deer antler velvet. Once in New Orleans, he held an informal news conference to discuss his relationship with Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and exactly what deer antlers had to do with the NFL star’s torn triceps. Ross became an unlikely star of the moment two days before the Baltimore Ravens played the San Francisco 49ers two years ago in the Super Bowl, a spectacle that has become so extravagant that it tests our society’s ability to separate news from sideshow. | Mitch Ross pulled on his finest sleeveless T-shirt and black beanie for his big moment, sliding a pair of sunglasses onto his covered forehead. His bulging, exposed arms carried an energy-shot-size bottle of something called deer antler velvet. Once in New Orleans, he held an informal news conference to discuss his relationship with Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and exactly what deer antlers had to do with the NFL star’s torn triceps. Ross became an unlikely star of the moment two days before the Baltimore Ravens played the San Francisco 49ers two years ago in the Super Bowl, a spectacle that has become so extravagant that it tests our society’s ability to separate news from sideshow. |
| This year, the Super Bowl turns 49, and as the decades have passed and the spectacle has come to overshadow the game, the stories that dominate the Super Bowl run-up — with that week’s occasionally charming ridiculousness — now mark time almost as much as the team that lifts the Vince Lombardi Trophy. | This year, the Super Bowl turns 49, and as the decades have passed and the spectacle has come to overshadow the game, the stories that dominate the Super Bowl run-up — with that week’s occasionally charming ridiculousness — now mark time almost as much as the team that lifts the Vince Lombardi Trophy. |
| This week’s deer antler velvet is already set: Who, if anyone, ordered the partial deflation of 11 of 12 footballs on the New England Patriots’ sideline during the AFC championship game, making them easier to grip in the first half of their 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts? It’s the perfect mix : a cover-boy quarterback; a quietly menacing coach, Bill Belichick, whose dominant team has a history of stretching, if not breaking, the game’s rules; and a ready-made (albeit uncreative and awkward) name, “DeflateGate .” | |
| This is the state of Super Bowl week, a period of suspended principles and news judgments, when Joe Namath’s guarantee became legend, Jim McMahon’s backside shocked the nation’s equilibrium and a 45-year-old named Mitch Ross could travel the sidewalk in front of the New Orleans Convention Center, a group of reporters trailing him. Journalists stand and extend cameras and recorders, some without any idea who or what they’re chasing — knowing only that, for one week a year, the lights are so bright that seemingly everything matters. | This is the state of Super Bowl week, a period of suspended principles and news judgments, when Joe Namath’s guarantee became legend, Jim McMahon’s backside shocked the nation’s equilibrium and a 45-year-old named Mitch Ross could travel the sidewalk in front of the New Orleans Convention Center, a group of reporters trailing him. Journalists stand and extend cameras and recorders, some without any idea who or what they’re chasing — knowing only that, for one week a year, the lights are so bright that seemingly everything matters. |
| This past Thursday night, a Kansas City newsman held a deflated football, his thumb dimpling the ball’s nose as the camera zoomed in. “I’ve got a strong grip,” said Len Dawson, the Hall of Fame quarterback who’s now the sports director at KMBC-TV. “It’s not going to get out of there.” | This past Thursday night, a Kansas City newsman held a deflated football, his thumb dimpling the ball’s nose as the camera zoomed in. “I’ve got a strong grip,” said Len Dawson, the Hall of Fame quarterback who’s now the sports director at KMBC-TV. “It’s not going to get out of there.” |
| Dawson, 79, has been around long enough that he has been the subject of such Super Bowl controversies and a man who reports on them. In January 1970, shortly after the Kansas City Chiefs landed in New Orleans for Super Bowl IV, rumors were swirling that the game was fixed. The betting line had shifted heavily in Kansas City’s favor, and at one point federal agents asked to interview Dawson, whose name and telephone number were found in the ledger of a known bookmaker — who happened to be carrying $400,000 when he was apprehended. | Dawson, 79, has been around long enough that he has been the subject of such Super Bowl controversies and a man who reports on them. In January 1970, shortly after the Kansas City Chiefs landed in New Orleans for Super Bowl IV, rumors were swirling that the game was fixed. The betting line had shifted heavily in Kansas City’s favor, and at one point federal agents asked to interview Dawson, whose name and telephone number were found in the ledger of a known bookmaker — who happened to be carrying $400,000 when he was apprehended. |
| Team officials briefed Dawson on how to play it, but the quarterback had a better idea: “The thing to do is tell the truth,” the former quarterback remembered saying. “‘I do know who this person is, but I’ve never had any dealings with him.’” | Team officials briefed Dawson on how to play it, but the quarterback had a better idea: “The thing to do is tell the truth,” the former quarterback remembered saying. “‘I do know who this person is, but I’ve never had any dealings with him.’” |
| Dawson was interviewed and cleared, but not before the Super Bowl media — a scant group in those days compared with the thousands of credentialed members who will cover this week’s events — sniffed out the story. In those days, news traveled slowly. A year earlier, Namath made his famous guarantee that the New York Jets would defeat the Baltimore Colts, and Jerry Izenberg, a New Jersey sportswriter, barely noticed Namath’s brazen proclamation. | Dawson was interviewed and cleared, but not before the Super Bowl media — a scant group in those days compared with the thousands of credentialed members who will cover this week’s events — sniffed out the story. In those days, news traveled slowly. A year earlier, Namath made his famous guarantee that the New York Jets would defeat the Baltimore Colts, and Jerry Izenberg, a New Jersey sportswriter, barely noticed Namath’s brazen proclamation. |
| “I didn’t give it too much weight,” said Izenberg, one of three surviving print journalists to have covered all 48 previous Super Bowls. “Guys who don’t cover football or write columns made it legendary.” | “I didn’t give it too much weight,” said Izenberg, one of three surviving print journalists to have covered all 48 previous Super Bowls. “Guys who don’t cover football or write columns made it legendary.” |
| Dawson’s story grabbed attention, though. It was perfect, even by today’s standards: gambling, an underdog team against the favored Minnesota Vikings and the beautiful seediness of New Orleans to set the scene. No matter that Dawson and his team were innocent; during those hungry days before the Super Bowl, this was a hearty meal. | Dawson’s story grabbed attention, though. It was perfect, even by today’s standards: gambling, an underdog team against the favored Minnesota Vikings and the beautiful seediness of New Orleans to set the scene. No matter that Dawson and his team were innocent; during those hungry days before the Super Bowl, this was a hearty meal. |
| The years passed, and “Media Day” became a midweek gathering, then a circus that Izenberg, now 84, prefers to avoid. News conferences became swollen, untenable affairs that glamorized camera-friendly characters over in-the-weeds football discussion. McMahon and the 1985 Chicago Bears became favorites, getting asked questions about the “Super Bowl Shuffle,” defensive end William “The Refrigerator” Perry’s gap-toothed grin, and how McMahon battled with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle and, during a Super Bowl practice, lowered his pants and mooned a television helicopter. | The years passed, and “Media Day” became a midweek gathering, then a circus that Izenberg, now 84, prefers to avoid. News conferences became swollen, untenable affairs that glamorized camera-friendly characters over in-the-weeds football discussion. McMahon and the 1985 Chicago Bears became favorites, getting asked questions about the “Super Bowl Shuffle,” defensive end William “The Refrigerator” Perry’s gap-toothed grin, and how McMahon battled with NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle and, during a Super Bowl practice, lowered his pants and mooned a television helicopter. |
| By then, Dawson was a full-time sportscaster. He would comment on Washington’s Doug Williams becoming the first black quarterback to lead his team to the Super Bowl in 1988; a simmering cold war in ’94 between Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Coach Jimmy Johnson; Atlanta safety Eugene Robinson, hours after accepting an award for high character, being arrested in 1999 for soliciting sex from an undercover police officer; and Oakland center Barret Robbins disappearing into Mexico in 2003 for a night of partying and going missing most of the day before the game. | By then, Dawson was a full-time sportscaster. He would comment on Washington’s Doug Williams becoming the first black quarterback to lead his team to the Super Bowl in 1988; a simmering cold war in ’94 between Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Coach Jimmy Johnson; Atlanta safety Eugene Robinson, hours after accepting an award for high character, being arrested in 1999 for soliciting sex from an undercover police officer; and Oakland center Barret Robbins disappearing into Mexico in 2003 for a night of partying and going missing most of the day before the game. |
| With stories this juicy, news outlets entering the quantity-over-quality era and the United States’ unquenchable thirst for pop culture tidbits, the game was no longer enough to hold the public’s attention. | With stories this juicy, news outlets entering the quantity-over-quality era and the United States’ unquenchable thirst for pop culture tidbits, the game was no longer enough to hold the public’s attention. |
| “You’re trying to look for a big story,” Dawson said by telephone this past week, “and how do you come about getting one? Just talking about the players and their abilities, that’s one thing. | “You’re trying to look for a big story,” Dawson said by telephone this past week, “and how do you come about getting one? Just talking about the players and their abilities, that’s one thing. |
| “But you’ve got to come up with something new.” | “But you’ve got to come up with something new.” |
| The United States’ need for week-long entertainment hit a tipping point two years ago in New Orleans, when Ross became the unlikely winner of the oddity Olympics, joined on the medal stand by story lines about Beyonce, that year’s Super Bowl halftime performer, lip-syncing at President Obama’s inauguration and San Francisco cornerback Chris Culliver asserting during a news conference that gays wouldn’t be welcome on his team. | The United States’ need for week-long entertainment hit a tipping point two years ago in New Orleans, when Ross became the unlikely winner of the oddity Olympics, joined on the medal stand by story lines about Beyonce, that year’s Super Bowl halftime performer, lip-syncing at President Obama’s inauguration and San Francisco cornerback Chris Culliver asserting during a news conference that gays wouldn’t be welcome on his team. |
| During that week’s Media Day, Lewis — who was then 37 and had missed 10 games because of a torn triceps, an injury severe enough to end seasons or even careers — denied a Sports Illustrated report that he had tried to obtain deer antler velvet, which purports to speed recovery but contains a substance banned by the NFL. Lewis returned for the postseason in January 2013 and insisted he “never” used the illicit spray. | During that week’s Media Day, Lewis — who was then 37 and had missed 10 games because of a torn triceps, an injury severe enough to end seasons or even careers — denied a Sports Illustrated report that he had tried to obtain deer antler velvet, which purports to speed recovery but contains a substance banned by the NFL. Lewis returned for the postseason in January 2013 and insisted he “never” used the illicit spray. |
| “I wouldn’t give him the credit to mention his name or his antics in my speeches or my moment,” Lewis told reporters that Wednesday, compelling Ross to buy a plane ticket the next day to share his side. | “I wouldn’t give him the credit to mention his name or his antics in my speeches or my moment,” Lewis told reporters that Wednesday, compelling Ross to buy a plane ticket the next day to share his side. |
| Ross, surrounded by dozens of media members, said then that he never saw Lewis use the substance and was not willing to prove that Lewis actually had procured the supplement. | Ross, surrounded by dozens of media members, said then that he never saw Lewis use the substance and was not willing to prove that Lewis actually had procured the supplement. |
| “Everybody wanted me to produce the videos and the text messages that I had, and that wasn’t the right time,” Ross said this past week. “I really, honestly, thought Ray would eventually come out and tell the truth.” | “Everybody wanted me to produce the videos and the text messages that I had, and that wasn’t the right time,” Ross said this past week. “I really, honestly, thought Ray would eventually come out and tell the truth.” |
| Just two years later, these bright lights of past Super Bowl weeks are barely memorable, so it’s fair to wonder where “DeflateGate” will eventually fall in NFL history. It’s also safe to predict that all manner of eventuality will be discussed over the next six days. | Just two years later, these bright lights of past Super Bowl weeks are barely memorable, so it’s fair to wonder where “DeflateGate” will eventually fall in NFL history. It’s also safe to predict that all manner of eventuality will be discussed over the next six days. |
| For his part, Ross and deer antler velvet quickly faded from regular view. After his news conference, Ross said, he received death threats from Ravens fans and left New Orleans a few hours after landing. A few months later, in September 2013, police raided Ross’s Birmingham, Ala.-area supplement business and shut it down — punishment, he believes, for upstaging the big week of the Ravens and General Manager Ozzie Newsome, an Alabama native. | For his part, Ross and deer antler velvet quickly faded from regular view. After his news conference, Ross said, he received death threats from Ravens fans and left New Orleans a few hours after landing. A few months later, in September 2013, police raided Ross’s Birmingham, Ala.-area supplement business and shut it down — punishment, he believes, for upstaging the big week of the Ravens and General Manager Ozzie Newsome, an Alabama native. |
| “It destroyed my name,” Ross said. “It absolutely did.” | “It destroyed my name,” Ross said. “It absolutely did.” |
| Still, he said, he doesn’t regret buying that plane ticket, holding that news conference and becoming a momentary, microscopic part of U.S. history that seemed much bigger at the time. | Still, he said, he doesn’t regret buying that plane ticket, holding that news conference and becoming a momentary, microscopic part of U.S. history that seemed much bigger at the time. |
| “I went,” Ross said, “and stood up for myself.” | “I went,” Ross said, “and stood up for myself.” |