HOF Classes: 2007, 2008 (official thread)

[jwinslow]

Originally Posted by tibor75

I agree. Players are always sticking up for other players, so their opinion is frankly worthless.

Sorry, I find player and coach opinions to be far more useful than those of some random media members. The (football) all-big ten coaches team is almost always a better list than the media counterpart.

[sandgk]

Frankly, the big story here isn't Art Monk, nor Irvin, it is Tagliabue not getting in on 1st ballot. Certainly a surprise to me.

[Bob Saccamano]

Originally Posted by tibor75

Did Irvin miss any games because of his punk ass? I'm really asking - I don't know.

He was suspended for the first several games of the '96 season for cocaine possession I believe.

[tibor75]

Originally Posted by jwinslow

Sorry, I find player and coach opinions to be far more useful than those of some random media members. The (football) all-big ten coaches team is almost always a better list than the media counterpart.

After players retire, they rarely bad-mouth any other players, since most are friendly. Ergo, I don't think a player would ever say, "Monk really doesn't deserve it" Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott played during Monk's career so their opinion is especially worthless since they were concentrating on their own team during that time. Maybe now as retired players their opinion has merit in regards to players playing now.

[tibor75]

Regarding Irvin, I still find it amusing that people rip on eagles fans for cheering Irvin's back injury.

First of all, nobody knew how badly he was injured.

Secondly, he was a loser. I'd cheer his injury any day of the week. No matter how severe, he'd deserve it.

[Bob Saccamano]

I was correct about the suspension. From Wiki:

In March of 1996, Irvin was arrested on charges of cocaine possession at a hotel party celebrating his 30th birthday. After numerous court appearances amid a national media circus, which featured Irvin showing up to court in a full-length mink coat, he pled no contest to the charges and was sentenced to community service, ordered to pay a $10,000 fine, and put on 4-years probation. When drug-tested for illicit drugs, he tested negative. But the NFL suspended Irvin for the first five games of the 1996 season.

Irvin was also known as a regular at the "White House", a private pleasure palace near the team's training facility, where he and some Dallas teammates, like lineman Nate Newton, allegedly enjoyed a variety of wanton activities, including drugs and illicit sex.

In Irvin's 1996 absence, the Cowboys struggled out of the gate and never recovered. Upon his return from suspension, Irvin tallied 962 receiving yards in only 11 games.

Irvin sustained further damage to his reputation when controversy reared its head again as the Cowboys played the Carolina Panthers for their NFC Divisional Playoff game. Media reports stated that Irvin and teammate Erik Williams had sexually assaulted a woman and, with a gun to her head, videotaped the interaction. Despite Williams' and Irvin's denials of the allegations, the story overshadowed the game, which the Cowboys lost. The accuser was later proven to have fabricated the entire incident and faced charges of perjury, but the damage had already been done.

Midway through the playoff game with Carolina, Irvin left the playoff game with a broken collarbone.

Irvin had solid years in 1997 and 1998. During the fifth game of the 1999 season, however, Irvin was tackled hard at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia by Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Back Tim Hauck, and went head-first into The Vet's infamous concrete surface. As Irvin lay motionless on the Veterans Stadium field, he was infamously greeted by hostile applause and boos from fans of the rival Philadelphia Eagles, who had grown to despise Irvin and the entire Cowboys' organization. However, contrary to popular belief, the fans were not booing so much at Michael Irvin as they were Deon Sanders dancing on the field before anyone realized he was injuried. Once it was discovered he was injuried, cheers ensued all the way up to the ambulance taking him off the field.

Irvin was carted off the Philadelphia field on a stretcher, and the play in Philadelphia proved to be his last. The Dallas wide receiver sustained a non-life-threatening cervical spinal cord injury and was subsequently diagnosed with a narrow spinal column, which forced him into early retirement.

Interesting to see they indeed struggled without him when he was suspended.

[tibor75]

Originally Posted by Bob Saccamano

I was correct about the suspension. From Wiki:



Interesting to see they indeed struggled without him when he was suspended.

So, the bad news was that he was a punk who hurt his team.

the good news for his candidacy is that he really was vital to their team.