DaytonBuck
I've always liked them
MICHAEL ROSENBERG: Dreams for sale
<!--EZCODE BOLD START-->Former star Michigan and NFL receiver is auctioning off memories to make ends meet<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->
August 5, 2004
BY MICHAEL ROSENBERG
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
Two years ago, Anthony Carter received a ring for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
"I sold the College Football Hall of Fame ring," said a man answering the phone at Gino's Pawn Shop in Boca Raton, Fla., who identified himself only as "Gino."
As of Wednesday afternoon, the pawn shop was selling 30 items on eBay, and 29 of them used to be Carter's.
Michigan fans gush at the mere mention of Carter. He was the nation's best receiver and punt returner, juking opponents all over the field, and twice earned U-M's MVP award ($249 asking price for the 1980 trophy). Many people felt he deserved the Heisman; he had to settle for a Walter Camp Foundation All-America plaque ($369). He went on to win the NFL Alumni's Player of the Year Trophy ($1,499).
It's all for sale.
Or is it?
"I just found out about this," Carter insisted. "I'm trying to put a stop to it. I have my own stuff. I don't have to sell my stuff."
Really? Then how come eBay item No. 5111276785, Anthony Carter's College Football Hall of Fame ring, sold in late July for $999? The customer said of Gino's Pawn, "excellent eBayer, great service and communication."
And Michigan fan John Breidenich of Port Huron bought Carter's special-teams player-of-the-game award from his U-M debut -- also from Gino's Pawn Shop. Breidenich said he had the award and had no doubt that it's legit.
And Breidenich inquired about another Carter jersey from Gino's, which Carter supposedly wore in his final U-M home game. To Breidenich, the jersey for sale appeared to be different from the ones the team wore that season.
"I e-mailed Gino and said I had to question the integrity of Anthony Carter," Breidenich said. "Gino said as far as he knew they were legitimate, because he got them directly from Anthony."
On the Web page for that jersey (which sold for $96<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START 8) -->
<!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> , there is a photo of Carter holding up two uniforms -- and an offer from Gino's Pawn Shop to have Carter sign it.
If Carter is embarrassed by selling his memorabilia, that's understandable. But if he sold everything he ever had, it's explainable.
Carter has gone through a decade you wouldn't wish on anybody. His 9-year-old son, Anthony Jr., has cerebral palsy, which requires consistent (and expensive) medical care.
Anthony Jr.'s condition tore at Anthony Sr. and his wife, Kim. Anthony Sr. has stood by his son, but his relationship with Kim has been far from smooth. Three times, Anthony has been arrested on suspicions of domestic abuse, including an incident last year in which Kim told police he struck her in the face, threw her to the ground repeatedly and threatened her with a gun. Carter was sentenced to five years' probation.
Carter's U-M friends insist he is a good person -- and they know, given his arrest record, how ridiculous that sounds. A number of people, including former coach Bo Schembechler, have tried to get Carter to move back to Michigan, where former teammates and U-M alums can help him get a fresh start.
Friends say they can help Carter find steady work (he has held various jobs, but hasn't really had a career since he retired from the Lions in 1995). They say that if he has financial problems, it's because he tried to help too many people from his Florida neighborhood. They want to see their old A.C.
But Carter is caught in a depressing spiral: the more he struggles, the more people want to help, and the more embarrassed he gets, so he struggles even more. He admits to keeping his emotions locked inside him. Despite many requests, Carter didn't show up at Michigan football's mega-reunion in the spring.
I spent two days with the Carters in October 2002 for a story about Anthony Jr. Carter sat in his living room, surrounded by football helmets and other memorabilia, and said he had no worries about his finances. But Schembechler did not sound as confident.
"I still am concerned about what is going to happen because I would like to get him set doing something that he likes to do," Schembechler said then. "He has this burden, and he's done a good job with it and handled it well. But sooner or later we're going to have to get him something permanent. That's my concern."
Carter swears he hasn't sold anything. Everybody wants to believe that. And even if he sold everything -- helmets and watches and trophies and socks -- all to help his son, that's fine.
But that if you add up the supposed sales of Carter's memorabilia, what are we really talking about? One mortgage payment? Two or three?
At some point, you have nothing left to sell.
For Anthony Carter, it's not just a question of what he's done, but what he'll do next. He's only 43. He can still change direction -- not as quickly as he did on the field, but he can do it. He just has to realize that nobody, not even Anthony Carter, can juke life.
Contact MICHAEL ROSENBERG at 313-222-6052 or [email protected].
<!--EZCODE BOLD START-->Former star Michigan and NFL receiver is auctioning off memories to make ends meet<!--EZCODE BOLD END-->
August 5, 2004
BY MICHAEL ROSENBERG
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
Two years ago, Anthony Carter received a ring for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
"I sold the College Football Hall of Fame ring," said a man answering the phone at Gino's Pawn Shop in Boca Raton, Fla., who identified himself only as "Gino."
As of Wednesday afternoon, the pawn shop was selling 30 items on eBay, and 29 of them used to be Carter's.
Michigan fans gush at the mere mention of Carter. He was the nation's best receiver and punt returner, juking opponents all over the field, and twice earned U-M's MVP award ($249 asking price for the 1980 trophy). Many people felt he deserved the Heisman; he had to settle for a Walter Camp Foundation All-America plaque ($369). He went on to win the NFL Alumni's Player of the Year Trophy ($1,499).
It's all for sale.
Or is it?
"I just found out about this," Carter insisted. "I'm trying to put a stop to it. I have my own stuff. I don't have to sell my stuff."
Really? Then how come eBay item No. 5111276785, Anthony Carter's College Football Hall of Fame ring, sold in late July for $999? The customer said of Gino's Pawn, "excellent eBayer, great service and communication."
And Michigan fan John Breidenich of Port Huron bought Carter's special-teams player-of-the-game award from his U-M debut -- also from Gino's Pawn Shop. Breidenich said he had the award and had no doubt that it's legit.
And Breidenich inquired about another Carter jersey from Gino's, which Carter supposedly wore in his final U-M home game. To Breidenich, the jersey for sale appeared to be different from the ones the team wore that season.
"I e-mailed Gino and said I had to question the integrity of Anthony Carter," Breidenich said. "Gino said as far as he knew they were legitimate, because he got them directly from Anthony."
On the Web page for that jersey (which sold for $96<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START 8) -->
If Carter is embarrassed by selling his memorabilia, that's understandable. But if he sold everything he ever had, it's explainable.
Carter has gone through a decade you wouldn't wish on anybody. His 9-year-old son, Anthony Jr., has cerebral palsy, which requires consistent (and expensive) medical care.
Anthony Jr.'s condition tore at Anthony Sr. and his wife, Kim. Anthony Sr. has stood by his son, but his relationship with Kim has been far from smooth. Three times, Anthony has been arrested on suspicions of domestic abuse, including an incident last year in which Kim told police he struck her in the face, threw her to the ground repeatedly and threatened her with a gun. Carter was sentenced to five years' probation.
Carter's U-M friends insist he is a good person -- and they know, given his arrest record, how ridiculous that sounds. A number of people, including former coach Bo Schembechler, have tried to get Carter to move back to Michigan, where former teammates and U-M alums can help him get a fresh start.
Friends say they can help Carter find steady work (he has held various jobs, but hasn't really had a career since he retired from the Lions in 1995). They say that if he has financial problems, it's because he tried to help too many people from his Florida neighborhood. They want to see their old A.C.
But Carter is caught in a depressing spiral: the more he struggles, the more people want to help, and the more embarrassed he gets, so he struggles even more. He admits to keeping his emotions locked inside him. Despite many requests, Carter didn't show up at Michigan football's mega-reunion in the spring.
I spent two days with the Carters in October 2002 for a story about Anthony Jr. Carter sat in his living room, surrounded by football helmets and other memorabilia, and said he had no worries about his finances. But Schembechler did not sound as confident.
"I still am concerned about what is going to happen because I would like to get him set doing something that he likes to do," Schembechler said then. "He has this burden, and he's done a good job with it and handled it well. But sooner or later we're going to have to get him something permanent. That's my concern."
Carter swears he hasn't sold anything. Everybody wants to believe that. And even if he sold everything -- helmets and watches and trophies and socks -- all to help his son, that's fine.
But that if you add up the supposed sales of Carter's memorabilia, what are we really talking about? One mortgage payment? Two or three?
At some point, you have nothing left to sell.
For Anthony Carter, it's not just a question of what he's done, but what he'll do next. He's only 43. He can still change direction -- not as quickly as he did on the field, but he can do it. He just has to realize that nobody, not even Anthony Carter, can juke life.
Contact MICHAEL ROSENBERG at 313-222-6052 or [email protected].
