Indian Giver . . .

[Wheel-Nut]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/football/nfl/specials/playoffs/2004/02/02/bc.fbn.superbowl.culpep.ap/index.html?cnn=yes


What's $75k to Culpepper, a weeks worth of . . . "work?"

[Jervis Tetch 1]

Such a classy move :shakehead

[Ankf00]

"Culpepper then walked over to the Townsends and asked them to write down their address so he could send them something else. Culpepper wasn't sure what it would be."

it's not like he told the kid "here this is all yours", ya, why should he care, he makes millions, but the kid shoulda been slapped in the head for asking in the first place...

[Wheel-Nut]

it's not like he told the kid "here this is all yours", ya, why should he care, he makes millions, but the kid shoulda been slapped in the head for asking in the first place...


He also didn't say, "here, hold these for me, but I want them back."

[Ankf00]

He also didn't say, "here, hold these for me, but I want them back."

they're his possessions, not the kid's, he shouldn't be the one to have to qualify his actions.

[JoeBob]

I'm no Vikings fan, but he's in a bad position. The alternative headline would have been, "Quarterback to Kid In Wheelchair: Hell no."

That is actually a "special" piece of bling. http://sports.ign.com/articles/574/574802p2.html


IGN Sports: The players in the game have jewelry this year…there's a lot of ice and pendants bouncing around on each play. Is that diamond pepper you wear your favorite piece of jewelry?

That's me, man, I thought of that piece myself. I wanted to do something that makes me unique, so I figured since everyone calls me "Pepper" or "Pep" that I would get myself a diamond pepper. It's in the trailer right now. I bring it everywhere I go.

Asking for it back was about more than money.

[JoeBob]

http://www.startribune.com/stories/503/5221966.html


Inside XXXIX: Culpepper blindsided by erroneous reporting

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. -- This is what happens when there is too much media and not enough stories.

One of the NFL's most genuine and kind players carried out a genuinely kind act Wednesday. And what did Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper get for his thoughtfulness?

National scorn, thanks to an Associated Press reporter who misinterpreted the scene and never bothered to follow up with the key players.

Here's what happened: While participating in a news conference Wednesday, Culpepper fielded an awkward question from a paralyzed 17-year-old boy. "Hey Daunte," said J.T. Townsend. "Can I get some ice?" -- a reference to the $100,000, diamond-encrusted necklace around Culpepper's neck.

With cameras rolling, Culpepper walked over to Townsend and thrilled him by hanging the necklace around his neck. Later, Culpepper sought out Townsend and put the chain back on. At Culpepper's request, Townsend's parents wrote down his address and contact information. Culpepper promised to send him gifts and memorabilia.

We were standing at Culpepper's side when the transaction took place. There was no animosity, no hurt feelings and no accusations of impropriety -- only thank-yous from Townsend, his parents and a doctor nearby.

The AP version of the story, however, in essence painted Culpepper as a spoiled athlete who "sheepishly" took away a gift from a paralyzed teenager once the cameras stopped shooting. Newspapers and Internet sites picked up the story nationally. One problem: Nothing could have been further from the truth.

Anyone who has met Culpepper knows he wears the necklace every day. He has for years. Garish as it might be -- its main ornament is a 6-inch hot pepper -- it carries sentimental and personal value. Since when is anyone -- athlete, actor, politician or average schmoe -- obligated to hand over personal possessions permanently when someone asks? Or should Culpepper have shot down the request and embarrassed Townsend on television?

If that's your story, then the next time someone asks you for your wedding ring or a sweater your grandmother knitted, you better cough it up. Or else find some real news to write about.

[Wheel-Nut]

My apologies to Culpepper.

[Ankf00]

wow, that's just... :shakehead

[Don Quixote]

My apologies to Culpepper.

The reporter is the one who owes him the apology. I doubt if we ever see it. :shakehead

[anait]

Having just lost my favourite photo of my dad while on a trip this past weekend, I have been pondering about the meaning of memorabilia... (I have almost no memory of my dad. He died when I was three, at the age of 67.)

From the AP story, it seems that the athlete acted generously. But the end of the article gives food for thought... Do our possessions and memorabilia make us who we are? "The memory is in you, not in the object." What is it about us that pushes us to keep 'meaningful' items? 'Well, d'oh, because they're meaningful.' :gomer: Yeah, I know...but when/if we give away or lose something personal, does that diminish us?

I s'pose that necklace wouldn't really have meaning for someone else, would it... I'm just wondering how the things we tend to keep benefit us...

:D Hm. Deep thoughts on a Friday morning. Time for another coffee.