8:01 PM Interesting statistical analysis by the college hoops blog Storming The Floor on the sons of famous basketball players. The apple falls a lot farther from the tree than most people probably realize.
7:41 PMChris Mortensen reports: "As I reported earlier on SC & MNCD, Big Ben is telling teammates and friends he's fine, will play vs. Ravens on Sunday night."
7:20 PM ESPN has announced college football's award finalists. One glaring omission: USC's Taylor Mays not a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award given annually to CFB's top defensive back.
Poor Brock Williams. A former 2001 draft pick of the New England Patriots, Brock is only 29 years old, but is already living on a disability retirement from the NFL. He was lucky enough to be part of the Pats’ first Super Bowl championship team, but unlucky enough to be sitting on the sidelines his entire first season after he tore a knee ligament in training camp.
Still, just like his teammates, Williams was given a Super Bowl ring - a 14-karat beauty encrusted with 143 diamonds, engraved with his name & jersey number 28. Even though he didn’t get to actually play in the Super Bowl, he still has proud proof of being a member of a championship team.
Well, he would, if Brock hadn’t pawned his ring for $2,000.
A Super Bowl ring is the pinnacle of achievement for an NFL player. It signifies a whole season of sacrifice, toil, pain and work, resulting in being at the top of the pro football world. The average sports fan can’t even imagine how much that must be worth to a player.
Except that Deadspin has word that you can tell exactly how much it was worth to former Cowboys defensive back and Super Bowl MVP Larry Brown. He’s put his Super Bowl XXVII ring up for sale on eBay. The game was 52-17 drubbing of the Buffalo Bills (weren’t they all back then?), a.k.a. the Leon Lett Game. The highest bidder so far? Someone named “BillsQB12“.
Jerome Bettis revealed on NBC’s “Last Call” that he helped design the 2006 Steelers Super Bowl rings - along with Steelers Owner Dan Rooney.
Bettis: “We just won the Super Bowl, we’re in the locker room, and I say to Mr. Rooney, ‘Who’s designing the ring? I want to know.’ He said, ‘Is it me and you?’ I was like, ‘Yes.‘”
Bettis said Rooney’s vision for the rings “was a little older, (which meant) a lot less bling.“
