“X” Man
O.J. Simpson just can not catch a break.
In the latest ordeal for the football star turned broadcaster turned bad actor turned alleged murderer, federal agents searched his Florida home for more than six hours yesterday while investigating an Ecstasy drug ring, a money laundering scheme, and the theft of some satellite TV equipment.
Orenthal James was not one of the 11 people arrested as part of the FBI’s “Operation X” — wait a minute, “Operation X”? Could the feds have chosen a worse name for an investigation that involves O.J.? I mean, we all remember the last time he was involved with an “ex.”
Anyway, even though he was not arrested, the FBI has refused to discuss why his house was searched. But the Juice’s lawyer, Yale Galanter, said no drugs or large amounts of money were found at his residence and that O.J. had done nothing wrong.
When has O.J. ever done anything wrong?
“I can assure you Mr. Simpson does not have enough money in his pocket or in his bank account to be involved in a money laundering ring,” Galanter said at a press conference.
Of course O.J. doesn’t have that kind of money — it’s all tied up in his exhaustive search for the “real killers.”
Age Shouldn’t Matter
And speaking of Heisman Trophy winners, the Downtown Athletic Club has invited Joey Harrington, Ken Dorsey, Rex Grossman and Eric Crouch to Saturday’s awards ceremony and may add a fifth selection later in the week. The trend — they’re all quarterbacks.
Well, almost.
Crouch is more a running back who plays quarterback, as he has the lowest passing numbers of the finalists. He has, however, led the nation’s premiere rushing offense — Nebraska averages nearly 315 yards per game — and run for 1,115 yards and 18 touchdowns. Many believe the hunt for the hardware will be between Crouch and Florida’s Rex Grossman.
Grossman led the country in total offense — 354 yards per game — and led the nation’s top passing offense, as the Gators racked up 405 passing yards per contest.
But some are suggesting that Grossman should not win the Heisman because of his age — he’s only a sophomore. These are many of the same pundits who held Chris Weinke’s advanced age against him one year ago. Weinke won despite the critics, and if the voters feel Grossman’s performance is better than the others’, then he, too, should win. This isn’t the “who’s the best player at just the right age” award.
Way to go, Jaws!
There is an unusual sound emanating from the swamps of Gainesville this week. Indeed, there is a roaring silence — Steve Spurrier has decided to keep his mouth shut for once.
Unfortunately for the rest of the Gators, his silence comes a week too late.
Rather than keeping his team focused on Tennessee last week, Spurrier waged an all out verbal assault on Florida State, accusing them of deliberately injuring his players. Maybe if Jaws spent just a fraction of the time he spent shooting his mouth off on a defensive game plan, the then-Rose Bowl bound Gators wouldn’t have lost at home to Tennessee, 34-32.