The Time Is (Never) Yours
Well, it happened again. Andy Reid’s stockpile of out-of-control, morally bankrupt players has left in its trail more victims. And once again, the fraud Kansas City coach has escaped unscathed.
This time it was his young, game-breaking wide receiver, Rashee Rice, who acted without concern for anyone but himself, leading to a six-car crash that left seven innocent people injured. Rice was going 117 mph in a Lamborghini when an impromptu high-speed race on I-75 in Dallas against SMU wide receiver Teddy Knox led to a chain-reaction collision. Rice and four other men left the scene of the crash.
One victim sustained injuries to her head, neck and back. According to the Dallas Morning News, the woman was stranded for five hours on the side of the road with her four-year-old son.
Another victim said she received “serious bodily injury” to her face, leg, torso and head. An affidavit filed on her behalf said she will be dealing with “a life of limited mobility and sight for an undetermined, extended period of time while she seeks treatment.”
If any of this sounds familiar to you, it should. Reid’s son Britt was involved in a similarly destructive crash in 2021 that has left the victim, 5 at the time, permanently disabled. He was going 84 mph and was legally drunk when he careened into a parked car carrying the little girl and her family.
Britt Reid pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison, but Missouri Gov. Mike Parson commuted his sentence after only 16 months. Everyone involved (except the Young family, of course) insisted that the Reids were not given any preferential treatment.
Yeah, right.
I realize this plea to hold Andy Reid accountable for the behavior of the many dubious characters he signs to his roster is futile at this point. If none of his blind, soulless fans are moved by the permanent disability of a young girl, nothing will ever change the narrative about the coach and his legacy.
But I will never stop preaching the truth. Reid has brought in one wayward soul after another in the guise of providing second chances, and then – because of his exalted status – has faced none of the consequences when these criminals leave victims in their wake.
Every time something like this happens, Reid issues a boilerplate statement that his prayers are with the victims, and then he waits for the inevitable favors from the people in power, both in Kansas City and in the NFL, to escape all responsibility. These enablers include most of the national and local media, who insist on the bogus narrative that Andy Reid is a sweet old man with a heart of gold.
By the way, Teddy Knox has already been suspended by SMU for his behavior during and after the crash.
The Kansas City Chiefs have taken no action against Rashee Rice.
Hey, they’re the Super-Bowl champs. Don’t rush them.
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Speaking of bogus narratives about time, did anyone notice the that the TV ratings for the finals of the Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament obliterated the numbers for the corresponding men’s championship game?
Despite my reputation for belittling women’s sports, I watched every second of Caitlyn Clark’s final college game and not one moment of UConn’s inevitable rout. That’s right. I was swept up in Clark-mania, too. Go figure.
But one of the biggest stories connected to those numbers has been totally ignored by the national media. The women averaged 18.7 million viewers during a game that started at 3 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon. The men’s 14.8 million viewers for the men’s game once again endured the indignity of a 9:20 p.m. start on the East Coast.
Huh? Haven’t the network bigshots been telling fans for decades that the time for maximum exposure is on the outer fringes of the Eastern prime-time block of 8 to 11 p.m. because then it also encompasses the start of prime time on the West Coast?
By the way, this argument has always been insultingly stupid. The most watched TV show every year is the Super Bowl, which starts at 6:30 EST, which is 3:30 out West. If a game is great, with engrossing story lines, the fans will watch. The only thing that has merit is to schedule the games when everyone is still awake. Duh.
Someday – probably long after I’m gone – a noble soul in TV will realize the edict for when to play the biggest games on the sports calendar has been wrong all along.
Then maybe we’ll see the final moments of the championship games at a time when our eyes are still wide open.
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Idle musings. . . . .
- Am I still the only one who is tired of Rob Thomson’s lazy, pre-programmed style of management? No manager in Phillies history, including Joe Girardi, has adhered more to analytics. This is one major reason why the Phillies have won zero championships under Thomson, and will none this year either.
- Why did the Eagles have to trade Hassan Reddick? Is there any chance that the second or third-round pick that they got from the Jets will provide a player as productive as Reddick? I can see why Reddick wanted to leave; he was underpaid and was misused under the dreadful coaches of the 2023 defense. But why would the Eagles give up their best defensive player on a team built to win now?
- At this writing, Bryce Harper is batting .197 with 3 homers and 8 runs batted in over the first 16 games. And, at 31, he would like an extension beyond the eight years remaining on his contract? Uh, no thanks.
- Speaking of superstars, the Sixers are “hopeful” Joel Embiid will be healthy enough to play in the play-in game on April 17. In fact, there is doubt about the veteran center’s availability pretty much before every game now. Embiid is the oldest 30-year-old athlete I have ever seen. If the Sixers come up short in the playoffs this time, it’s time to get what they can for an aging but still valuable commodity. That’s what I said. Trade Joel Embiid.
- And if they do notcome up short – if they actually win the NBA championship this season – this comeback will be reminiscent of the Eagles championship in 2017. Remember, the Birds won their only Super Bowl against a dynasty Patriots team with their backup quarterback. Is it possible the Sixers are on a similarly improbable track? Hey, maybe this is the year. (Or maybe I’m nuts.)