Once upon a time Curvin Richards fumbled, and Cowboys’ head coach Jimmy Johnson cut him.
Once upon a time Michael Irvin missed the team’s charter flight to Detroit, and Cowboys’ head coach Jimmy Johnson cut him.
No, check that. Johnson didn’t cut the Hall of Fame receiver, but merely sat him out the game’s first series. File it under “special players receiver special treatment.” It’s a sports adage Marcus Spears should be very familiar with. That's the way this works. Backups get cut for mistakes. Stars sit out a couple plays.
Spears, the former Cowboy who retired this week, stirred up some controversy when he tweeted that Tony Romo and Jason Witten are “sending the wrong message” to teammates by sitting in owner Jerry Jones’ suite during the Final Four.
Jealousy, my friends, is ugly.
We learn from grade school that there is a class system. Students who arrive on time, do their homework and study hard make the best grades. Spears and his jealous ilk refer to them as “teachers’ pets.” Employees who quickly fulfill the boss’ orders make their way up the corporate ladder quicker. Spears would deride them as “brown nosers.” And then there is sports, where the best players make the most money and are lavished with the most fame.
How in the world is this a surprise? Or anything negative?
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Witten and Romo have been Cowboys since 2003. They are team captains. They own 12 Pro Bowls and almost all of the franchise’s tight ends and quarterbacks records. They don’t have championships on their resume, but they are in every way special players.
And those people – those players – get special treatment. Sports, like life, isn't about socialism.
I guess Spears and his jealous folks actually want Romo to take a pay cut, to divorce Candice because she’s prettier than the other players' wives, and to turn down offers to rub shoulders with the boss. But ask yourself honestly: If you’d earned that right, would you turn it down?
Didn’t think so.
We now return you back from Spears’ warped version of life to your regularly scheduled programming called reality.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
