The Lucky Punter

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Even though it didn’t get much play in the national media, by now you might have heard how ESPN NFL analyst Michael Irvin recently did his best Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder impression.

As you may recall, Snyder was canned by CBS in 1988 for spouting some rather politically incorrect views on why African Americans were naturally superior athletes. In case you missed them:

“During the slave period, the slave owner would breed his big black with his big woman so that he would have a big black kid—that’s where it all started.”

Yeah, that will get you in same rather hot water - but I guess the “Playmaker” Michael Irvin forget to brush up on his PC 101.

Just last week Irvin appeared on the Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio and the conversation turned to the new QB for the Cowboys, the athletically gifted Tony Romo. Irvin gave some very Greek-esque views on how it is possible that the apparently very white QB could have such talent.

“Somewhere there are some brothers. . . . [Maybe] his great, great, great, great Grandma ran over in the hood or something went down.”

Of course at that point Patrick had to ask if Irvin was implying that having an African-American ancestry was the only way to be a great athlete. More classic Irvin:

“No, that’s not the only way, but it’s certainly one way. Great, great, great, great Grandma pulled one of them studs up outta the barn.”

“Up outta the barn”. Damn, that might have even made the Greek blush.

Of course, after some negative press the Playmaker apologized with words someone clearly had to stuff in his mouth.

Irvin said his comments were “inappropriate and insensitive” and gave some classic Playmaker-spin by saying “this is how I joke around with Romo when we’re playing basketball”.

As has become habit for the ESPN Communications staff, they were left to clean up Playmakers mess, reminding all of us that “generalizations about heritage are inappropriate even in jest”.

Save it.

The only people that thought Irvin was 100% joking are the same ones that thought that bong the cops found in his car really belonged to a friend fresh out of rehab.

Maybe it’s time to really answer the question that fellow ESPN NFL analyst Tom Jackson put to Playmaker so eloquently:

“Are you retarded?”