Revealed this evening on NFL Network, Steve Largent makes the list of 10 receivers voted to the Top 100 All Time Team. I am glad he was recognized as he clearly deserved to be on the list. However, the most compelling portion of the shows (the announcement show and then the reaction show after which Steve was one of the guests for the full hour) came when during the announcement show, Jerry Rice mentioned that when he went to play for Seattle, Steve gave his blessing to wear his retired #80. The way Jerry made it sound like was that Steve asked him to wear it.
On the reaction show where Steve was one of the guests, the host asked him if that was an accurate account. Steve - ever the class act - basically smiled slyly and said something to the effect that he would go with that account. After all, Both Steve and Jerry have been good friends for years. However, most 12's know the real story. And to my surprise he was pressed to offer his account and Steve told the truth, which is the same truth he told years ago. Which was that the idiot GM at the time Bob Whitsitt basically played both Steve and Jerry via phone conversations. Bob - over the phone - put Steve in an awkward position making Steve think that Jerry was demanding to wear his number, so Steve obliged. Bob then calls Jerry and tells him that Steve wants him to wear his number, which Jerry was not going to deny a legend after all.
So the snake played them both. Jerry called into the show at the end for his rebuttal and admitted that they were both played by "management".
It was an interesting and enlightening exchange that I didn't anticipate on these shows tonight. So for those of you 12's who have always held a grudge towards Rice for wearing #80, thinking he demanded to wear that number...That's not the truth.
The truth is, we used to have a GM who was a total pr*ck.
On the reaction show where Steve was one of the guests, the host asked him if that was an accurate account. Steve - ever the class act - basically smiled slyly and said something to the effect that he would go with that account. After all, Both Steve and Jerry have been good friends for years. However, most 12's know the real story. And to my surprise he was pressed to offer his account and Steve told the truth, which is the same truth he told years ago. Which was that the idiot GM at the time Bob Whitsitt basically played both Steve and Jerry via phone conversations. Bob - over the phone - put Steve in an awkward position making Steve think that Jerry was demanding to wear his number, so Steve obliged. Bob then calls Jerry and tells him that Steve wants him to wear his number, which Jerry was not going to deny a legend after all.
So the snake played them both. Jerry called into the show at the end for his rebuttal and admitted that they were both played by "management".
It was an interesting and enlightening exchange that I didn't anticipate on these shows tonight. So for those of you 12's who have always held a grudge towards Rice for wearing #80, thinking he demanded to wear that number...That's not the truth.
The truth is, we used to have a GM who was a total pr*ck.