Reading this article just drives me crazy. Warren Sapp's hit on Chad Clifton -- while legal -- was a cowardly cheap shot intended only to injure an unsuspecting player. What's worse is that after the game Sapp seems to be bragging about the incident. Then to call Mike Sherman -- someone who had the courage to stand up to Sapp face-to-face -- a **** eating hound and talk about how Sapp would have given him an a$$ kicking is just downright juvenile. You want a defnition of a thug? Warren Sapp. It is little surprise that players like this are turning fans sour on the modern athlete. Sherman angered by Sapp hit, celebration -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com TAMPA, Fla. -- The longstanding feud between former divisional rivals Tampa Bay and Green Bay ratcheted up from ugly to grotesque Sunday when Packers head coach Mike Sherman and Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp engaged in a heated and occasionally obscenity-laced argument a few seconds after the game ended. Bucs star Warren Sapp, left, had to be restrained during his verbal altercation with Packers head coach Mike Sherman, right. The object of Sherman's ire, which led him to confront Sapp on the Tampa Bay sideline after congratulating other Tampa Bay players: His displeasure with Sapp's hit on Chad Clifton during an interception return by cornerback Brian Kelly in the third quarter, and with the celebration by Sapp while the Green Bay offensive tackle lay motionless on the field. There was no penalty on the play. "He's a great player but I just don't think there's any place for that," said Sherman, who took an unusually long time to emerge from the locker room for his session with the media. "Maybe it wasn't a (cheap) play and maybe I just overreacted … but I didn't think it was appropriate." Sapp responded afterward by suggesting Sherman cursed at him and then termed the Packers coach "a lying, (manure)-eating hound. … If I was 25 years old and didn't have a kid and a conscience, I would have given him an ass-kicking right there at the 30-yard line." The play in question occurred with 7:33 remaining in the third quarter, when Favre tried to connect with wide receiver Terry Glenn on a post pattern. The Tampa Bay secondary had the pattern double-covered, with strong safety John Lynch deep, and Kelly made a fairly easy interception. Near the end of his 31-yard return, which set up a four-yard touchdown grab by wide receiver Joe Jurevicius and nudged the Bucs into a 14-7 lead, Sapp clearly launched himself into Clifton. The Green Bay starting left tackle then crumpled to the ground, lay there for several minutes, was finally strapped to a back board and taken from the field. Clifton lost feeling in his extremities for a short period and, while he was on the ground, Sapp was shown on the in-stadium video screens celebrating. It was apparently that celebration which most bothered Sherman and some of the Green Bay players. Clifton was able to move his arms and legs as he left the field. Sapp did not deny that he hunted Clifton out on the play. "Yeah, I was a heat-seeking missile," Sapp said. "Boom. Boom. Boom. And I hit him." Packers officials announced that Clifton suffered a hip injury and Sherman said he would remain in a local hospital overnight while the club's medical staff "investigated some other (physical) things, too." Most of the players and coaches from both teams, and much of the media which had assembled on the field for the last few minutes of the game, were unaware of the Sherman-Sapp incident. During the incident, an unidentified Packers staffer was shoved by Sapp, then functionaries from both franchises stepped into the fray. At one point in the shouting match, Sapp screamed at Sherman: "If you think you're so tough, why don't you put on a uniform?" Sherman was shaken by the incident, but appeared to have calmed down by the time he addressed the media. "It bothers me," he said. "And I think the game of football … well, it should bother the game of football as well." The confrontation is certain to draw the scrutiny of league officials and both Sherman and Sapp could be subject to NFL discipline. Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
I saw the verbal altercation happen live between Sapp and Sherman. Right after Sapp's interview with Pam Oliver he started jogging to the locker rooms when Sherman walked by. Sapp extended his hand thinking they were going to engage in a shake, but instead you could read Sherman's lips say something along the lines of "f*** you sapp." Sapp went ballistic after that, but 10 seconds later FOX cut to a commercial. For the next 5 minutes I was left sitting on my couch wondering what the hell happened, until the FOX post game guys showed a tape of the incident. WOW! Sapp is a punk. Clifton is an offensive linemen who was BEHIND the ball and a good 20 yards away from Kelly. He had no intention of trying to stop Kelly, but Sapp took a very cheap shot against him anyways. He than proceeded to celebrate while Clifton lay motionless. It was pathetic. Even worse was when he challeneged Sherman to "you so tough? put on a jersey than!" yeah warren, challenge a 60 year old man. i usually love his antics, but he went overboard.
Warren Sapp is now the Marty McSorely of football. Except I don't remember McSorely celebrating after his cheap shot on Brasher. Other NFL players will see this and Sapp will have the favor returned. That rant on the field after the game just made Sapp look like a dumb fool.
I'm normally a fan of Sapp's and how aggressively he plays the game, but I think he crossed the line. Then to challenge a 60 year old man to a fight, made him look like some Junior High punk.
If I may offer an analogy... Rich, smart people blind side poor, old people all the time. Taxbreaks, investments, legal matters etc. My point is (though vague), until superior people start apologizing for the cheap shots they inflict on the less fortunate, I will accept cheap shots between millionaires. I would rather be an embarrassment in sport than in life...
Please explain to the board why you think taxbreaks and investments are a "blind side" to poor people or to old people. Are you trying to turn this into class warfare? What a reach.
Since it sounds like it was very possible that Clifton could have been paralyzed by the hit...exactly what price would you put on the use of your legs?
The analogy is not valid. The Sapp incident is broken down into two parts. A cheap shot he inflicted on a fellow player, and challenging an old coach to a physical fight. This has nothing to do with rich versus poor. So basically your flawed point is that you will laugh and slaughter a goat everytime Warren Sapp nearly paralyzes a player because you feel that some people get taken advantage of on business schemes. How compassionate you are.
So you condone violence in sports because rich people treat poor people unfairly? I don't get the connection.
1. How is it a cheap shot if no penalty was called? 2. Sherman challenged Sapp, not the other way around. It seems that social blind siding is acceptable but within the parameters of a game it's something different.
AB I usually find your posts humorous, but this piece you just contributed is just plain idiotic. Warren Sapp is now an embarrassment in sport (his cheap shot hit) AND life (his rant on the field after the game). I am just shocked that you could post such a foolish, poorly thought-out analogy like that.
Did you SEE it??? That was the DEFINITION of cheap shot. Sapp admitted he hunted him down. Clifton wasn't even looking. The celebration was just classless. I'm glad Sapp has such a conscious like he claims to have. Did you SEE it? We're talking about the same game, right??? AB I hate to say this but I think you're just defending Sapp b/c he's black. I can think of no other reasonable defense.
Tex, Don't pile on dude, you don't know me well enough. I find it strange that, it is so easy to accept generalization within a sport but when it is applied to life, panties get bunchy. I didn't say that the hit was right or cool, but it was LEGAL and that is what I'm arguing. Spitting is an embarrassment, signing footballs in the endzone is an embarrassment, but a legal hit is just that, a legal hit.
Cheap shots occur plenty of times without penalties being called, either because they are "legal" or because they are missed by the officials. For instance, a QB throws an interception 50 yards downfield. A DL takes the opportunity to lay out the QB with a massive block. Perfectly legal, but also unnecessary, therefore a "cheap shot".
