Throwback Thursday: Karras, Hornung and Rozelle

Pete Rozelle was starting his fourth year as NFL Commissioner in 1963. He had yet to truly make his mark on the league, but that would all soon change. Gambling will always be a great concern of any professional sports league. The public has to be able to trust what they see on the field. Those concerns were reaching a boiling point in the late '50s and early '60s. Rozelle had to make a move. He did.

Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras were two of the biggest stars in the NFL at the time. They also had some questionable, in the eyes of the league, friends. Those associations put both stars under the microscope. They were being watched. Hornung even had his phone tapped. Karras was about to become part owner of a Detroit bar called Lindell's AC. His partners were brothers Jimmy and Johnny Butsicaris. Jimmy Butsicaris was a known gambler. Nothing too substantial but he knew some people. Karras, always on the hunt for fine Greek food, was a frequent diner at the Grecian Gardens. An establishment allegedly owned by underworld people. These associations put Karras square in the sites of Rozelle. The FBI and local law enforcement were watching. All of this was purely innocent to Karras. If he even knew what his friends were up to, he didn't seem to care. They were his friends. He loved the food, drink and atmosphere at these places. Both Lions management and Rozelle warned Karras about his associations and the Lindell's venture, in particular. Karras continued to care little since he wasn't doing anything wrong. With Lindell's, he was looking to make some money, legitimately, beyond football. Karras did make casual bets with Butsicaris on football games. There may have been no turning back when Karras befriended known mobster Tony Giacalone. This friendship included a "party bus" ride back to Detroit after a preseason game against Cleveland in 1962. Giacalone was at the wheel. Other Lions were on board, but the league zeroed in on Karras. Following the '62 season the Lions were in Florida preparing to play the Steelers in the short lived Playoff Bowl. While there, several Lions including Karras, John Gordy, Gary Lowe, Joe Schmidt, Wayne Walker, Sam Williams and Night Train Lane were watching the Packers-Giants NFL Championship game. They placed bets. A few weeks later at the Pro Bowl, Karras was invited to appear on the Brinkley Journal news program about gambling in the NFL. He mentioned his casual gambling. Instead of the entire interview which painted a bland picture of his gambling, an incriminating, edited version of the interview appeared on the Huntley-Brinkley Report. Rozelle exploded.

Hornung's gambling and associations were much more blatant and severe. From his days at Notre Dame, everyone wanted to be around Hornung. He had no filters or reservations. If it was fun, he was doing it. Hornung openly gambled. He even had a steady bookie, Barney Shapiro. Hornung's gambling was mild compared to many. He never won or lost more than $2,000 in a year, but it was certainly far more serious than that of Karras. Hornung also hung out with serious gangsters like Manny Skar, Gil Beckley and to a lesser degree Sam Giancana. Hornung was walking on the ledge and the league knew about it. He was about to fall off. Shortly after the '62 Championship game, which Hornung's Packers won, Rozelle met with several players. Hornung and Karras were at the top of the list. On April 17, 1963 , Paul Hornung and Alex Karras were suspended from the NFL indefinitely.

 Players must not enter drinking or gambling resorts or associate with gamblers or other notorious characters.

This was in every player contract in 1963, probably still is. Karras and Hornung were clearly in violation of this. Karras may not have been aware that his friends were a bit shady. Hornung knew it and liked it. The two players were suspended for gambling not for their associations. Pete Rozelle had made his mark. Karras and Hornung were big fish among the players. No one was safe and everyone had to follow the rules. The suspensions lasted exactly one year when both players were reinstated April 17, 1964.

Hornung was clearly heading toward a fall, but Karras receiving the same punishment was a bit severe. Even Hornung was surprised that Karras was suspended. So many players were betting on games and everyone knew it. It didn't seem fair to single out Karras. At worst, his betting was casual. Some of his contacts were suspect and he certainly made some questionable decisions, but he was mostly guilty of being naive. His offenses were nowhere near the level of Hornung's. The repercussions of the suspensions were huge. The most obvious at the time was the line that Rozelle had drawn in the sand. He had the power to punish and showed that he would. Other repercussions are more speculative. The Packers had won the two previous Championships. Hornung was a large part of the offense, the team. It's likely that a Hornung led team could have won in '63 and possibly even in '64. That would have resulted in the Packers winning seven straight championships. Unbelievable. The most unfortunate result of the suspensions is the apparent blacklisting of Karras from the Hall of Fame. He may have been the the most dominant defensive tackle of his generation and one of the best of all time. Both teammates and opponents alike are shocked that he is not honored in Canton. Even Hornung had to wait about 15 years to be inducted. But you can't keep out the Golden Boy. Finally, this set Rozelle on his path. The Commissioner has to make tough decisions for the betterment and protection of the game. This was one. Rozelle is arguably the best commissioner in the history of professional sports. This was his opening volley.

Colorful Bills

I hope that everyone caught the exciting news of the Buffalo Bills changing their uniforms. I know that I can't wait to see the new look in action. With that announcement came a little nugget of trivia. In the early '80s the Bills changed their white helmet to red mostly due to one player. QB Joe Ferguson was color blind. At the time, all the Bills' division opponents (Jets, Patriots, Dolphins and Colts) also wore white helmets. The new Bills helmet made it easier to separate friends from enemies. Always a good thing. That was sure nice of the Bills management, but Ferguson had been the QB since the mid-70s. Why did it take so long? The first few years, Ferguson only had to turn around and hand the ball to OJ Simpson every play. He rarely had to throw. After Simpson was shipped to San Francisco, there was all this needless suffering. All because of the color of the helmet.

NFL Network's Top 100

NFL Network has finished their countdown of the top 100 players. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were #1 and #2 respectively. It's difficult to argue their presence at the top. It's a quarterback-driven league and they are the best. Personally, I'd switch the order. Vikings' runningback Adrian Peterson at #3 was nice to see. I have always thought that the players had a greater appreciation of him than the media and the fans. The players know that tackling Peterson is no treat.

It's difficult to question any rankings made by the players. If bias is removed, they simply know best. There were four rankings that really did surprise me. It's difficult to ever question a very high ranking for Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis. He's been an amazing football player for a long time. One of the best of all time. His play has declined slightly. Enough that I was surprised that he was at #4. I think that New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis is a top-5 player. In a passing league, he routinely shuts down half of the field. #8 seems low. San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis is phenomenal. His uniform number isn't the only thing that draws comparisons to Ray Lewis. He is ascending, but I was still surprised that he only came in at #23. The ranking that surprised me the most was way down at #83. Tamp Bay receiver Mike Williams had a great rookie year last year. That is not enough, and he certainly shouldn't rank ahead of his excellent QB Josh Freeman.

It was fun watching this list unveiled each week. The media routinely crams their inaccurate thoughts down our throats. It was nice to see the more accurate thoughts of the players. It was nice to see what they thought of each other. While I'd like to see more than two Vikings (Peterson and Jared Allen) on this list, last year killed any chance of that.

Are You Kidding Me?

I was listening to the recent Rich Eisen Podcast and he and his pals, Kara Henderson and Michael Lombardi, were defending the casual attitude of the owners and players in the labor negotiations. Lombardi would never criticize the league or the owners. Some were his boss. He was a suit and still is. He is way to biased to even regard. Henderson is merely reporting with little to no agenda. Eisen simply sounded frustrated and worried. He sounded like a fan. They all struck me as the employees of the NFL that they are. No room for criticism when there was a room full of reasons to criticize. They even went so far as to criticize Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio for being very critical of both parties. I agree with Florio. Both sides have left themselves wide open for criticism. They have looked to the courts to make decisions for them. Over 100 days of dancing around each other. Only a handful of days with face to face meetings. Never truly working toward a solution. Only once have they worked into the night. They have just been way too casual. It's pathetic and well worth any and all criticism.

The Curious Free Agency of Antoine Winfield

With the long delayed free agency spending spree hopefully starting soon, I think back to March 2004. The Minnesota Vikings had never been big players in free agency. The owners, Red McCombs in particular, never wanted to come up with the big bucks. They certainly never wanted to get into a bidding war. Still, every year I would make a wish list of players that could help the team. The Vikings cornerback situation was so horrible in those years that they moved receiver Robert Tate over to defense in the middle of the season. Within a couple of weeks he was a starter. Needless to say, cornerback was at the top of my list.

It was often easy to be impressed with the cornerbacks on other teams in those days. The Buffalo Bills tandem of Nate Clements and especially Antoine Winfield were particularly impressive. It just so happened that Antoine Winfield was a free agent in 2004. Despite the desperate need at the position, the Vikings would never pursue a player with that kind of talent. Too expensive. As the gun sounded to start free agency 2004, I learned through the marvels of the Internet that Winfield was scheduled to meet with the Vikings. The only problem was that he was scheduled to meet with the Jets first. The longer that visit lasted the less likely it became that Winfield would make it to Minnesota. It looked bleak. It looked dead when the Jets scheduled a press conference to announce the signing of Winfield. The Jets jumped the gun. Just before the announcement a private plane, arranged by head coach Mike Tice, picked up Winfield and brought him to Minnesota. The next day, Antoine Winfield signed with the Vikings. Word around the campfire was that Winfield got cold feet with the Jets. He had apparently promised his former coordinator in Buffalo, and then coordinator in Minnesota, Ted Cottrell that he would visit Minnesota before signing anywhere. Winfield kept that promise.

Antoine Winfield quickly became and remains one of my favorite players. His leadership, effort and talent make for an incredible football player. Despite his relatively small size, he is possibly the most complete cornerback in the league. Since 2004, at least one cornerback spot has been a strength of the team. The Vikings sweeping in and plucking Winfield from the grimy grips of the Jets in 2004 is proof that it is never over until the player signs his name.

Stadium Musings

The Minnesota Vikings have been fighting for a new stadium for nearly ten years. Since the Wilf family bought the team in 2005, they have really stepped up the fight. Some positive steps have been taken lately to make the possibility of a stadium a bit more real. The Minnesota government shutting down has stalled things a little, but it has never looked more promising. If it finally happens it will be the culmination of a long and frequently frustrating fight. It has never been easy. The San Francisco 49ers are also hoping to get a new stadium. They have done little more than saying that they want a new stadium. They are even pledging little towards the total cost, about a tenth of the total. The Vikings are putting up 40-45% of their total. Now, I see that the 49ers have already sold $138 million in luxury suites. Luxury suites that currently don't exist in a stadium that doesn't exist. Things should not be rolling along like this with so little effort being put into it. It shouldn't be this easy. Everywhere but Minnesota, stadiums seem to build themselves.

Crap!

Well, my guess that this asinine lockout wouldn't pass into July was horribly wrong. Four days and nothing. I suppose that it was good to see that the fistful of idiots stayed up past their bedtime last night. It wasn't good that they decided to break for the Fourth of July weekend. This has gone on long enough. They get no weekends. They get no holidays. They get no sleep. They've had enough of all of that. The only thing that they need to get is the desire and the urgency to get this thing done.

After the always refreshed are refreshed from another long weekend, they will reconvene for another short week. If I had my way, which would go a long way in settling this, the new meetings will begin without players lawyers Jeffrey Kessler and James Quinn. The most productive meetings have generally been without the lawyers. These two clowns are the worst of the bunch. Both are more interested in their own legacy in bringing a huge antitrust decision against the NFL. Reaching an agreement and ending the lockout is secondary. Anyone that thinks that the sales tax on tickets should be included in total revenue, as these two idiots do, needs a new job. They should be delivering the pizza to the meetings, not in them.

Everyone in that room has failed. If the two sides truly wanted to end this, they would. They would put in the time that it takes. They would put in the effort that it takes. So far, they haven't.