I noticed something a couple of years ago. On college campuses, you would see white guys (frat boy types) proudly wearing shirts proclaiming their love for the Duke lacrosse team. Some of these guys were lax bros, who went to boarding schools in the northeast where the sport is king. But, mostly this was a not-so-subtle “f you” to society proclaiming that young suburban males were society’s real victims. After all, you know how those Duke Boys were treated…
Last year, the Tom Brady jersey became the middle finger of choice for the brothers of Phi Kappa Entitled. Again, some of these were a salute to their favorite player, but Brady became lionized (in their eyes) by beating the rap from THE MAN. Another bro pushed around by society
I assume that soon these same fellows will change it up and rock that Broncos number 18 jersey on their strolls through the quad
Shortly after Super Bowl 50 ended, a lot of people began wondering why so much negative energy was directed at Cam Newton, while Manning roamed the earth largely unscathed by the media. So, there commenced a bit of digging and it really didn’t take that long to find out that Peyton had been a real bad boy at Tennessee. “Fine, but that was twenty years ago. Old news”, cried the Peyton supporters
Except there’s a new lawsuit claiming Peyton’s actions were a “pattern of sexual harassment” at UT. It was filed today. This is new news, even though it does involve actions from twenty years ago. Also, there’s much more rich detail than we knew previously
Manning allegedly then proceeded to scoot down the training table while Naughright examined his foot. At that point, she said, he forcefully maneuvered his naked testicles and rectum directly on her face with his penis on top of her head
Now, weren’t you under the assumption that he simply mooned her? That’s what we were lead to believe. Just a little “boys will be boys” and she couldn’t handle it. HARUMPH!
Putting a penis on top of someone’s head without their consent seems like some sort of sex crime. You know, the kind that could put you on some sort of online registry and make you inform neighbors of your wacky college adventures
Before she left, though, two staff members of the school, according to the documents, asked Naughright if she would consider blaming the entire incident not on Manning, but on another athlete — a black one. According to Naughright, the staff members (named as Mr. Wyant and Mr. Rollo) went so far as to actually name a specific black athlete she could blame it on. Of course, she refused
Didn’t Jimmy Buffett tell us there’s always a black guy to blame? It’s so helpful that they picked out a specific African=American fellow instead of generic black dude. How thoughtful
On May 16th, 2001, Naughright returned to Florida after accompanying her students on an educational and medical trip to South Africa. When she arrived at her office, she found a large manilla envelope in a receptacle on her door with the words “Dr. Vulgar Mouth Whited” printed on it (see page 1). Whited was Naughright’s married name for most of her time at the University of Tennessee. She was immediately disturbed. Other employees testified that the envelope had been there for a few days before she arrived home from South Africa.
In it, were Xerox copies from some type of publication. It appeared to be written by Peyton Manning and it was about her. Colleagues who saw her after opening it testified that she was shaken up by what she read. Manning and his father, Archie, had written a book called “The Mannings” and perhaps wanting to put their stamp on the incident in Knoxville before it ever reached the public, they threw Naughright under bus
Maybe the most disturbing part of this whole sordid story. “Look, bitch, we win! Here! Read it and weep!”
Except she didn’t take it and sued the Mannings for lying about her in the book. The judge was quite succinct
“Specifically, there is evidence of record, substantial enough to suggest that the defendants knew that the passages in question were false, or acted in reckless disregard of their falsity. There is evidence of record to suggest that there were obvious reasons to doubt the veracity of Peyton Manning’s account of the incident in question. The court further finds that there is sufficient evidence to permit the conclusion that the defendants entertained serious doubts as to the truth of the passages in this case.”
That’s incredible hubris! The balls to intentionally lie about someone and then leave a copy of the transcript letting them know you were screwing them. Even among entitled athletes, this is breathtaking
Ian Fitzsimmons is a Dallas sports talk host who gets a lot of national exposure doing fill-ins on ESPN Radio. I heard him discussing Peyton and heard him say something to the effect of “We’ve got real sexual assaults going on at campuses across America, so why are we worrying about this deal from 20 years ago?”
It’s a valid question. The culture that exists on many college campuses (especially among non-athletes) is pretty disturbing. But, we just didn’t end up one day with young men waking up thinking they could take outrageous liberties with women. You start with a little penis on the head. Then, when the perpetrator gets a tap on the wrist, you move the line a little further. Then, a little further. And, before you know, it, it’s considered standard practice to slip a girl a “Cosby Cocktail”
Suddenly, Cam Newton’s truculence seems refreshing
I’m not a naive person. I’m pretty sure that Peyton won’t suffer a real hit to his image. I’m sure he’ll continue to pitch insurance, cars, and pizza for many years to come. Heck, there’s even been talk of him becoming a part of NFL team ownership. Sounds like he’d fit right in
But, do me this one favor: When you’re contemplating a graduation gift for the bro in your life, how about ordering that number 1 Carolina Panthers jersey?
After all, it’s the little things in life that count
