How sad is it that we live in a world where it's no longer acceptable for franchise quarterbacks to serve drinks to young women out of beer bongs? In case you're the one person who hasn't viewed photos of Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart's recent NCAA Tournament house party, here ya go.
I'm trying to summon the moral outrage to write a column condemning Leinart's actions, but I'm not there yet. If he's guilty of anything, it's being a complete doofus. In theory, it's hard to take issue with a wealthy, single quarterback hopping into a hot tub in his backyard with several (4) attactive young women. My March Madness parties almost never end up like this, mainly because my neighbor Brian hasn't cleaned his hot tub in four years. The one thing I'd suggest to Leinart for future house parties is to confiscate everyone's iPhone at the door. And if young ladies are planning to guzzle alcohol through a hose, you might want to grab their car keys as well.
The Arizona Republic's Dan Bickley tells Leinart to grow up in this column. And judging by the play Bickley has received on national radio and TV, he should think about scolding Leinart more often.
"You might think that good pal Nick Lachey - former boy-band sensation who will be 35 in November - might be able to lend his friend some elderly guidance in situations like this. But in the latest round of pictures, Lachey is still wearing his hat cocked sideways, like he's a child. Together, these two have become the male equivalent of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, somewhat laughable and always in search of the next party."
In response to Bickley's column, Herm Edwards is calling for the league to impose sanctions on players who wear their baseball caps cocked at least three inches to the side. Honestly, I wish Dan would leave Lachey out of this. The man's had an identity crisis since his marriage to Jessica Simpson ended.
Here's the real truth: If Leinart had led the Cardinals to the playoffs (I know it's a stretch), no one would care about these photos. We'd drop by Thedirty.com to check them out and then move on with our lives. Why is Tom Brady not widely criticized for having an unwed child while Leinart, another single father, is being attacked from all sides? It's simple. Brady wins Super Bowls.
It's the same thing with Tony Romo, although he's not a dad. If the Cowboys had beaten the Giants in the playoffs, the infamous trip to Cabo would've been a non-story. Romo's a much more accomplished quarterback than Leinart, but he'll be hounded about his off-the-field activities until he wins a playoff game. Once that happens, his dating life will only be interesting to the TMZ crowd.
By the way, I thought our team of bloggers (James Walker, Bill Williamson, Mike Sando, Pat Yasinskas, John Clayton) did a marvelous job covering the league meetings. Thanks guys.
M
