"Best receiver to ever play the game. I can’t show my highlights because I don’t own NFL Films."
Do I need say more than the guy had his house burned down by his girlfriend (Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes of TLC no less!) for his shenaniganry. (Yes, I will send an entry to Webster’s for the word Shenaniganry to be placed into the dictionary…but to save you the time it is defined as one who is a repeat offender of constant shenanigans.)
No one disputes what Rison was – an athletic and sure-handed receiver in his prime which resulted in 5 Pro Bowls and a superb Super Bowl performance with the Green Bay Packers in 1996. What can be disputed (with anyone but Rison) is his rank among the all-time NFL great receivers. This quote about his legacy from an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution serves as another qualification for entry to the TRB HOF…an over-inflated sense of accomplishment.
“Best receiver to ever play the game. I can’t show my highlights because I don’t own NFL Films, but all my coaches in college, in high school, in junior college, they all told me I could be the best. But they must’ve lied because that title was already given to Jerry Rice. Just because you have stats doesn’t mean you’re the best. Can’t nobody tell me that Andre Reed isn’t better than Jerry Rice. I’m seeing cornerbacks on the 75th anniversary team that I used to demolish. But I’m coming out with my own hall of fame.”
Here is a list of teams that the self-proclaimed best receiver ever played for, and didn’t fully appreciate his skills: Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts. (He did lead the Argonauts to a Grey Cup Championship (the only championship of his career) so there’s that. Good for him. That’s 1 more championship than Dan Marino, Barry Sanders and Fran Tarkenton combined.)
Don’t forget he was a Pro on SpikeTV’s “Pros vs Joes”.
Though he has had his problems such as his house being burnt down, being jailed three times for offenses ranging from failure to pay child support ($130k’s worth) to public intoxication on San Antonio’s Riverwalk; Rison is being an honest and good contributor to society. In fact, Rison wants to pursue a career in coaching.
“I coached a little bit in my hometown, Flint, Mich.,” Rison said. “I felt like I was a coach when I was a player. When you’re the go-to guy, you end up being a player-coach anyway. I get a kick out of a seeing a kid who has no clue and then, after 72 hours with me, they have all the clues in the world.”
With the nomination of Rison, paired with Barry Bremen, we now have one guy who constantly tries to be someone else and another guy who thinks he is someone else. This is great! Can we find someone who actually turned into someone else in a Rupalesque manner or something of the like?
I’ll leave you with this quote from Rison when asked what he preaches to his players, no explanation is required. Just enjoy it.
“Don’t be a follower. President Clinton did some things wrong with that whole adultery thing. Martha Stewart did some things wrong. Kobe Bryant did some things wrong. They all made mistakes here and there, and I relate that to them.”
(Editors Note: Rison had a distinguished career by many accounts. He caught 743 passes for 10,205 yards and 84 TDs plus a 54-yard score that sparked Green Bay’s Super Bowl win over New England; he went to five Pro Bowls and was the Chiefs’ MVP for a 13-3 team in 1997.)
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