I have been following the welfare fraud situation surrounding Brett Favre, and it isn't looking good. A guy has pled guilty to his role in the scandal and I wonder if we should include the scandal here or move Favre to the notorious figures page.
Edited by PyreneesLover1 Hide / Show Replies
I'd let it play out a little more. Will be worth a mention if something comes of it against Favre. It would take something absolutely massive to eclipse his on-field popularity though. Even Lawrence Taylor, for all of his issues, is still on the Defensive Players page instead of Notorious because he was just that good and famous.
LT is a different story though, as LT was just that dominant on the field and even on his most famous play, Joe Theismann has had no ill will towards LT. But I think if LT gets caught again with an underage woman, it should be an automatic move over to the notorious players list. As for Favre's situation will definitely do irreparable harm to Favre's legacy and could definitely overshadow some of Favre's greatest moments. I definitely think it is worth monitoring and will definitely be worth mentioning, as it appears his role in this scandal is significant.
Favre has multiple controversies off-field, and I wouldn't be against mentioning the welfare fraud scandal in his entry (I'm personally holding off until there's more definitive resolution to it). However, I don't know if any of those controversies have come close to eclipsing his on-field fame and accomplishments. Unless I'm forgetting someone, I think the only Hall of Famers with "Notorious" entries are O.J. and George Preston Marshall.
Edited by Claystripe
I believe you're right on on the HoFers. Yeah, once there is some kind of resolution (charges, fines, whatever) it should definitely be mentioned. But what I was trying to get at earlier is that it would take something EPIC for him to go to notorious. This is Brett Favre we're talking about. First ballot HoFer, three time MVP, retired with just about every career record there was. It would take something nasty to eclipse that in the popular consciousness.
Well, the Favre scandal has claimed Marcus Dupree as well. And for more athletic involvement, former soccer star Abby Wambach has disavowed her association with Odyssey, a company that is at the center of the scandal. And this could add an ugly note to Kurt Warner, Mark Rypien, and Steve Mariucci if something comes outs that they were involved with this scandal.
I think we should think about moving Deshaun Watson to the Notorious players page, as his sexual assault cases are being investigated by the FBI, pending the outcome of the investigation. But if he is cleared, it will probably undoubtedly be the first thing many people remember about him.
Hide / Show Replies
It's a touchy thing. As far as I can tell, the FBI is actually investigating one of Watson's accusers for potential extortion. Even still, it seems really likely that he's not going to play this year and that the accusations are going to follow him pretty much forever, and "being overshadowed by off-field stuff" seems to be the main criteria for that page.
I don't see him playing this year, if ever again. I haven't followed the story too closely with the FBI, but the NFL is getting into hot water with this issue, as they released a cringe-worthy video talking about Watson's inclusion into the 100 Greatest Players list for this upcoming season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73yvGR-Suwk
We have a note in there that he's under investigation. Until he's actually charged with something, officially suspended, settles, or something else happens that actually implicates him in wrongdoing, I think it's fine as is.
Closing in on a year later (wow), curious what people think now about moving Watson. I'm still inclined to wait to move him until a suspension is issued, but I'm thinking Watson's off-field issues have eclipsed his on-field fame. Between what he and his lawyer have confessed to, the number of cases against him continuing to go up, and the increasingly likely possibility that his deal with the Browns could seriously derail the franchise, this seems to be getting at least into Antonio Brown territory.
It's tough because, despite that year, he still hasn't actually been found guilty or admitted guilt in any way. Criminal charges were not pursued either.
I'm fine either way at this point though. It seems inevitable that he'll settle so the NFL hands out his punishment and he can get back to the field sooner.
I swear we had Josh Johnson written up, no? Most journeyed journeyman there is.
Hide / Show Replies