FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- I don't dislike Bryant McKinnie, so torching him in a column this morning certainly wasn't my planned Sunday column when my plane's wheels touched down on Thursday night.
But McKinnie's actions were so off-the-charts stupid and selfish and embarrassing that he needed to be called out. I wasn't alone. In fact, the front page of the Sun Sentinel's Pro Bowl special section has a photo of McKinnie and a funny column by Dave Hyde.
Highlighting the irrelevence of the Pro Bowl and mocking the Commish declaring this year's game a success, Hyde suggests McKinnie be given the game's MVP. He also says that if the NFL wants to punish him, they should make him play in the game.
I wonder if McKinnie has any idea just how badly he humiliated himself. Maybe he doesn't. After the league confirmed the obvious that McKinnie had been dismissed from the team, he was tweeting, texting us and issuing statements to ESPN through his spin doctors that he pulled out of the game for health reasons.
HE DID NOT PULL OUT. HE WAS DISMISSED.
As basic as a Pro Bowl offense is, McKinnie still DIDN'T KNOW THE PLAYS. He showed up for ONE meeting on Tuesday night. He showed up for ONE practice. Meanwhile, he was tweeting up a storm about all the nightclubs and strip clubs he was going to.
The question is why did he do this? The Pro Bowl practices are less than an hour. There's no helmets, no pads, no contact, nothing. Players clown around for the fans for about 45 minutes, sign some autographs, talk to reporters for a few moments and then go party. Bryant could have had his Pro Bowl and his night life both. Instead, he's a national joke this week.
That being said, I would caution against going too far overboard. I've had emails from people asking if the Vikings will release him because of this and earlier off-the-field issues.
