is barry sanders on bad terms with the nfl?

[donnie_darko]

I can admit that i haven't paid as much attention to the NFL since Barry Sanders abrupt retirement. But when I do watch i see tons of replays in advertisements etc. but i can't recall ever hearing or seeing any barry sanders' clips since he left.

I honestly thought at the time that he would come back in a year or so, and was just trying to get away from the lions, but he didn't, and i can say i hadn't watched another regular season game until the giants played the pats. Mostly when i had some interest i'd just turn to ESPN and catch what i may have missed.

I know there's a ton of sports fans around here who will have some insight that i couldn't find through google.

[Fezticle98]

I can admit that i haven't paid as much attention to the NFL since Barry Sanders abrupt retirement. But when I do watch i see tons of replays in advertisements etc. but i can't recall ever hearing or seeing any barry sanders' clips since he left.

I honestly thought at the time that he would come back in a year or so, and was just trying to get away from the lions, but he didn't, and i can say i hadn't watched another regular season game until the giants played the pats. Mostly when i had some interest i'd just turn to ESPN and catch what i may have missed.

I know there's a ton of sports fans around here who will have some insight that i couldn't find through google.

I don't know. He just seems like a dude that just isn't interested in the spotlight. I don't think there is any problem between he and the NFL. I have seen highlight clips and probably NFL commercials with his runs in them. He probably conciously avoids the media however.

I originally thought he would make a comeback as well. Too bad he rarely got to play on any good teams.

Didn't he jet to Europe for a while after he retired? There was some speculation that he was on the down low, if I recall correctly.

[donnie_darko]

well thats good to know, i guess i just don't watch enough football to know.

all the talk of the manning pass in the superbowl just made me think of all the truly amazing runs that sanders had. I guess never having those big plays in the superbowl is why he doesn't get mentioned as much.

if any other back was in detroit i doubt they would've ever amassed a 1000 yard season.

[Team_Ramrod]

Why would the NFL honour the career of a player who left when he was at his best?

This is their 'Fuck You' to Barry Sanders.

[sailor]

sanders was one of the most selfish players who cared aboot his own rep weaaaaaay more than the good of his team. look to him for why the lions were never good.

[Snacks]

the lions werent as bad as you think during his time playing. They went to the playoffs 5 times. He was selfish because as the team was getting worse and worse he wanted to be traded and they wouldnt release him from his contract. So he just retired instead. He should have played even though the team was stupid not to trade him. They would have gotten anything they wanted for him. (Im really mad because the team that he was suppose to be traded to was Miami) He should have gone down as the leader in every RB category. He was only 30 when he retired. He probably had 4 maybe 5 more good years left in him.

My favorite running back of all time is Eric Dickerson. I always like Emmitt Smith, but Barry disappoints me because I would love to see all that he could have done.

[mdr55]

My favorite running back of all time is Eric Dickerson.

I remember back in the day, Dickerson fumbled the ball while he was running towards the endzone and it was called a safety. I don't think I ever saw that before. Is that rule still around??

[cougarjake13]

I remember back in the day, Dickerson fumbled the ball while he was running towards the endzone and it was called a safety. I don't think I ever saw that before. Is that rule still around??


if he was running towards the end zone that he was trying to score in and he fumbled before it, it should have been a touch back

[donnie_darko]

How can you fault a guy for quitting because he's sick of having no support?

Seriously, barry didn't run all over the field for his health, he did it because his OLine was garbage.

and selfish? he was the most selfless player i've ever seen, its FUCKING ABSURD for anyone to say that. If he wasn't happy in his situation and retired well thats great for him, if you had enough money to quit your shitty job where no one supported you how would you like it if people called you selfish?

some of your replies are a fucking joke.

let me see you at 5'8 what 210? 220? take the pounding he did and tirelessly carry on for a team which you carried...sheesh

[cougarjake13]

How can you fault a guy for quitting because he's sick of having no support?

Seriously, barry didn't run all over the field for his health, he did it because his OLine was garbage.

and selfish? he was the most selfless player i've ever seen, its FUCKING ABSURD for anyone to say that. If he wasn't happy in his situation and retired well thats great for him, if you had enough money to quit your shitty job where no one supported you how would you like it if people called you selfish?

some of your replies are a fucking joke.

let me see you at 5'8 what 210? 220? take the pounding he did and tirelessly carry on for a team which you carried...sheesh


i dont fault him


too bad he couldnt sue the lions for divorce like kids do from their parents and play for a winner

[Snoogans]

sanders was one of the most selfish players who cared aboot his own rep weaaaaaay more than the good of his team. look to him for why the lions were never good.

ARE YOU INSANE. You got it backwards. They sucked cause they would never help Barry, They just assumed he would get it done and win for them, and then never really tried to put great teams around him. After so many years of seeing the club do nothing to help, why would you wanna stay. Fuck the Lions

[Bossanova]

Snoogans is correct. He had by far one of the worst offensive lines if football at the time, yet he still produced. He was very tired of carry that team every year, and watching them do nothing to help. He was not aonly done with the team, but he also was just finished with the sport. And for the insane selfish comment......................No chance, he left the sport in his prime when he clearly would have been the all time rushing leader, he just wanted to move on with his life.

[Snacks]

How can you fault a guy for quitting because he's sick of having no support?

Seriously, barry didn't run all over the field for his health, he did it because his OLine was garbage.

and selfish? he was the most selfless player i've ever seen, its FUCKING ABSURD for anyone to say that. If he wasn't happy in his situation and retired well thats great for him, if you had enough money to quit your shitty job where no one supported you how would you like it if people called you selfish?

some of your replies are a fucking joke.

let me see you at 5'8 what 210? 220? take the pounding he did and tirelessly carry on for a team which you carried...sheesh

ARE YOU INSANE. You got it backwards. They sucked cause they would never help Barry, They just assumed he would get it done and win for them, and then never really tried to put great teams around him. After so many years of seeing the club do nothing to help, why would you wanna stay. Fuck the Lions

If a player quits on his team that is a little selfish. Sorry! I agree the team should have done things to either trade him or make him happy. But to retire in your prime because they wouldnt trade you means you quit on your team. He did all this right before camp. I remember Ricky Williams doing the same thing and everyone saying he quit on his team and calling him selfish.

Drugs or quiting for not getting your way are both selfish acts and leave your team high and dry. Especially when they both did it when it was too late to replace them.

[mdr55]

if he was running towards the end zone that he was trying to score in and he fumbled before it, it should have been a touch back

From what I remember, he was running towards the endzone (no one was near him) and while he was running, the ball slipped out of his arms and went into the endzone out of bounds towards the back line. It was ruled a safety.

[A.J.]

If a player quits on his team that is a little selfish.

There's a difference between quitting on your team and quitting the team. Barry always gave his all in every game and never slacked in his performance. I think he just tired of giving his all for nothing. A selfish guy would have stayed long enough to break Jim Brown's record THEN bail. Barry went out like Brown -- at his peak and leaving people wondering "what if"....

...like if Barry Sanders had Emmitt Smith's o-line he could he have rushed for 3,000 yards?

[sailor]

here's one sample from an old tmq article (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=tmq/021029):

But TMQ wonders, why were his teams always so crummy -- wasn't Sanders partly to blame? He was self-centered, aloof, concerned exclusively with his stats. Sanders refused to block -- became angry on the couple of occasions coaches tried to put in plays in which he was a blocker or a decoy -- and never learned anything in the passing game beyond the screen pass. He staged unexplained walkouts, and was often uncommunicative; frequently denounced the Lions in public and endlessly complained about his pay, though Sanders was always among the best-paid backs. Then he got mad, took his ball and went home.

In short, Barry Sanders was a jerk, and his me-first character is a reason the Lions usually were losers with him on the field. In a weird way, you sensed Sanders actually wanted the Lions to be losers, so he'd be the only exciting thing about the team and so he would never be tested under the ultimate pressure of the Super Bowl. Remember how poorly Sanders performed in his few postseason tests -- such as his minus-1 yard rushing day against Green Bay in the 1994 playoffs? Whenever the pressure was on, Barry folded.

...

As for the peculiar snap retirement, it was his choice to walk away, of course, though Sanders seemed incapable of doing so with class -- he walked away denouncing his teammates and the city that had cheered for him, plus, of course, complaining about money.


i've seen stuff like this other places before, but this is the most concise example. he was NOT a team player, no matter what you may recall.

[cougarjake13]

ARE YOU INSANE. You got it backwards. They sucked cause they would never help Barry, They just assumed he would get it done and win for them, and then never really tried to put great teams around him. After so many years of seeing the club do nothing to help, why would you wanna stay. Fuck the Lions

you know what i just thought of


marino- knock on him was he never had a running game to help him

sanders - never had a decent or good qb to help him




imagine if they could have been on the same team ???

[cougarjake13]

If a player quits on his team that is a little selfish. Sorry! I agree the team should have done things to either trade him or make him happy. But to retire in your prime because they wouldnt trade you means you quit on your team. He did all this right before camp. I remember Ricky Williams doing the same thing and everyone saying he quit on his team and calling him selfish.

Drugs or quiting for not getting your way are both selfish acts and leave your team high and dry. Especially when they both did it when it was too late to replace them.

theres a big difference betw sanders quitting b/c he was on a losing team and wanted to play for a winner when it was clear they werent going to help him


and

williams who quit to go smoke pot

[TheMojoPin]

Barry Sanders is now the latest athlete to get the vaunted "selfish" tag.

I think I can count the number of truly "selfish" players I've seen on one hand.

[cougarjake13]

Barry Sanders is now the latest athlete to get the vaunted "selfish" tag.

I think I can count the number of truly "selfish" players I've seen on one hand.

is terrell owens the middle finger ???

[Crash]

I admit it's kind of complicated. Was the team bad because they had a great back and no passing game, or because the back they had, great as he was, held back the offense?

Personally, I can't believe that on a game-to-game basis, he held back that team in anyway. Did he leave on a bad note? Sure. But I saw him play and I saw him leave everything on the field.

Two comments about Sanders' proposed selfishness. First, if you're truly an egomaniac, the place that you want the ball is on the goal line. But the Lions routinely put another back in near the end zone to punch it in. And on those relatively rare occasions that he did carry it in, he handed it to the ref and ran to the side lines. No dramatics. He acted like he'd been there before. Class.

I think he got tired. Tired of a culture of losing. And with no end in site, he left. I think that's a forgivable offense.

[underdog]

I think I can count the number of truly "selfish" players I've seen on one hand.

There are way more than 5 people on the Knicks.