Shawne Merriman Was the Wrong Choice to Discuss Patriots' Cheating Allegations

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ESPN has been using Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman as a studio analyst for the last two days, and here's what he said about the latest Patriots cheating allegations:

ESPN likes to bring in various active players as analysts during the off-season, but Merriman was the wrong choice for this role for two reasons.

The first is that, frankly, he wasn't particularly coherent in his analysis. Even after watching that clip multiple times, I'm not sure exactly how he feels about Patriotgate.

But more importantly, let's not forget that Merriman himself has been caught cheating: He served a four-game suspension in 2006 for using steroids. The vast majority of players in the NFL have never been caught cheating, and if ESPN is going to bring in an active player to discuss other allegations of cheating, it would make much more sense to bring in one of the players from that vast majority, not one of the small minority who has cheated.

If Merriman wants to stipulate from the outset that he himself has cheated and address the situation facing the Patriots from that perspective, that would be different. But Merriman shouldn't be hired to discuss allegations of cheating if his own history of cheating is going to be ignored.

Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)

3-17-2008 @ 7:34PM

joe wallace said...

OMG, Bill, I just referred to you as BB, as aside for the hilarity of even naming you in the same sentence as he, it is a kind of Freudian slip, because YOU will do anything to try to win an argument, but you just can't stand someone who will, as you say, do anything to win.

It's called being a hypocrite, Bill. Or, maybe you are just too ignorant to be a hypocrite. Yeah, I should let up, here, I don't want to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed man, after all.

3-17-2008 @ 11:20PM

Bill Walters said...

I knew it was against the rules, but I did it anyway (Cheating) Joe enough said

I realize you like the guy joe and you are disappointed but come on now, it isn't that hard to understand.

3-27-2008 @ 5:13PM

Drew said...

Michael David Smith your a moron! fellow commentor PacoGerte said it best"Merriman continues to assert that he took a tainted suppliment, and given the time of year he failed his test, there's reason to believe him. Results of these tests are given months after they're taken, and he only missed one. Don't forget, Rodney Harrison got popped for HGH, but I guess that doesn't count, 'cause he plays for an east coast team.
Up yours ESPN!" by reading this your writing and researching skills need to improve drastically before making a bonehead headline.

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