Bernard Berrian Continues To Embarrass Vikings
By Jon Merckle
It’s a known fact that wide receivers are divas. It tends to be an ignored position on the football field where the best of them are targeted on about every eighth play. So when dealing with their teammates or the media they tend to focus solely on themselves. At least most of them do. Like when Randy Moss was here. But with Moss his production outweighed the headaches he caused and we just loved seeing him catch touchdowns, as long he wasn’t turning traffic cops into hood ornaments.
Unfortunately however, Bernard Berrian has the same number of receptions so far this year as Internet feuds – 2. Earlier this week Berrian told an Amputee War Hero to “Sit Down & Shut Up”. Dan did an excellent job covering this, so feel free to give it another read. Then today a blogger named Matt Ufford (goes by Captain Caveman) who writes for the well-known sports blog Kissing Suzy Kolber emailed Berrian’s legal team asking for clarification from Berrian on a previous blog post. Instead of working with Ufford (also a former Marine who served our country in Iraq), Berrian’s legal team hit Kissing Suzy Kolber with a cease-and-desist letter even after the blog offered to donate the ad dollars to Berrian’s charity of choice.
What’s most sad about this is we as bloggers write about athletes good and bad. We’ve spoken highly of Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen while criticizing the coaching performances of Leslie Frazier and have been critical of Tyrell Johnson’s decisions that’s end result was getting a DUI. But to go so far as to hit a blog with a cease-and-desist letter is simply failing to face the music. Had Berrian opted to donate the ad funds to charity (which would have required less work) we would have found that to be noble. But these shenanigans will not help Berrian with the loyal purple fans this weekend while so many of them want Berrian cut. Which leads us to one last point.
The Vikings front office is also making a bad PR move keeping the unproductive Berrian on the roster while native son Larry Fitzgerald comes home to face the team he used to be a ballboy for. As most people know, Fitzgerald went to the Academy of Holy Angels, always plays hard, just became the Cardinals leader in receiving touchdowns, lives his life as a model citizen and visited soldiers in Iraq in 2009. Fitzgerald is all but certain to be welcomed, while Berrian can expect to hear the boos before the game gets going.
A team that has stadium woes, is dealing with tickets as low as $4 and struggling along with an 0-4 record needs simply can’t afford nuisances. Berrian must go.
Jon Merckle may be followed on Twitter @thevikingpig