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Culverhouse Champions NFL Retirees Despite Personal Challenges
Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9a.m. ET, ESPN)
ESPN.com (John’s Barr’s piece currently posted)
Gay Culverhouse, daughter of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Hugh Culverhouse, has been the target of a failed kidnapping attempt that causes her to fear for her safety and carry a gun. She is also suffering from myelofibrosis, a painful-bone-marrow disorder that leaves her severely anemic. None of that has stopped the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers president from taking on her latest cause. Through her recently created non-profit-outreach program, which pays for medical exams and legal aid for retired players in need, Culverhouse is helping former NFL players navigate the league’s disability system, a system which, she says, fails to meet the needs of the men who helped build the NFL. John Barr reports.
From Sunday’s Outside the Lines:
“The NFL is sort of taunting, in a way. ‘Here’s the money, but try to get it.’ It’s a problem, so I’ve decided to form this organization.” — Gay Culverhouse
“For someone to be at the top, to really come down and say, ‘These guys really need some help, they’re out here suffering. We really need to help these guys.’ It was good to see her step up and fight for us.” — Ricky Reynolds, former Bucs defensive back
E:60 (Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN)
Standout NFL wide receiver Marvin Harrison had a reputation for being quiet and unassuming, but a 2008 Philadelphia shooting brought that reputation into question. Detectives are investigating accusations that Harrison sprayed gunfire, injuring two men and a child. E:60 has spent nearly 18 months probing the case, uncovering confidential documents and other evidence never before seen by the public showing why the case has baffled law enforcement. E:60’s investigation also includes the only television interview with Dwight Dixon, who alleged he was shot by Harrison in 2008. Five months after his interview with E:60, Dixon was murdered a few blocks from the original crime scene. Was Harrison the triggerman in the first shooting and was the former Colts wide receiver linked in any way to Dixon’s murder? ESPN the Magazine’s Shaun Assael reports.
E:60 (Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN)
Clint Dempsey is doing what few Americans have done — star in one of the world’s top soccer leagues, the English Premiership. As he prepares to lead the U.S. team into the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Dempsey shares his improbable journey with E:60’s Jeremy Schaap. He explains how he went from humble upbringings in East Texas to the life of an ex-pat superstar in London, and how a family tragedy has shaped the player and the person he is today. E:60 visits with Dempsey and his family in his hometown of Nacogdoches, Texas, and visits him in London, hearing from his teammates and seeing what life is like for the Texan who could be the key to the U.S. team’s success this summer.
Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m., ESPN)
The financial investment of drafting a quarterback early is a high-stakes game, often a daunting process. Coaches and general managers spend countless hours poring over their decisions — attending games, watching film and interviewing players. But the most critical piece of information for a quarterback’s potential NFL success may be his medical history. Rachel Nichols examines how injuries suffered by three successful quarterbacks in their final collegiate seasons — Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen, and Texas’ Colt McCoy — may complicate their prospects in what is already a difficult equation.
Veteran Ref Represents Azteca Nation at World Cup
ESPN Deportes SportsCenter (Sunday, 11 p.m.)
Reportajes Especiales piece (ESPNDeportes.com)
The Mexican National soccer team will be joined by Benito Armando Archundia in representing the Azteca nation in South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Archundia is among the 30 referees appointed to this summer’s World Cup. His 25-year career has made him the Mexican referee with the most FIFA World Cup and Mexican First Division appearances, and as he approaches his last World Cup, he talks about the highs and lows of his career.
ESPN.com
Star athletes are as big as Hollywood stars in many ways. Ben Hauser reports how tabloids and accompanying paparazzi are taking notice.
The Downward Spiral of Mark Becker
Espn.com
Elizabeth Merrill reports on Mark Becker after a 12-person jury finished 25 hours of deliberations and found him guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting of Aplington-Parkersburg coach Ed Thomas.
