Ferrablog

The Republican need to harp on Clinton knows no bounds, and has even infected the sports world. My favorite NFL team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, recently hired Bruce Allen as General Manager. The main reason Allen was hired was that he worked with head coach Jon Gruden in Oakland, and would be more of a rubber stamp than previous GM Rich McKay. One thing McKay held important in adding a player was the player's character. Gruden, on the other hand, with the Raider mentality, is more than willing to take a chance on a questionable citizen.

It all came to a head yesterday when the Bucs signed defensive tackle Darrell Russell. How bad a citizen has Russell been?

Quoth the St. Pete Times:

He was suspended for four games in 2001 for failing to comply with the NFL's drug policy. While serving that penalty, Russell tested positive for another banned substance and received a one-year suspension that later was made indefinite.

During that time, he was charged as an accomplice in the drugging of a woman and with videotaping a sexual assault by two of his friends. The 25 felony counts against Russell and two other men were dropped for lack of evidence.

Russell was reinstated and spent the second half of last season with the Redskins but was deactivated for the final game after missing a team meeting.

But is he as bad as Bill Clinton? Not according to Bruce Allen:

"Bill Clinton did a lot worse things than Darrell Russell. I know he did. He did worse things. But he won Florida twice and was our president."

Bruce Allen, in case you were wondering, is the brother of Virginia Senator George Allen, and their father was legendary NFL coach George Allen Sr. Bruce should check with his brother before stating political facts: Clinton did carry Florida in 1996, but didn't in 1992. Nevertheless, it's his position that Clinton was worse than a drug-abuser who drugged women and videotaped their rapes. You can't even escape the Republican slime machine on the sports pages nowadays.