blacksaint

METAIRIE

Posted on Wed, Sep. 26, 2007
By Larry Holder

You can't watch the NFL Network, ESPN or numerous other TV stations without bumping into New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush and one of his 33 commercials streaming the airwaves.

The highly marketable 22-year-old mogul apparently has no problem playing the part of product spokesman. Showing support for one of the most respected Saints players in team history must not be in his Subway contract.

Bush refused numerous interview requests from Saints officials and media members Monday for comments concerning the season-ending knee injury of teammate Deuce McAllister. Even Saints officials realized how poor Bush's refusal would appear.

Fullback Mike Karney cried near the end of his interview as losing his teammate and good buddy for the second time in three seasons was more than he could handle.

Bush's "I don't want to talk" routine resounded pretty loud and clear through Karney's sadness.

It's not the first time he's been elusive from the media the past two seasons as he routinely exits the locker room. And it likely won't be the last.

It's also not the only thing Bush has ducked his teammates.

Yahoo! Sports columnist Michael Silver referenced in a column last week where Bush hosted a dinner in June for a few dozen teammates at a New Orleans seafood hot spot after a week of offseason workouts.

Bush didn't bother to show up. He at least paid the bill. I wonder how the weekly offensive linemen dinner would go if All-Pro left tackle Jammal Brown picked up the tab but found it unimportant to attend?

I can tell you from talking to those guys about their weekly feast, the absence wouldn't go over well.

Bush also circled the globe doing commercials, hanging out at the Playboy mansion and working out in SoCal using some Fre-Flo-Do nonsense as opposed to training with the rest of his teammates at the Saints' practice facility.

Saints players young and old in successful times and brutal times this season have faced the music. Cornerback Jason David constantly takes the heat for his poor play thus far and has yet to turn anyone away. Fred Thomas faced a crush of scrutiny, yet he answered the critics as openly and honestly as he could.

And at a time where McAllister could have flown completely off the handle, the veteran Saints running back publicly welcomed Bush after he fell to the team with the No. 2 pick of the 2006 NFL draft. Deuce could have made Bush feel unwelcome if he had wanted to.

He didn't.

McAllister answered every question, whether it was how he felt when the Saints drafted Bush to if he thought his days with the Saints were numbered with the drafting of Bush last year and Antonio Pittman this year.

By no means am I underestimating Bush's community work. His donations to numerous charitable causes and work to help others in the Gulf South and around the country are plentiful and I respect him for that.

But Bush turned a relatively harmless interview opportunity and a chance to show his support for his dejected teammate into a public display of disrespect to McAllister.

"It's the first time I'm 0-3," Bush said following Monday night's loss to the Tennessee Titans. "At the same time, we have 13 weeks left. This is the point where we really have to come together and come closer more than ever.

"Right now, more than ever, we need to step up and come together."

A public snub on one of the roughest days in McAllister's professional life is a fantastic start to Bush's whole coming together concept.

It's time for Reggie to grow into McAllister's shoes as the Saints' feature running back. It's also time for him to grow up.

SunHerald.com : It's time for Reggie Bush to grow up

saint4life
(504)

sac-a-lait

At this point Reggie Bush can't carry Deuce's shoes, much less his contributions to the team.

Ashley

Im going to say it. He will never fill deuce's shoes period.

iceshack149

That was depressing.
I know that he has stated a few times that he wanted the role of lead back to be his. It's yours, Reg. Time to shine.

hagan714

True enough Reggie is not Duce. Duce is a local boy and understands the people. He has southern class. Bush is a west coast Hollywood boy. He and Matt are the same types. The kind of actions Bush has pulled here is pretty much ok on the opposite coast. Different ways of doing things. Am I wrong west coaster? chime in please.
Do not let the media start a division here. Sensationalism is there life and how they make there money. Till a player comes out and says this bothered them enough to not block for him, I am not jumping all over this. I will stick this under my hat till later.
Bush could learn a lot from Duce. He might find this off season not nearly as busy as last year if the play does not improve. The ball is in his court now.

"We may have lost the game, but you'll be hurting tomorrow." Doug Atkins

Euphoria

Reggie isn't great, will never be great in N.O. unless you get a line to block for his ass.

Special maybe but what does special get ya? $2 off a plate special at lunch.

Tobias-Reiper

... and Mr Holder should follow his on advice.
... of course, what else can we expect from someone who's never ever played a contact sport and gets paid to belittle men any other way but in front of them.

I can barely stand to listen to sports radio or read about sports anymore, because lil' asoles like this Larry Holder.

Have any of you, ever, went thorugh a rough period, being a divorce, a death, unemployment, whathaveyou, and just didn't want to talk about it? Why is it any different with athletes? So Reggie is going to a rough spot and doesn't want to talk about it. So what? Do we really need to hear how the Saints are going to miss Deuce? Don't we all know that already?

So Karney cried. Ok. Karney cried last year at the home opener and cried during the playoff win. So the kid is very emotional. Do all Saints players need to cry also?

And this business about the dinner party: 1st, is hearsay. A columinst in Yahoo sports - those Pulitzer prize winners - referenced a column where they wrote... did you verify it was true, Holder? Or just decided to "reference" the column and didn't even bothered to check if it was true or not? And if it was true, did you attempted to learn why was it that Bush didn't attend?

As for making all those commercials and flying around the globe, does Holder realize that a lot of the companies that use Bush in their commercials are the same companies that have shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars to help New Orleans rebuilding effort - you know, GM, Adidas, etc - and they did so to secure Reggie as a spokesperson?

No. It is just easier to act all offended and criticize someone because he didn't feel like talking.

'Cause the simple man pays the thrills, the bills and the pills that kill

andersen

Let's all pretend that Reggie was not a Saint this year. We saw all of the hype on TV, etc. Then, our star running back blows out another knee. We make a trade/deal whatever for Reggie, get him to New Orleans. (Stay with me, #25 has not done that much for us this year). The coach makes all of these great plays for him, and we are out of our mind excited at the possibilities!
That is where we are now. Coach has 10 days or so to design new plays for Reggie (with Carney up the middle) and use Stecker as blow relief. Pierre can learn Reggie's spot at the WR, Slot and motion man.

Seated in the top row of AREA 51?

Tony180a

What ?? So Bush does not respond the way someone who was either the statistician or waterboy (maybe both...multi-tasker) thinks he should and this is news ?? The news should be that we stink on both sides of the ball and special teams. Payton's play calling have been very suspect too but thats another story. So Bush wants to be the feature back.... and this is suprising ?? WTF did we draft him for if not to develop into the feature back. Get a line that can block and this kid gives us a hell of a lot more options than most of the feature backs (that have lines that can block) in the NFL. This post is just .... lame.

FatiusJeebs

Great idea!! Except...I'd flip the Reggie and Pierre part.