Joe Henderson Is A Melodramatic Piece Of Shit

I'm starting to think that Joe Henderson of the Tampa Tribune doesn't like Bruce Allen. It's just a little feeling I get when I read an article like "Boston Situation Proves You Can't Trust What Allen Says". Call it intuition.

Allen does not like the press, that much is apparent. You can feel his subtle contempt for them during just about every press conference he holds and you know he's just tolerating it because he has to. Good journalists realize that they are an imposition on their subject's time and don't take it personally when they aren't offered drinks or a deluge of secret information. Henderson, however, is tired. So very tired. Tired of digging for facts, doing his own research, and tired of Allen not being completely forthright with him. So he is taking it personally.

Henderson's biggest problem seems to be with David Boston's recent arrest and how Allen handled that story with the press. For years... ever since John Lynch was released and Warren Sapp wasn't re-signed, the Tampa media has been on Allen's ass about player loyalty. They complain that players are nothing but meat to Allen and he shows no allegiance to the guys who go out there and sweat for the team. A couple weeks ago, Allen showed some loyalty to Boston by taking him at his word that he wasn't under the influence of anything when he was arrested for DUI. The preliminary tests showed that he was clean for all the standard drugs, so Allen publicly said that he hadn't seen any objective evidence against Boston. That's loyalty. That's trust.

There are a lot better ways to support your player than unequivocally declaring Boston's innocence, especially in light of his history of substance problems. Why even take that chance?

That's not what he said, douche. Here's the quote:

'We have investigated the David Boston situation and feel that we have an understanding of the facts,' Allen said then. 'At this time, we have seen no objective evidence to support the charges that were brought against him.'

It's a very standard, vanilla answer. He said he understood the facts (the clean tests) and he saw no objective evidence to imply the contrary. He stood by his player. Henderson should have been proud.

Now, did Boston violate Allen's trust by testing positive for GHB? Probably... we don't know the details of the conversations between them. And here's a little tip -- WE AREN'T ENTITLED TO THEM, EITHER. That's their business, not ours. I'm guessing Henderson wouldn't want his boss to air his dirty laundry in public and would prefer that the Tribune stand beside him if he got in trouble. The Buccaneers are the kind of team that likes to let the legal process run its course before it takes any serious action. That's their prerogative. If Boston is found guilty, he'll be punished and won't be on the field. And someone else will take his place. Is this really so important that he gets this worked up over it?

If Bruce Allen had been on the Warren Commission, Kennedy would have been day-to-day with a paper cut. And he'd blame the media for making too much of the whole riderless horse and eternal flame thing.

Fuck you, Henderson. Fuck you eight times with a Buick. You're really comparing David Boston falling asleep at the wheel in Pinellas Park to the assassination of a President? If it was that important, you wouldn't be on the story. Because you suck. Real reporters would be covering it dispassionately and without bias. Seriously, how do you even leave your house in the mornings if this is what qualifies as a major injustice in your world?

This used to be a model franchise. Now you can't believe a word that comes out of the front office.

Did you have Boston on your fantasy team or something? Is that why you're so bitter? If you're going to be upset, be upset at the performance on the field.

For Allen's part, I think he's done a fine job at what he is paid to do. He took a terrible salary cap situation and made it right. He has brought in several good veterans cheaply. Oh, sure, he made some early mistakes giving big signing bonuses to the wrong guys (Derrick Deese, Charlie Garner, etc.) But he learned from those mistakes and now, if there is any doubt about a player, they come in for little to no signing bonus for a trial run. Even proven guys don't get big paydays now. Just this year: Cato June, Kevin Carter, Luke Petitgout, Jeff Garcia... they were all brought in for less than they could have commanded elsewhere. Allen knows how to entice veterans to come to Tampa. Guys like Ike Hilliard and Chris Hovan got second chances with the Bucs and came through brilliantly. You can cite Allen for the draft picks if you like. He definitely could have made some better selections on some of them. But all in all, as a manager of the team, not too shabby.

Thank goodness Michael Vick didn't play for this team. Allen might have blamed the dogs.

Again, way to exaggerate. Of course Allen wouldn't have done that. It's a stupid thing to say. You know what else Allen wouldn't have done? He wouldn't have given a $130 million contract to a player who had yet to prove that he could master his position. Wouldn't that have been a terrible move for the team if he had?

Most of Tampa is losing patience with Jon Gruden. I can understand a gripe with him at this stage of the game, even though most of the Tampa media has had it out for him since he replaced Tony Dungy. But Allen has consistently taken steps to improve the team and has made hard decisions when more sentimental assholes would have crumbled under the weight of public disapproval. I don't agree with all his moves, but I understand why he made them. It is obvious that Joe Henderson is a man on a mission, and it has nothing to do with his actual job.