In January, ESPN’s E-Ticket series wrote an excellent piece about a former football prospect from Georgia who used to give former Georgia Tech phenom Calvin Johnson trouble at defensive-back, Genarlow Wilson, who was put in jail two years ago for having consensual oral sex with a a 15-year-old girl when he was 17.

The main argument for Wilson, filed by his lawyers, stated that the mandatory 10-year sentence was “grossly disproportionate” to the crime.

For background on the story, read the ESPN E-Ticket piece.

For background on a similar injustice, read this piece by Bomani Jones years back, showing that the Georgia law books may need a serious dusting-off.

The reason he has garnered so much attention in the sports world is because allegedly in high school he would put the lock down on soon-to-be Detroit Lions receiver Johnson, a freak of nature in the sports world. When an athlete has sporting potential, they garner attention most average, non-athletic types could only hope for. At least in this case, Wilson’s story doesn’t seem as if he did a huge injustice to society. Again, the charge against him was one made so kids under 18 wouldn’t be sexually active. If every child having oral sex, or sex in general, was bound to do time, our future would be run from behind bars.

Other Links:

• Yahoo! News was the first place I found the breaking news on Wilson’s story
• Find the ESPN E-Ticket story here. Keep up with that E-Ticket series because that, along with Outside The Lines, seems to be the best journalism the World Wide Leader has going for them. (Although I do enjoy the occasional Page 2 columnist and sports beat reporters for the main-page)
• To follow-up with the trial, the following site was put together by supporters: http://www.wilsonappeal.com/index.php.
• A similar trial in Georgia was written about a long time ago by ESPN Page2’s Bomani Jones about a young athlete named Marcus Dixon.

“McNabb, baby, what have you done for me lately?”
- Andy Reid’s deep-down, inner thoughts on NFL Draft Day

Kevin Kolb is a home-wrecker by no fault of his own.

It was the Philadelphia Eagles who chose the University of Houston star as their first pick of the 2007 Draft (36th pick overall) after all – not the reverse.

Andy Reid & Co. are the ones who orchestrated the current Philly soap opera, deciding 2007 be the year to light the largest fire ever under their oft-injured quarterback and team leader.

And down the road, when the thick Philly smoke clears, and Donovan McNabb is wearing number 5 as the starter elsewhere, blame/credit will also be wisely handed to “NFL Home-Wrecker of the Decade,” Terrell Owens, the man who originally pulled the rug from under Donovan McNabb during his reign as empire of the Philadelphia Eagles.

But that was just a case of T.O. being T.O, right?

In 2004, when McNabb put up career numbers – 31 passing touchdowns to just 8 interceptions – he was largely assisted by the Eagles taking a step out of their normal off-season routine (of making less kno), making a play for a big-name free agent, star wide receiver and known bad seed, Terrell Owens.

So long as the ball stayed in number 81’s hands, the Eagles flew high without problems. Once Owens was sidelined in Week 15 with a broken leg, he found time for the blame game routine he became famous for in San Francisco. Following his return from injury, Owens placed blame for the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots solely on McNabb. And for the months following, the “real T.O.” stood up and spoke out.

With the assistance of his talking puppet and agent, Drew Rosenhaus, Owens campaigned to be the highest-paid receiver in the game. Coming off a career year – 77 receptions, 1200 yards and 14 touchdowns – his demand seemed warranted. Why should a top-tier player get paid low-to-middle-tier dollars and cents? Cue the predictable Philly front office response of a quick “No,” and then Owens’ gloves came off completely, and his predictable tantrum began.

Instead of calling out the Eagles front office, Owens set his sights on McNabb, Philly’s golden boy, clubhouse leader and, consequently, most vulnerable player considering the onus placed on quarterbacks following a big-game win or loss.

Along with blaming McNabb for the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss, Owens claimed his quarterback should have stepped in and forced the Eagles organization to re-work his contract. Forget the fact the QB/WR duo went from BFF (best friends forever) to MHT (most hated teammates) because of Owens’ own mouth. If McNabb was so great a leader, he would look past personal differences and step up for an ungrateful teammate in need, right? Get. Real. The Eagles have never been known to give in to contract demands, especially to players who constantly rattle cages in the locker room. That was no exception.

Teammates picked sides for and against McNabb and, for the first time since he was booed at the NFL Draft in 1999 (fans wanted Ricky Williams instead and, well, you know how that one ends – in a cloud of Mary Jane smoke), the former Syracuse star found himself having to defend his abilities.

As it goes, Owens never received a new contract but made plenty of noise until the Eagles ousted him in 2005. He joined Dallas as a free agent while McNabb stuck around and attempted to clean up the mess Owens started. After playing in only 9 and 10 games in 2005 and 2006 (respectively), the divide in the locker room and front office remained. When the Eagles selected Kolb as their first pick of the 2007 NFL Draft, their depleting faith in McNabb as their future leader became as clear as ever.

Reid’s drafting of Kolb make the team’s message loud and clear: it’s now or never for number 5. Simply put, Kolb is waiting in the wings for McNabb to fail.

If McNabb so much as breaks a fingernail, he might as well find himself a new home; a damn shame considering that when healthy, McNabb is one of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL.

Since joining the league in 1999 as the 2nd overall pick, McNabb has thrown for 152 touchdowns to just 72 interceptions. He has also rushed for 24 career touchdowns, made the Pro Bowl five times (2000-2004), led his team the NFC Championship four of those consecutive years (2001-2004) and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2004, the 3rd African-American quarterback ever, along with Doug Williams (1987) and Steve McNair (1999). All without having a consistent go-to receiver year-to-year

Assuming McNabb stays healthy and manages to lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2008 after a career year, he would receive little-to-no credit. Even if McNabb wins in Philly, he can’t really win in Philly.

Critics will say the Eagles’ success came from those crafty geniuses in the front office “doing what’s best for the team” on that fateful day back in April. You know, pick #36, the absolute missing piece the team needed to spark the Birds into getting over that mountainous Super Bowl hump.

They may even deem it Kevin Kolb’s very own Super Bowl victory. He may just win MVP, no matter how clean his jersey.

So maybe it’s best McNabb quietly go about this season as he has gone about every one since he joined the league – as a professional, smiling through harsh critiques from all walks of life. There is no doubt outside of the T.O. circle of McNabb’s talent, but within the walls of the Eagles organization, he will never be full appreciated.

The Indianapolis Colts committed to providing their franchise quarterback, Peyton Manning, with two go-to receivers, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. After much work, Manning and the Colts won last year’s Super Bowl title. Coincidence?

Right now, the Eagles are a two-man show. If McNabb can’t make a play happen, he can defer to Brian Westbrook, running-back and offensive playmaker extraordinaire. But other than that, it’s a toss-up.

His name has is tarnished within the Philly locker room walls. And especially within the Eagles front office War Room. And somewhere in a bathroom stall within the Eagles locker room “D5 sucks” is written in Sharpie.

It’s time for McNabb to move on and plan his own future starting right now. Maybe Chicago (McNabb’s hometown) or New York (surely Eli Manning cannot handle the pressure).

Whatever the case, he needs to get a move on. The Eagles already have a jump-start on planning theirs.

Baseball

• Rumor has it that a World Series is taking place somewhere west of where I stay at in D.C. I do believe I saw some bat and ball playing a few days ago and an old man on the mound with dirt on his hand, but cheating never happens in baseball so maybe it was some form of cricket. The bat didn’t look flat like I’ve seen in cricket, but maybe it’s some sort of Americanized version.
• Say what you want about Kenny Rogers, but his Heisman pose-esque stiff-arm last year on that cameraman was something to look up to. Kids all over America will reenact the man who was hated a year ago, but who miraculously recovered from “bad press” and old-man-itus to have his best career moments in this year’s Series.
• I’ve yet to hunt it down, but DJ Gallo started “The Sports Pickle” years back and had a story about Albert Pujols and how little kids would call him “poo-holes.” That makes me chuckle. You want to know what else makes me chuckle? Mitch Hedburg, 400-foot bombs in baseball, Bush-isms and every word that comes out of athletes’ mouths defending accusations that their sports are full of ‘roid-heads.
• I wonder how long it would take for me to become rich and famous if I started popping “greenies,” Andro, ‘roids and other enhancers. Maybe I’m in the wrong business.

Football

• Ben Rothelisberger absorbed a large hit to the chin Sunday against the Falcons and said that one of the players taunted him. I know the game is supposed to be played with vigor, competitiveness and passion, but to talk trash is outrageous. It shows a lack of composure in a sport with already has an overabundance of it. So to those Falcon players, I say: “Play nice.” And to Mr. Ben: “Please remove yourself from the adult football league and place yourself in a church league where sportsmanship is encouraged and — you’ll be happy to hear this, Ben — rewarded. In heaven. God help you if you’re an atheist. Or, may someone help you…
• When asked if he knew which supplement prompted his positive steroid test, Shawne Merriman held strong - “No, I don’t know yet. Even if I did know I don’t think I’d be able to say yet. As soon as I find out, I will.” All of the other steroid users of California (and there are lots, just follow accusations by geography) let out a collective sigh of relief knowing that their secret is safe for yet another day.
• Check the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker’s foot for steroids. You don’t go from never hitting a FG from outside of 27-yards to kicking a 41-yarder and a game-winning 62-yarder overnight. Lucky for him, he’s under the invisibility cloak called, “being a kicker.” No one cares. Ask Todd Sauerbrun.
• When the Oakland Raiders beat the Arizona Cardinals Sunday in the “Bottom of the Barrel Bowl” (The BBB, for short) that proved one thing - no single player could’ve helped either team be good. Some teams are just destined to fail. Some men are destined to date whorish heiresses. Some coaches are just destined to be fired.
• No jock can memorize 700 pages of anything. The Redskins need to dummy down their playbook to somewhere around… 7, like last year, when they made the playoffs despite starting the season as horrible then as they have so far this year.

Go read these things, sucka:

• Jim Caple says McGwire deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. I think Cooperstown should revoke every wrong-doer. Steroid cloud surrounding you? Out. Greenie cloud? Out. Hated minorities? Out. Jaywalking ticket? Out. Then there’d be a vacant building for a new school for the kids of Cooperstown. If you object, you hate children, and I don’t think you want to have that label.
• DJ Gallo steps out of his normal satirical style (first time I’ve read any of his pieces like this) and shoots snide remarks at the hefty Notre Dame coach who thinks his team was slighted in the Polls this weekend. I have a feeling that I’ll really despise all ex-Pats coaches. And current. I’ll even despise people name Pat. And pats on the back, friendly or not.
• Even though he’s shifted over to AOL Sports, Jason Whitlock is still the same ole J. He puts the spotlight on Detroit Free Press’s Mitch Albom for not calling out Kenny Rogers for possibly cheating, but instead celebrating the win for his city. JWhit cries “hypocrite” to the award-winning writer who compares Old Man Rogers to Moses. From the Bible. I wonder if Moses used illegal enhancers to part the Red Sea. If so, the comparison stands.

When Maine wide receiver Kevin McMahan’s name echoed throughout Radio City Hall, fans booed.

No one outside of Maine has a clue who Kevin McMahan is. They just know who he is not.

He is not who the crowd spent the previous ten minutes chanted for. The same player who, at that same moment, was most likely either: (a) sitting at home booing the television, (b) sitting at home crying his eyes out, or (c) both.

“Mar-cus Vick! Mar-cus Vick! Mar-cus Vick!”

I heard the crowd chant seated on a couch.

So did “Mar-cus Vick!”

Or maybe he sat in a recliner. I cannot confirm.

The difference between Marcus Vick and I is simple. I am human and he is not.

Neither is his older brother, Michael.

The two are of a different mold.

They’re more like Dali and Da Vinci; the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper; Gale Sayers and Bo Jackson. They’re Howard Hughes ideas; simply far too ahead of their time.

Running, passing and wow-ing the audience are all things a Vick can do from birth. If you’ve seen older brother Michael play, imagine more accuracy and slightly less speed, and then you know the potential of younger brother Marcus.

Why, then, didn’t Marcus cash in like his older brother when draft day came around?

In the 2001 NFL Draft, Michael Vick became the number 1 overall pick and signed the largest rookie contract in NFL history at the time - 6 years, $62 million, including $15.3 million guaranteed through the first three years and an initial signing bonus of $3 million.

In the 2006 NFL Draft, Marcus Vick’s name was nowhere to be found in Radio City Hall outside of the chants.

And to think, he’s of the same bloodline as the amazing, one-man traveling show based in Atlanta.

The difference between Marcus and Michael is simple - Michael made better choices.

Michael’s wrap sheet doesn’t read the same as Marcus’s - an arrest for providing alcohol to three underage girls, an arrest for reckless driving and possession of marijuana, flipping off West Virginia fans in Morgantown, and stomping on Louisville D-tackle Elvis Dumervil’s leg with his cleated foot in the 2006 Gator Bowl.

It’s no wonder NFL scouts quickly wrote off Marcus, with all of his talents, as too high a risk.

On a sheet of paper crumpled up in a trash bin of a draft war room the top item on the “Vick, Marcus” folder most likely read the two most expensive words young Vick has ever encountered.

Written atop the pages - not necessarily in scarlet, but just as piercing as the letters worn by Hester Prynne in the famous Nathaniel Hawthorne story - is “Character issues,” one of the most expensive phrases ever.

Once the label is placed upon an aspiring athlete such, they lose money; some thousands, some millions.

Marcus Vick lost millions.

Along with the label of character issues come comparisons to Maurice Clarett, the former Ohio State running back who went from potential NFL great to poor attempted robber. Surely not the comparison “Mike Vick part 2″ envisioned for the days leading up to the draft.

That same phrase caused UCS All-American offensive tackle Winston Justice to slide from the first round to the second, at number 39, despite his rating as the number two player at his position.

Jimmy Williams, a Virginia Tech cornerback, received the same label and slid from a potential first round pick to a second rounder at 37 overall.

And Claude Wroten, the LSU defensive tackle, went from potential first-rounder to 68th overall after a January arrest and charge of possession of marijuana and intent to distribute charges later dropped because of a lack of evidence and questions of the legality of the search.

The list goes on and on.

College athletes hold a lot of clout for their abilities, but as with most things in life, there are limits. NFL teams are finally cutting off the easy route for players who feel they can get away with what they want off the field.

NFL players are team investments. Salaries aren’t cheap. This year’s number 1 pick, Mario Williams, the defensive tackle out of North Carolina State, signed a rookie deal worth $54 million over 6 years, with $26.5 million guaranteed.

That’s too much money to invest in a player who can’t make the right decisions when he’s not a multi-millionaire. The year of Lawrence Phillips-like players passed millions of dollars ago.

So Kevin McMahan, the 2006 winner of the Mr. Irrelevant award, is a fraud.

Let Marcus Vick take his family to Newport Beach. Let him receive the Lowsman Trophy. Let him receive a roast, offering advice as how to make it in the NFL.

Among the list of material would be:

• Check IDs before supplying alcohol to girls claiming to be in college
• Be like Gaylord Focker and “pass on grass”
• Leave flipping of fans to trained professionals - like Jake Plummer
• The next time a future NFL D-lineman makes a tackle, don’t stomp his leg. Simply get up and run away quickly because in the NFL players are bigger, faster, and stronger. And they stomp back.

Check the NFL coaches’ player boards. No one is more irrelevant right now than Marcus Vick.

The saying goes, “You have to beat the best to be the best.” If that’s the case, Vince Young and the mighty, mighty Texas Longhorns are simply the best. Better than all the rest, even.

The hype for the game was out of this world - Reggie Bush, the 2005 Heisman winner, in the backfield with Matt Leinart, the 2004 Heisman winner, facing the most versatile QB in the nation since Mike Vick, Vince Young (who, by the way was shellacked in the Heisman voting being a tremendously distant 2nd to Bush).

After putting on one of the most impressively stunning performances in Rose Bowl history last week, and single-handedly leading the Texas Longhorns over the two-time defending champ University of Southern California Trojans, the Longhorns’ star quarterback Vince Young had only two questions in his mind: (1) Who will be my agent? and (2) What kind of designer suit should I wear to the NFL 2006 Draft green room?

I would suggest as answers: (1) Anybody other than the most annoying suit in Miami (and Mr. “Next question” himself) - Drew Rosenhaus, and (2) Anything prominently sporting burnt orange to remind all of his excellence in the Rose Bowl, and to force Houston’s hand a wee bit (more about that in a bit).

It came as no surprise that after two consecutive years of Rose Bowl dominance that Young, a junior, had to forego his senior season and declare himself eligible for the 2006 NFL draft. He had slain the NCAA’s “dragon” of the two years prior and rescued a championship the Longhorns hadn’t seen in over 30 years.

Yes, getting your education is great, and most of the time I’d argue that students should stay and get their degree, but in this case, with this one decision, Vince Young had the ability to George Jefferson and help his family get that de-luxe apartment in the sky. Why pass up millions, when college is meant to teach you the smarts in order to become better off in the business world? The NFL is a business and Vince is capitalizing on being one of the best clients for one of many job openings the have.

Let’s face it: the league needs Vince. Vince needs the league.

Vince Young, barring any freak accidents in the next few months, will become a millionaire. He will have the finances to help support his mom, grandmother, and sisters who raised him in downtown Dallas, Texas. Football and family support steered the Longhorn clear of life-altering trouble he could have gotten into on the streets, which allowed him to cause a different type of trouble on the football field.

The money - only the first reason he should take his game to the next level.

The second reason is that Young will get a much more coaching dedication then he ever would if he stayed playing for the Longhorns. Yes, there are questions surrounding his unorthodox throwing motion, but for someone with a bizarre motion, he put up quite a few passing yards throughout his career - especially in the big games. Ask Michigan. Ask USC. With a dedicated quarterback coach who has taught some of the greats, he could be molded into the greatest all-around quarterback threat in the game - ever.

I know what you’re thinking and yes, I am jumping to large conclusions. Every time an athletic QB arises from the mist, the media gets antsy. It’s not unlike when Ben Franklin first saw a spark of electricity during a lighting storm. He saw the flash for a moment, but couldn’t figure out how to contain and use it to its maximum potential. Eventually, he figured it out and great things followed. Same goes for Vince. He has all of the flash, but he needs the right mind to help him shine.

The league needs another mobile quarterback with raw talent and potential for days to fill seats and catapult TV ratings (see record-breaking 2006 Rose Bowl numbers) and Young has that potential.

Not to knock Michael Vick, as he is still one of the most gifted athletes to ever take a snap, but he has yet to prove any large improvement in his throwing accuracy since his rookie year. Vince Young, at 6’5, 230lbs, has the prototypical build to be molded into the total package everyone wanted (and still want) Vick to become. The difference between the two is that Young is 5 inches taller. Those inches are critical at the quarterback position. That’s 5 more inches to look over the charging D-lineman. That means longer legs in the drop-back. That means even though Young won’t run a 4.2 in the 40, with his long legs, his speed will be underestimated. You would have noticed all of this if you watched either Rose Bowl in the last two years where Vince Young was at his best, on the biggest two stages of his career.

Next item to consider is Young’s order in the 2006 NFL Draft.

He should go number 1 to the Houston Texans.

Hear me out, first.

Everyone is saying that Houston would be crazy to skip over USC’s Reggie Bush, one of the most amazing players I’ve ever seen ever grace the NCAA football playing fields. Bush has the breakaway speed similar to LaDainian Tomlinson, complimented by excellent hands and game-breaking ability. He’s amazing, that’s for sure. A one of a kind back. But let’s look at the obvious Houston Texans needs.

The Texans have a great back in Domanick Davis. The problem is, the line can’t hold up against much of any type of rush. It’s amazing that David Carr has survived his first four years in the league. The Texans line has given up 208 sacks through Carr’s career, including the record-breaking 76 sacks during his rookie year. He was sacked 68 times this year alone.

Davis fell down to an injury, and was unable to stick around for the full season, gaining almost 1,000 yards (976 to be exact) in just 11 games. I’d hate to point blame, but… 208 sacks in 4 years is… suspect.

Houston will pick up Carr’s $8 million option and their first pick will decide his fate. That’s quite a bit of money to invest in a quarterback who has yet to fully prove his effectiveness behind what has proven to be a very consistently bad offensive line.

What better a way to get around having the worst line in the league than a team with a quarterback as quick and elusive as the Texas legend himself, Mr. Vince Young?

David Carr isn’t the slowest man of the bunch, because he’s still a great athlete. He just simply isn’t Vince Young. With weapons Andre Johnson, Domanick Davis, Jabar Gaffney, and stud return man Jerome Mathis, imagine the fast paced offense that team could put together with Young. Toss in Mike Martz a little bit o’ turf and they could be the greatest show in the mid-west!

The media could come up with clever names like “the Young Guns,” “Houston Hotness,” and “Martz and the Mighty, Mighty Texans.”

If they plan on passing on their most valuable pick in Young, the Texans’ second-best draft day decision would be to trade down a few picks and pick up D’Brickashaw Ferguson, the offensive tackle from UVA as well as another pick from whatever team is looking to grab one of the top three studs.

But who am I to point out that a team with incredible potential simply needs to buy the quarterback a few extra seconds (enter the Longhorn Legend himself) and they’d be in the playoffs as soon as next year?

Both players are still guaranteed to attract the masses when they suit up.

No matter who takes him, Vince Young will still be standing at 6 foot 5 inches tall, 235 pounds, the ultimate prototypical athlete, ready to face-off against a real challenge for a change.