Salute to the Golden Bear
Former pro golfer Jack Nicklaus has always been known for his competitiveness and class around the golf course. However, the Golden Bear’s name took a sportsmanship hit last week, and he wasn’t even competing.
Nick O’Leary, a tight end for Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer in Florida, was suspended for two games for an “unsportsmanlike act. The act was him giving the middle finger to Cleveland Glenville High fans after a controversial 26-22 loss Sept. 6. O’Leary is the grandson of Nicklaus.
Dwyer coach Jack Daniels planned to have his team forfeit the two games instead of playing without O’Leary.
What caused this outburst of hand gestures?
On the final drive of the game, Dwyer went for the go-ahead touchdowns three straight plays from the one yard line. Each time the officials on the field ruled they were stopped short of the goalline each time.
However, television replays showed they had scored and should have won the game. This didn’t sit well with O’Leary and let his frustration be known with a universal sign language.
If O’Leary hadn’t been related to Nicklaus, this story would never have been mentioned outside of Ohio. It sure would not have been featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter for several days. And I doubt he would have gotten suspended.
I can’t remember the amount of times my hand accidentally slipped into that particular formation during a games during my career. It happens. I would bet there were a dozen more kids who used the same hand gesture or worse during the game, but were not caught on camera and were not the related to a sports icon.
Just like some colorful language, it’s not something you would want to use in polite circles. But on a football field, during the heat of competition, to believe a athlete should behave like they are at a tea party is amusing and bewildering.
Michael Kinney
Michael Kinney
Michael Kinney
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October 15th, 2010 at 2:37 am
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