B-Hop's venom for McNabb traced back to '04 snub
Bernard Hopkins made waves once again a couple of weeks ago when he ripped Donovan McNabb while training for his match against Jean Pascal.
It was not the first (or even the fifth) time Hopkins had slammed McNabb.
I wrote about his comments in November of 2008 and again in June of 2009.
Hopkins has previously mentioned an incident several years ago in which McNabb did not show him any love when Hopkins showed up to the NovaCare Complex for an Eagles practice. But, yesterday on DNL, Hopkins described the "snub" in more detail. And it seemed clear that every jab he's taken at McNabb over the years can be traced back to that one day.
Here's Hopkins' version of the snub and why it bothered him so much:
"T.O. had just came into town, 2004. I won my title and I think I had another fight with Oscar, and they invited me down to the locker room, Novacare, and I went there, and that's how me and T.O. got to having a conversation. They gave me mad love... T.O. ran and they got me helmets, they got me this, they came out, they gave us love, they took me to the kitchen, one guy was soaking in the tub, his knees, and Jon Runyan and just everybody...
"And next thing we see, two guys, two coaches or whatever, trainers, they looking out. Then we see McNabb looking out. ... And it reminded me of being in Chestnut Hill because I'm from Germantown. And when you go up to Chestnut Hill in the early 70s and 80s, you get looked at funny. I felt that way. I felt like I was up in Chestnut Hill, like near Whitemarsh, where I'm looking like 'Am I supposed to be in this neighborhood?'
"And I'm seeing this guy hide and wait until we leave, peek out every now and then. It's like you go on the block and you know somebody's home. Did he leave yet? Did he leave yet? Did he leave yet?"
Hopkins went on to say he watched McNabb closely after that day and repeated many of the things we've heard from him before - that McNabb has never reacted well under pressure, that he didn't have the confidence or the intangibles necessary to be great, that Michael Vick gives the Eagles a better chance to win a Super Bowl, and so on.
But again, it seemed clear that all those observations came out as a result of that one day at the NovaCare Complex.
When asked if he was done finally done talking about McNabb, Hopkins said, "Absolutely."
We'll find out if he's telling the truth the next time Hopkins is promoting a fight.
VICK ON BURRESS
A couple days ago, after a report in the New York Daily News suggested the Eagles could be interested in Plaxico Burress when he's released from jail, I offered my take on whether such a move would make sense.
I didn't think so, but many of you disagreed. Of nearly 1,000 people who voted, 68.7 percent said the Eagles should explore adding Burress to the wide receiver mix.
And Michael Vick feels that way too.
As a guest of Anthony Gargano and Ike Reese on 610 WIP, Vick was asked if he'd be in favor of the Birds bringing Burress aboard.
"Absolutely. I think he'd be a great addition for our team," Vick said. "I think with the guys that we have now, I think we can fit him in and we can make it work. Obviously, the ultimate goal at the end of the day is to put that ring on your finger at the end of the year. I think certainly Plaxico's going to come out with a chip on his shoulder the same way I did, and he'll go out and help this football team to whatever capacity he can. I think the guys would embrace him and bring him in and treat him like family. If that happens, who knows, we're talking about what-ifs now, but it'd certainly be a good thing."
Vick explained that he has not been allowed to communicate with Burress but is friends with the wide receiver and his family since they're both from the same part of Virginia.
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