Since this has been a big weekend for football fans, it’s only fitting that the M.o.t.W. comes out of the myriad of sideline stories and footnotes to the Giants’ monumental upset of the would’ve-been unbeaten New England Patriots.
Friday night, less than a day after arriving in Phoenix for the big game, New York Giants reserve defensive end Adrian Awasom was nailed by Arizona state troopers on suspicion of extreme DUI. He was caught at three a.m. Arizona time on Interstate 10, and arrested, presumably after (miserably) failing a field sobriety test.
What the fuck was Awasom thinking? This guy hasn’t played for the team since week two, when he went on injured reserve after hurting his neck in the first meeting of the season between Big Blue and the Green Bay Packers. He’s only a third year player, and his career hasn’t exactly been a stellar rise to the upper echelons of the league. He was signed as a free agent in 2005, only playing in five games that season, primarily on special teams. He was waived before the 2006 season and hung on to an NFL job when he got signed to the Giants’ practice squad. He once again made it onto the 53-man roster in October, and played in 10 games. He hasn’t exactly made a reputation for himself as a blue chip prospect after three up-and-down years, and nobody is about to confuse him with Michael Strahan or Justin Tuck any time soon. So, you would think that a guy clinging to a spot in the NFL by his fingernails might show a little common sense and not find the kind of trouble that getting absolutely shitfaced and driving at three in the morning usually leads to. Even if Awasom wasn’t going to play a down in the Super Bowl, wouldn’t you think coaches would frown upon a guy whose makeup allows him to do something this stupid? This isn’t exactly going to bode well for how you might perform in the future, traveling a minimum of eight weeks per season and (hopefully) again when the playoffs wrap up in the game to decide the Lombardi trophy winner. Nope, this wasn’t just moronic, it was potentially career-killing, particularly in terms of his future with the Giants. The team didn’t address it publicly, nor did they wait for the full blood alcohol results to be in. They sent Awasom packin’ for home, and in my estimation probably packing for good.
You fly into Arizona as a team member for the Super Bowl. Only hours after you hit town, you’re caught drunk driving and arrested in the middle of the night. You’re such an embarrassment, the team wants you out of town, the sooner, the better. You miss out not only on the Super Bowl festivities and the privileges that come with being a member of the Giants, but you miss the celebration of the team’s shocking upset of the heavily favored Patriots. This is one of the biggest upsets in football history, and Awasom blew being a part of it because he had to get plastered the night he got into town and wasn’t bright enough to call a taxi.
While the Giants are undoubtedly going to lose a few players and will need to sign a few, just as every team does in the offseason, the chances of a moron like Awasom being a part of this team come the Fall? Probably not too good.
