Just happy to see the disparity in media coverage between Manning's indiscretions and others lessoned somewhat. Peyton has enjoyed being on a pedestal for most of his career. Turns out he may not be the choir boy the media has made him out to be. The blind faith gushing by the media has seemingly been undeserved.

Also, the reason this story has resurfaced is because of the current (sexual assault) lawsuit against Tennessee. In that regard what the Manning 'teabagging' incident shows is that athletes bad behavior have been given preferential treatment by colleges / universities for a long time.

Lots of stuff going on here. The motivation behind releasing the article, for starters, or better yet - the republishing of an old story that was put to rest many years earlier, but now suddenly is this world-stopping crisis that the DOJ needs to look into pronto.

It seems that Shaun King had enough of the Cam Newton bashing the coming days after the game, and was using the opportunity in an attempt to point out the double standard between an African American quarterback being grilled for allegedly being a "phony" versus the white man's hero in Manning, who he obviously feels is treated substantially different. Now there could obviously be arguments either way, no question. But to use that opportunity to single out Manning, particularly as it related to water under a bridge that hasn't existed for going on 20 years now? Hey. Just look at the timing. Look at the underlying motivation here. That's all I'm saying.

And for what it's worth - I don't hold it against Cam for being upset and acting like a spoiled brat. He was obviously upset with himself and wasn't in the mood to talk about it. He'll learn from it and move on. Nor do I think (nor care really!) if Cam Newton is a phony.

Kristine Leahy (Colin Cowherd's co-host on his sports talk show) made a very interesting observation yesterday. "I know someone personally who deals with these star athletes on a regular basis, and he said to me, "Kristine - if you knew how most of these people really are behind the scenes, how they treat other people - you wouldn't want to be friends with any of them.""

Wow. Imagine that. Famous people who treat people badly. I guess it's a good thing that Kristine's friend doesn't deal with all of these political phonies in DC, who spend their entire careers shitting on people.

So no, we don't know anything other than the perception we get from watching them on television. Yet at the same time - is it a crime against humanity to "want" to believe that some of them are actually good, decent people who've not forgotten where they came from, or what it felt like not living in the homes they live in, driving the cars they drive in, enjoying the lifestyles they enjoy? Case in point - I watched Vaughn Taylor win the tournament Sunday at Pebble Beach. He's 39-yrs-old, hadn't won a tournament in over 10 years. He was far from being the prototypical worldly top-10 golf stud who travels from venue to venue each week in a personal jet. In fact - he revealed that he crammed everything he could into a single carry-on bag so he wouldn't have to pay an additional baggage fee, FLYING ECONOMY on a commercial flight to LA, simply because he was lucky enough to be picked as an alternate to get into the tournament. He had no status, he was ranked 400+ in the world, he didn't even have a secured spot to play on any tour. We're talking a guy so far down on the totem pole that the average golf fan probably didn't know him from Vince Vaughn.

Yet when he won - you could tell that he was genuinely overcome by this sudden happiness, that his life had changed. It meant the world to him. And I'm sure that I'm not alone when I said, "hey, good for him. He seems like a really good guy."

And he probably is. But based on today's societal standard - we need to make sure that Vaughn Taylor is a good guy before we assume anything! Vaughn, what was the party life like at Augusta State, buddy? Bang any hot chicks while you were there? Ever drop your genitals on a female trainer's forehead while she stuck her finger in your ass checking your prostate? What about alcohol? Did you ever drink and drive? Maybe cheat on a college exam? Maybe playfully haze a fellow student athlete by spraying shaving cream in his golf shoes his freshman year? Ever smoke any weed, sniff anything, inhale anything, consume anything that might've given you the slightest edge standing over a 1-footer in a college tournament?

We need the damned details, man! Otherwise we're not supposed to appreciate your victory, dammit! And we sure as hell don't want to be accused of showing any type of support toward you should it turn out that you're not who you really are, after the fact! So stop putting yourself on this damned pedestal, fella. Don't win. Don't be successful, not if you have something, anything, in your life's closet that you're not proud of.

Shaun King, back to this guy. Political activist, big BLM supporter. Never found a cause he couldn't get behind, especially if it creates opportunities to raise money. Except, uh, apparently there are questions surfacing by some of the BLM supporters themselves, wondering where some of the charity proceeds from some of King's so-called fundraising went.

Second lesson for today - know the source. It generally helps with credibility if the source just so happens to not have any skeletons in his own closet.

Now... this isn't a diversion. It's not my desire to bring someone else down, to question their credibility, or to point out the hypocritical nature of man. But if you're going to take what someone says at face value, you should at the very least make the smallest attempt to understand potential motives and agendas.

If evidence exists that Peyton Manning sexually harassed women throughout his professional career - investigate. Find out. Put him in front of a judge and jury and let him plead his case. If evidence exists that Manning did HGH, or took any other type of illegal substance that is prohibited per the rules of the NFL - investigate. Find out.
But if evidence does not exist, understand that your opinion, my opinion, whoever else's opinion - doesn't mean shit. It just means that you (like myself, like many of us who aren't involved in the behind-the-scenes lives of professional athletes) only know what you think you know. And often times, what we think we know isn't necessarily the truth.

I'm not a huge Manning fan. I just think people are way off base rushing to judgement about shit that they don't really know much about.

Using your standard we really can't comment on anything because how do we really know? We do know the sexual assault case was settled and then Peyton went ahead and defamed her again in his book (had to settle again). Classy guy. Nobody that I know of said women (plural). He was accused of sexually assaulting a woman and settled the case.

Vaughn Taylor was never put on a pedestal like Peyton Manning was. Your continued attempts to brush this off as some minor youthful indiscretion and we really don't know what happened with the different accounts etc. etc. is noble, but extremely lame IMO.

Here's an article giving more (very detailed) information.

http://deadspin.com/how-tennessee-s-sexual-harassment-allegations-caught-up-1759118435

"Q. Let me be very clear there. It was not just his behind, his rear end, that was on your face, but his genitalia was in your face?

A. That’s correct. It was the gluteus maximus, the rectum, the testicles, and the area in between the testicles. And all of that was on my face when I pushed him up and off. And it was like this and as I pushed him up to get leverage, I took my head out to push him up and off.

... I pushed him off of me and I said, “You’re an ass.”

    "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone". I'm sure I'll be under attack now and it's OK.....

      tim03parts

      I like it, Tim. Wouldn't think of throwing a stone in his younger days but now I think I can probably throw just as hard as him. 🙂

      On a serious note...I don't think anyone is calling for him to be put to death as that scripture references nor has anyone placed any final judgement on his soul. I think it's more than fair to say that this is, if it happened, bad behavior and in line with the "polishing of the outside of the cup". Adultery is bad and so is what Peyton is alleged to have done. Absolutely critical that we call out bad behavior while acknowledging it in our own selves. We always should have a handle on who's a swine and a dog.

      I'm just trying to think how much "enjoyment" there must be following sports these days while feeling obligated to investigate who is or isn't worth rooting for, based on things that may or may not have happened when they were still essentially immature kids.

      My God, these glass houses these days must be constructed out of some sort of impenetrable titanium! LOL

      My house is just plain ol glass. Got a few knicks in it too.

        PA-PLAYA

        There's a bigger issue here. Sexual assault cases on campuses are in the news more these days. Jameis Winston's case comes to mind (The Hunting Ground). The Penn State / Syracuse sex scandals were huge stories also. What they all have in common is sports programs like football are huge money makers for these schools and the 'indiscretions' of these players and coaches are held to a different standard because of this.

        Peyton's sexual assault incident was known as #27 in Tennessee. It's a problem that goes above and beyond securing a legacy of a famous football player that may not be that well deserved.

          Sneakylong

          You and a few others seem to think I'm completely oblivious to what goes on. I'm not. I have two kids in college, I've got a pretty good idea of what goes on today. For that matter - I have a pretty good idea of what has gone on at college campuses over the past 20+ years. And I can promise you that far worse has gone on since then than a female trainer getting mooned in a men's locker room.

          Again, you want to cite one side of the story. Her side. You're not interested in hearing the other side. You're not interested in trying to understand why I, and others like me, refuse to smear a guy for something that he was already smeared by 20 years ago, and quite possibly - wrongly accused. This was reported. It was in the news. It was settled. And furthermore - if people don't remember it - maybe it wasn't anything worth remembering in the first place.

          So go ahead - continue circling Manning's wagon, Deputy Sneak. Continue your life's goal of smearing the rival of your personal Golden Boy Brady, under the pathetic guise of suddenly feeling obliged to champion the cause for real victims at these institutions who have truly been violated and harassed, those who aren't looking for some sort of lucrative payout but want justice.

          Again - show me the history, a pattern, something other than a one-sided belief that Manning is (in your mind) this egregious serial sex offender.

          Until then, envision whatever you have to say about Manning going through my left ear and out the right, because that's precisely what is happening.

            Sneakylong
            An affidavit signed by Naughright in 1996 concerning the ’96 incident describes Manning as behaving in a gross and offensive manner, but does not describe Manning as making any physical contact with her:

            “He pulled his pants down and exposed himself to me, as I was bent over examining his foot after asking me personal questions. I reported this to my supervisor, who referred to it as ‘merely a prank,' and no action was taken in regard to this until after I formally complained.”

            However, in her statement of facts filed on Oct. 15, 2003, she asserted that Manning had made contact with his “naked butt and rectum.” That is where the information you posted comes from, the 2003 document. It's her side of the story, which she apparently changed in 2003.

            So I have to agree with Pa-Playa that you are only interested in accepting one questionable version of the story, (quite possibly fabricated to "stick it" to Manning as their feud escalated), as truth because the goal is to smear the rival of the guy you have on a pedestal.

              PA-PLAYA

              You're giving me too much credit. Your hyperbolic comments (life's goal) are funny though. I must admit that people who got their drawers in knot over Deflatgate and our now dismissing Manning's sexual assault is perplexing. Let's see, low air pressure in footballs and a sexual assault. One's a joke and the other is serious.

              Again, it's back in the news not because of me, but because of the Title 9 lawsuit at Tennessee. And again, the only reason case # 27 is back in the news is because he happens to be a famous athlete.

              I'm not sure what's more disconcerting; your inability to objectively look at allegations and real, actionable evidence and note the potential differences, or the real possibility that you've actually served on Jury Duty at some point.

                PA-PLAYA

                You admitted you made up your mind on Deflatgate (Brady's guilt) based on your take on the information you looked at. I concluded something different. We all take the information and process that and come to an opinion. You and I can disagree on what we conclude, but it is an opinion. I've got an opinion on Manning and the HGH story as well as the sexual assault case at Tennessee. You may not like my opinion and tell me I'm jumping to conclusions, but I could argue the same with you on Brady. Opinions are subjective by nature.

                Anyway, here's Christine Brennan's latest article on these issues regarding Manning. Regardless of where you come down, there are serious questions about Peyton's character. My opinion is there has been a concerted effort to protect players behavior like Manning. There's too much money involved all around to be otherwise.

                http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/brennan/2016/02/17/peyton-manning/80477446/

                I have served on a jury and was the first to voice my concern about the most serious charge (aggravated assault). I initially got 2 others to join me and eventually got all 6 of us to go with the lesser charge (improper display of a weapon) which the defense attorney argued for. In the Manning case it's a court of public opinion. Big difference.

                Concluding you know things about someone based on an internet forum discussion is practicing what you're accusing me of doing with Manning .

                BTW I could not serve on a jury regarding the HGH and sexual assault cases. Using the information I've seen I've come to an opinion, Guilty. Just as you could not serve on a jury regarding Deflategate.

                We are both just a voice in the court of public opinion. The only difference is you're a little more self righteous in your opinion while attacking a different opinion (insert smiley faced emoji here).

                MidwayJ

                What if the guy (Malcolm Saxon) who Peyton says he was mooning wrote a letter to Peyton imploring him to come clean and do the right thing and tell the truth. Would that have some sway in who is telling the truth here between Peyton Manning and Dr. Naughright? Saxon says he told the truth and lost his eligibility for it. The letter in it's entirety is in the Dead Spin article.

                "Once Rollo came up with the idea that it was mooning intended for Malcolm Saxon, the narrative goes, “Manning adopted that term with a vengeance.”

                "The 2003 document also includes a letter from Saxon to Manning, saying, “I stuck to the truth, and I lost my eligibility for it.”

                  Sneakylong
                  That provides evidence that what happened was more than her seeing him moon Saxon. However, it does says nothing about whether he made physical contact with her, which she did not herself allege in 1996.

                    Sneak, I've got no bone to pick with you. I'm sure you're a good fella. I'll just respectfully disagree with your opinion and leave it at that.

                    Whether Manning is a great guy or a douche bag ain't impacting how much I admired the way he played football. I could also say the same thing about Tom Brady. Frankly - they're both Hall of Famers and what either of them did or didn't do in their personal lives, founded or unfounded, doesn't change the impact they had on the game.

                    I've given Brady his due on numerous occasions. Maybe it's time you let your guard down just long enough to recognize what his rival has done throughout his career to be mentioned in the same sentence with him.

                    This shit ain't that important to me!

                    Peace.

                      PA-PLAYA

                      Scott,

                      You have a way of replying without losing your train of thought while still being inundated by endless Tripe. I am enamored of your self-control.

                      Bravo

                        PA-PLAYA

                        I think Peyton has had a great hall of fame career. My issue as you know is in the huge disparity in how the media and people in general went after Brady and gave Peyton a pass on the HGH and now want to do the same (dismiss it) with the sexual assault. Obvious media bias and double standard IMO.

                        If these two allegations were against Brady there would be non stop media coverage.