Reggie Bush Shows it Off in Spain

While on vacation, a pumped up Reggie Bush and his posse of red recently gave the people of Spain some muscle to admire. (via Rod 2.0)

Previously
Reggie Bush Sexes Up Men's Fitness [tr]
Sportrait: Reggie Bush [tr]

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Cleveland Browns QB Brady Quinn in Facebook M4M Ad

Somehow I doubt the NFL licensed Quinn's image for this purpose, although he has been known to give a good hummer.
(thanks josh)

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Gay Party or a Night Out with Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young?

It's apparently the latter, though given the preponderance of shirtlessness, lack of women, and the curious beer-bellied bear dude it's kind of hard to tell.

Young remarked on the photos: "I apologize to some of the kids if they did see it because I am trying to be a role model for them. But at the same time, I was just trying to have fun with (friends). That is the life of a quarterback, somebody of my status. I guess somebody was trying to make some money and sold the picture to the web site. But at the same time that is the life I chose to live. But it is not going to stop me from having fun. I just have to watch myself. They always want to try and get some negative pub on me. It wasn’t really nothing bad. … Everybody deserves to have a good time every once in a while during the offseason."

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New York Jets Cheerleaders Open to 'Mindblowing' Drag Queen

The choreographer for the New York Jets Flight Crew cheerleading squad, Denise Garvey, is prepping for the squad's upcoming tryouts. Garvey spoke with WNYC recently, and told the radio station that she's pretty much open to anyone who wants to apply, including drag queens.

I've embedded the audio here.

GARVEY: We don't have any strict requirements - no weight or height requirements - we have all different girls on the team and all different girls looking to try out..."

REPORTER: There's not the kind of human variety you might find in a supermarket checkout line - the largest body is about a size "6″ -and there are no male cheerleader wannabe's.

GARVEY: we haven't had any men apply... we are looking for young women.

REPORTER: If there was a mind blowing drag queen?

GARVEY: I guess everyone deserves a fair chance - so that would be my attitude.

You have to give it to Garvey for laughing and not rejecting the idea out of hand, or worse, making some kind of homophobic comment which is (sadly) what I might have expected.

(via AOL sports)

Previously
Jake Gyllenhaal to Play Hall of Fame QB Joe Namath [tr]

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Eli Manning Digs for Meaning in President's Speech

Yesterday, George Bush honored the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants at the White House.

(via wonkette)

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Brady Quinn Gives Football Rookie Chris Long a Hummer

No word on whether he's still hanging out with allegedly homophobic riff-raff, but Cleveland Browns QB Brady Quinn is now handing out, uh, hummers to the rookies, AFTER THE JUMP...

Joe Sports fan reports: "Chris Long was presented with a model HUMMER H2 before being handed the keys to a 2008 HUMMER H2 for being named 'Hummer's Top Rookie' at ESPN Zone on Friday...Last year's winner, Brady Quinn, joined in on the pomp and circumstance. It's like the previous year's Masters winner presenting the Green Jacket to the current winner, only the previous winner in the golf tournament doesn't daydream about truly giving a hummer to Chris Long."

Photo above fold via Boy Culture)

Previously
Browns QB Brady Quinn Denies Making Anti-Gay Remarks [tr]
Ringing in 2008 with Brady Quinn [tr]
Brady Quinn is Bret Michaels' Rock of Love [tr]
Brady Quinn Demonstrates Another Kind of Touchdown [tr]

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News: David Blaine, Spiders, NFL Draft, Methodists, George Bush

Bush disapproval rating breaks Gallup poll record: "President Bush has set a record he'd presumably prefer to avoid: the highest disapproval rating of any president in the 70-year history of the Gallup Poll. In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday, 28% of Americans approve of the job Bush is doing; 69% disapprove. The approval rating matches the low point of his presidency, and the disapproval sets a new high for any president since Franklin Roosevelt."

Breathe: David Blaine to attempt record-breaking inhale on Oprah.

Queer Month at Rhode Island College plagued by vandals.

"Possesses a V-shaped torso with a well-defined upper body, good bubble, developed calves and good chest thickness." Craigslist ad or NFL Draft profile?

Gay joke ban rejected by British House of Lords: "The television stars Rowan Atkinson and Christopher Higgins, who is himself homosexual, are among the prominent figures to have spoken out against the proposal to create a new offence of incitement to 'homophobic hatred'. ...Peter Tatchell, the prominent homosexual rights campaigner, also spoke out against the measure, arguing that freedom of speech should be sacrosanct."

Brad Pitt is a ruff rider.

Gay-straight alliance challenged in Janesville, Wisconsin.

David Beckham to strip for Ellen Degeneres?

Market: Clay Aiken will premiere his new album to audience of housewives on QVC.

Plague of venomous spiders shuts hospital in Australia: "The black spiders with a red stripe, close relatives of the black widow, are about 2-4 centimetres (0.8-1.6 inches) long and common across Australia. Their bites can cause severe pain, muscle spasms and death, although no fatalities have been recorded since an anti-venom was introduced in the 1950s."

Methodists hold convention in Fort Worth, brace for debate on homosexuality: "...there will almost certainly be another round of heated debate and contentious votes over whether the UMC should change its official position that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching and withdraw its ban on noncelibate gay pastors. Recent General Conferences have seen protests by gay-rights supporters. Eight years ago in Cleveland, some 200 demonstrators, including two bishops, were arrested for disrupting proceedings. Still, most experts believe the big tent of the UMC will hold, however the winds blow in Fort Worth. Some even say the denomination has turned a corner toward unity."

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A Gay Tennessee College Football Star is Recognized, Posthumously

Star high school football player and former Tennessee linebacker Jackie Walker, who became the first African-American football player in the Southeastern Conference to be named an all-American and the first to captain an SEC team, and remains in NCAA record books for his interception touchdown record, is finally being recognized:

"Walker was gay, which he made no effort to hide after his senior season at Tennessee. That is why his name has faded from memory, according to his brother, Marshall, and several of his teammates and coaches. When Walker was dying of AIDS in 2002, his brother told him he would change that, pledging to help get him into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame. Walker laughed, convinced that it would never happen. Now, it appears that Marshall Walker’s promise has paid off. The Hall of Fame is expected to include Jackie Walker when it releases its latest class of inductees Sunday."

The NYT notes that Walker's openness about his sexuality likely also led to his axing from the San Francisco 49ers (who drafted him after college) before the season began.

Jamie Rotella, another Tennessee linebacker, spoke to the paper about learning of Walker's sexuality: "I was totally shocked. But it didn’t affect the way I admired and respected him. We were confused, but everybody had too much respect for Jackie, for his character as well as for his football play. Jackie was a private person, very humble. Whenever he did speak, his words were sincere, reflecting his character. He was a silent leader. He didn’t say much, but when he did, you listened."

Long in the Shadows, a Player’s Legacy Is Restored [nyt]

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Former NFL Player Michael Westbrook: 'Gay' Tag Haunts Me

ESPN catches up with former NFL wide receiver Michael Westbrook, who is now retired and practices mixed martial arts. Westbrook blames much of his "disappointing career" on a remark that started a fight that somehow resulted in Westbrook being labeled gay:

ESPN reports: "The video clips were all over the national news and Westbrook said the incident left a lot of people with the false impression that he was a homosexual. Westbrook said the details have been misreported for more than a decade. Fully content with his current situation, Westbrook rarely feels the need to reflect upon the highs and lows of his football career. 'He didn't call me a name,' Westbrook said of Davis. 'That's where it gets mixed up. It got reported and it got changed into something monstrous. I was talking to him, Brian Mitchell and Terry Allen. They were talking about 'letting us handle the team.' I was like, 'You all are a bunch of jealous [f----]. You all are just jealous of everything I have.' Stephen Davis told me I needed to shut up and all that stuff I was saying sounded like some gay [s---], like I'm soft, not like I'm gay. That's all he said. It wasn't like, 'You're gay,' but it got changed to that really quick. So the connotation is Michael Westbrook is gay.' The connotation has faded, but not completely. 'My ex-girlfriend heard it about a year ago from this guy and she went nuts,' Westbrook said. 'Everybody that knows me knows that's the farthest thing from the truth. For about three years, I wanted to lock myself in the house and never come out.'"

There's no room for football in Westbrook's heart [espn]

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Brett Favre Will Also Miss the Grinding, and Slapping of Butts

Brett Favre, the Green Bay Packers legend, gave a long, sometimes tearful press conference yesterday as he announced his retirement. At one point, he discussed some of the things he'll miss:

FAVRE: "Well, in my discussions with former players, every one of the guys I've talked to has said the things you miss, you miss the games but it is the guys. And I haven't heard too many guys say I miss meetings or miss practice. But I may be one of those rare people who miss that to a certain extent as I'm involved in it. Sitting in meetings or practice, I have to admit, I thought about being elsewhere, but it's easy to do that when you're in the moment. But the friendships you make along the way, they come and go to a certain extent. But they are special and that I think I'll miss, grinding together. Football, I think is very unique in that of all the sports because you have to rely on one another so much more than the other sports and it's a physical sport, which I think in turn mentally challenges you more so than any other sport. And I am a little biased, but I will miss that. Sitting in those meetings with the receivers and figuring out how we're going to beat the upcoming team and challenging each other and doing it in a fun way, slapping our big linemen on the butt, which I don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon. But all that stuff, man that's just what it's all about. And I will miss that stuff."

And so will we.

Favre farewell transcript [milwaukee journal sentinel]
No more butt-slapping for Favre [outsports]

Previously
Sportrait: Brett Favre [tr]

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News: Brett Favre, Kentucky, Gus van Sant, Dallas, Danny Noriega

Gay Kentucky couple blocked from adopting child through state's foster care system: "Phillips and Parsley said they are outraged because they had already passed a criminal background check and a home survey by a Sunrise employee who was fully aware of their living arrangement. And they have attended two of five classes required for certification through the free program, they said."

Gus van Sant on filming his new film: Paranoid Park. REVIEW: Van Sant "makes another pretty, vacant movie about pretty, vacant boys..."

Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty posts video of himself smoking a cock.

Documentary explores Florida hate crime killing of Ryan Keith Skipper.

Gay porn films pulled from sale in the UK following barebacking investigation: "Two of the DVDs featured footage from a week-long shoot during which eight British models had sex with each other in multiple combinations without condoms. Four of those who took part were diagnosed as HIV positive soon after. One of the men told the BBC he was distressed that footage which he believed showed him becoming infected had been put on sale."

Green Bay Packers Brett Favre to retire. Sportrait flashback...

Lance and Ben document their romance.

Simon Cowell to produce Billy Eliot-Style musical on Britain's Got Talent winner, opera singer Paul Potts: "That particular day was one of the worst, the acts were just terrible, we were fed up and on comes this guy with a funny little suit and bad teeth who looked very nervous. I can remember looking at the other judges, with that 'here we go again' feeling. We had 2,000 people in the audience, and I'll never forget how much the room changed when he began singing." Video Flashback...

Steven Spielberg to launch social networking site for people interested in the afterlife: "The focus will be on users who’ve had or who are interested in sharing paranormal and extraterrestrial experiences. The new social network may also have original video content investigating alleged ghost and UFO stories."

Pink Speedo down under: Carson Kressley definitely not a fashion coward.

Dallas man claims he was assaulted at Station 4 nightclub: "Sid Gonzales, 43, said he suffered two broken bones in his wrist, a puncture wound to his hand and multiple bruises on his backside when two men assaulted him at about 11 p.m. Gonzales said he was near the main dance floor of the Dallas gay nightclub when two men and a woman walked over and stood nearby. Gonzales said he was 'a little buzzed' from alcohol but not intoxicated. He said he tried to be friendly and make small talk with the trio. But he said he was not trying to hit on the men, whom he described as straight-looking, well-dressed and college-aged. When Gonzales asked a few questions, the woman responded but the men said nothing and looked uncomfortable, he said. Gonzales said he reached out to shake hands with one of the men. The man grabbed Gonzales’ arm, twisted it in the air and slammed it against a knee. Gonzales said the first man also stabbed him in the hand with an unidentified object, while the second began kicking him in the backside."

American Idol contestant Danny Noriega wishes you a Merry Christmas.

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Tom Brady CK Underwear Model Rumors Bunch Up Again

Last November I posted about rumors that Tom Brady had been offered over $1 million to be the next Calvin Klein underwear model. Now those rumors appear to be swirling yet again.

The NYDN's Rush & Molloy report: "Gisele Bundchen won't be the only person seeing Tom Brady in his skivvies if Calvin Klein has his way. We hear the designer has offered the Patriots quarterback seven figures to blast David Beckham and his Armani underwear campaign right off the billboards."

Let's hope he doesn't repeat his Saturday Night Live performance (above) and takes his shirt off this time.

Previously
Grizzly Adams Celebrates Beards and Bears at the Super Bowl [tr]
Tom Brady Gets Fresh [tr]
Tom Brady's First Beefcake Shot [tr]
Tom Brady and the Art of the Bulging Brief [tr]

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NFL Scouting Combine: The Beefcake will not be Televised

The NFL Scouting Combine will no longer be televising the shirtless weigh-ins, FOX Sports Reports:

"'There was concern from current NFL players that the participants would be more comfortable if they were not paraded around without their shirts on,' combine director Jeff Foster said Saturday. 'It was an entirely appropriate suggestion. The weigh-ins should never have been televised.' Foster didn't know which players lodged the complaint, but it's believed to have come from NFL Player Association representatives who attend the Combine for union matters. Foster said any drills that would potentially involve a shirtless player also are off-limits to NFL Network, which has exclusive television rights to the Combine...There are modesty issues as well. A photo of Tom Brady wearing only gray gym shorts from the 2000 Combine was shown during the NFL Network telecast of December's regular-season finale between New England and the New York Giants. 'I am so happy they didn't videotape my Combine,' NFL Network announcer and former wide receiver Cris Collinsworth said as Combine footage of Brady aired."

Last week, Outsports noted that Michael Silver of Yahoo Sports "describes the whole spectacle as kind of creepy, with apparent straight, older men ogling young male flesh like other guys do to the waitresses at Hooters." And sports blog Deadspin said "The NFL Combine has always creeped us out."

Basically it's a reaction to the icky homosexual subtext underneath it all. Go figure. The thought of men admiring other men for purely physical reasons is something that professional sports can't seem to handle, no matter what the context. Although, overseas, top players in professional sports have no problem courting the attention and even financially gaining from the physical objectification. In fact, it has spawned cottage industries, particularly with the French rugby team who seem to have no problem shedding every article of clothing for the Dieux du Stade calendars.

So, the plan is, the combine meat market will go on, it just won't be televised. Deadspin notes: "We would like to remind everyone that the NFL Draft Combine is yet another vivid reminder that the NFL does not measure success by heart, or guts, or grit. They measure it, simply, by meat."

NFL Network won't show shirtless players [fox sports]

Related
Tom Brady's First Beefcake Shot [tr]
Herndon Climb Under Review: Too Greasy...or too Gay? [tr]

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Training Day

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel takes a closer look at training camps that have become the prerequisite for the upcoming NFL combine. Given the uniforms, it's hard not to. (via outsports)

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Iowa QB Yordi on Gay Slur: 'Just Getting a Good Laugh Out of It'

Nick Yordi, a quarterback at Iowa's Wartburg College, testified in his disorderly conduct trial last Thursday that he was just being a "dumb college kid" when he used a homophobic slur against an openly gay student at the college last fall:

"Yordi testified he sometimes yells at pedestrians for amusement and said he didn't immediately recognize Joe Apel of East Dubuque, Ill. Apel, a junior at Wartburg, described himself as openly gay. Yordi said he was not aware of that fact. 'Didn't mean anything by it,' Yordi said. 'Never have. Just getting a good laugh out of it.' Jill Dashner, assistant attorney for Bremer County, argued the extent of Yordi's alleged remarks and circumstances leading up to the incident amount to a serious situation that cannot be written off as harmless, college-boy antics perpetrated by the quarterback of the football team. She added Yordi targeted Apel, who claims the defendant let loose a stream of vulgar words referencing homosexual acts. 'This is the type of thing that causes people great stress and anger and could actually cause a violent reaction,' Dashner said."

Yordi's disorderly conduct charge is a misdemeanor and carries a potential penalty of up to 30 days in jail and a $625 fine. The judge is expected to rule within thirty days.

Magistrate will decide case involving anti-gay slur at Wartburg [wcf courier]

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News: Spy Satellite, Jack Mackenroth, Huckabee, Indiana Jones

Pentagon will shoot down disabled satellite before it poses danger to Earth: "U.S. officials said Thursday that the option preferred by the Bush administration will be to fire a missile from a U.S. Navy cruiser, and shoot down the satellite before it enters Earth's atmosphere. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the options will not be publicly discussed until a later Pentagon briefing. The disabled satellite is expected to hit the Earth the first week of March. Officials said the Navy would likely shoot it down before then, using a special missile modified for the task."

Does Mike Huckabee have a new job shilling soup for Campbell's?

Check out the brand new trailer for the new Indiana Jones flick which has something to do with aliens and Roswell, New Mexico.

The Year of Paper: Documentary on three couples and their first year of marriage airs tonight in San Francisco. "First-time filmmakers Kelly Rouse and Nikki Parker explored the lives of three couples - two men, two women and a heterosexual pair - during their first year of marriage. The resulting film... goes into the history of marriage as well as the lives of the subjects. The filmmakers interview scholars, legal experts, clergy and activists from both sides to understand what marriage means in America today."

More Wentworth: A preview of the Prison Break finale.

Obama's delegate lead shifts focus of Clinton campaign: "With every delegate precious, Mrs. Clinton’s advisers also made it clear that they were prepared to take a number of potentially incendiary steps to build up Mrs. Clinton’s count. Top among these, her aides said, is pressing for Democrats to seat the disputed delegations from Florida and Michigan, who held their primaries in January in defiance of Democratic Party rules."

Senior DOJ official who authorized waterboarding now says it's illegal.

Nick Yordi, former starting quarterback for Wartburg, College in Waverly, Iowa in court on disorderly conduct charge for anti-gay slur: "The trial was scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Bremer County Courthouse. Nick Yordi, a sophomore from Solon, was arrested for yelling those slurs at another student on campus October 9th, 2007. Yordi has pleaded not guilty, and has played in two football games since his arrest." GLAAD: "According to the Wartburg Trumpet, Yordi was 'charged under a section of the Iowa Code that prohibits making abusive epithets or threatening gestures which are likely to provoke a violent reaction by another.' Wartburg College President Jack Ohle addressed the school Oct. 22 through e-mail and wrote, 'Understandably, matters that come within the college’s purview are dealt with immediately and privately with the parties affected through a prescribed process and according to the student handbook, honor code and the appropriate faculty and staff handbooks.'"

Former gay Arizona Rep. Steve May to get back into politics, running for seat vacated this year by Rep. John Shadegg: "This is a great time for a Republican like me to get into the Republican Party to bring it back to the values that win."

Who knew the Hilton family still had up-and-coming drunk drivers?

Project Runway's Jack Mackenroth talks to HIV+ magazine: "I think people have become apathetic--because you can see people like me. I look really good. I take really good care of my body. I think I look good for my age. And I certainly look good for someone who's been HIV-positive for going on 18 years. But don't let that fool you. Having HIV is still not fun. I have to take my pills wherever I go. It's still not a picnic. I run into people all the time who are like, 'Well, you don't look sick.' What the hell does that mean! That's so stupid! Young people now aren't educated like they used to be. I think it's really shocking. I had a partner die. He was 250 pounds! He was a huge, hulking guy. He never found a regimen that worked for him. He constantly had intestinal problems. We were out on Fire Island, and he said, 'I don't feel good.' We went back to New York, he checked into the hospital, and he was dead two weeks later."

Chippendale dancers visit The View.

Va-jay-jay chat: Meredith Vieira giggles nervously as Jane Fonda drops the word c*nt on TV.

Legislation floated that would allow same-sex married couples to divorce in Rhode Island: "The state's highest court ruled in a 3-2 decision in December that a lesbian couple who married in Massachusetts could not get divorced in their home state of Rhode Island. Supporters of the bill say it makes no sense to require people to remain married when they have no desire to do so. But the legislation is expected to face opposition from Gov. Don Carcieri and many other lawmakers."

Gay couples share their stories of romance.

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Browns QB Brady Quinn Denies Making Anti-Gay Remarks

Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn denies any involvement in the New Years Eve altercation in Columbus, Ohio I posted about earlier this morning, in which a man claimed Quinn had used an anti-gay slur toward him:

"In a statement released Wednesday through the Browns, Quinn said he had dinner on New Year's Eve with his girlfriend and other couples but that nothing else happened. 'At no time that night was I involved in a verbal or physical altercation, nor did I have any interaction with the police,' Quinn said in the statement. 'I want to be clear that I did not engage in any of the alleged conduct, nor did I make inappropriate comments to anyone. Any allegations to the contrary are either untrue or the result of misidentification.' However, Columbus police said when they arrived Quinn was arguing with 32-year-old Jason Thompson. Quinn's friends encouraged him to step back from the situation and he did, police spokeswoman Amanda Ford said. She added that police did not hear any comments made at the scene and couldn't confirm Harris' statements on the 911 call. 'We don't know what that argument was about,' Ford said."

Police reported two separate fights at the scene that evening, one of which resulted in injuries to a man and was labeled an "anti-male homosexual" hate crime, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

The Browns organization stood behind the rookie player. They said: "We are aware of the alleged comments made by Brady Quinn, which the Browns take seriously. After speaking with Brady and his representatives we find these reported accusations without merit."

Browns' Quinn Denies Altercation [ap]

Previously
Brady Quinn in Alleged Anti-Gay New Years Eve Incident [tr]

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Brady Quinn in Alleged Anti-Gay New Years Eve Incident

Cleveland Browns QB Brady Quinn reportedly used the word "faggot" toward a man leaving Columbus gay spot Union Cafe Bar + Food on New Year's Eve. Quinn was among a group of perhaps 10 people outside La Fogata Grill, a Mexican restaurant adjacent to the gay bar, but according to a 911 caller from the scene, used the slur as tensions rose between patrons of the establishments.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports: The call at 2:35 a.m. came from Seth Harris, who reported that he encountered the group in front of La Fogata Grill at 790 North High St...On the 9-1-1 call, Harris said that 'Brady Quinn from the Browns' was 'trying to cause a fight.' Harris told the operator, 'I just walked outside and he exchanged many profanities with me and called me a faggot, of course.' Reached Monday by The Plain Dealer, Harris confirmed that Quinn was the person who used the slur. 'I knew who it was,' he said. 'It wasn't just directed at me, there were other people around, too.' He said Quinn was with a 'big group' of friends numbering perhaps 10, and that the quarterback 'wasn't as involved as' others were in stirring up trouble. 'He was standing back and letting his friends do most of it,' Harris said. On the call, Harris told police that 'this has been going on all night and nobody has stopped anything.'"

The paper has a recording of the 911 call from that night.

The paper adds: "On the 9-1-1 call, Harris told police that he feared for his safety. 'I'm not going to wait for police because it's going to turn ugly,' Harris said. 'They are being very violent and I probably should get away.' A Columbus police spokeswoman said officers arrived several minutes after Harris' call and found Quinn in the midst of an argument with 32-year-old Jason Thompson. 'I don't believe there were any punches being thrown -- it was more verbal than anything,' said Columbus police spokeswoman Amanda Ford. 'When we got there, he was very cooperative and just stopped,' Ford said of Quinn's encounter with police. 'I think his friends were like, 'Let's get out of here.' However, police arrested Thompson when "he wouldn't back down and turned on officers," Ford said."

Gloria McCauley, executive director of the Buckeye Region Anti-Violence Organization, called the Quinn slur "very distressing" according to the paper. Said McCauley: "That person is in theory a role model for so many people. To have one of our well-known people engage in behavior that I consider hateful saddens me. We obviously need to do a lot more education."

The Browns have made no comment on the incident. We'll see what comes of this.

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Grizzly Adams Celebrates Beards and Bears at the Super Bowl

Anybody catch the segment yesterday in the NFL Super Bowl countdown celebrating the beards/bears of the New England Patriots and hosted by none other than Grizzly Adams?

The segment, heralded by trumpets, is amusingly tongue-in-cheek but thoroughly built for bear lovers. The Griz narrated an analysis of "five guys who embody" what a beard means: "The unified facial front of the Patriots offensive line."

Left tackle Matt Light was compared to Matthew McConaughey. Said Light: "We don't get scared. That's part of a beard." Left guard Logan Mankins' beard was compared to Merlin Olson's. Said Mankins: "It's got a lot of girth on it right now, so...it's a pretty good beard."

Center Dan Koppen was dubbed the "resident redbeard". Tom Brady said "he looks like he got kidnapped by an Amish family." Right guard Stephen Neal's beard was compared to that of businessman, governor, senator, and civil war general Ambrose Burnside.

Right tackle Nick Kaczur was told he looked like Abraham Lincoln. Said Kaczur: "I don't really like having upper lip hair really."

Then they launched into Brady. "There was a time when Tom Brady was one of those guys, a time when he wore the robust badge of courage along with his brothers in the trenches. But oh how times have changed.

Said Light: He's actually sported some upper lip plumage over the years. Added Koppen: "He needs to, sort of cover up the butt on his chin that he has, but Tom's one of those guys he's the best dressed person in America, or the world. I don't think us five can sway his personality."

Finally, Grizzly Adams concludes: "The beard. It's become an unbreakable bond of solidarity."

Of course it has. Just ask the guys attending Bear Week in Provincetown, where there's no doubt also plenty of talk about male bonding, girth, butts on chins, and brothers in the trenches.

Here's the clip. Enjoy:

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Giants Hand Patriots Stunning 17-14 Super Bowl Upset

So Tom Brady's not perfect. Mama's boy Eli Manning took the New York Giants to a 17-14 upset win over the New England Patriots, sending the undefeated Tom Brady to Boston defeated.

Giants co-owner John Mara called it the "greatest victory in the history of this franchise" and it certainly was a stunning upset:

"Manning connected with Plaxico Burress for the winning touchdown, a 13-yard pass with 35 seconds remaining in the game. Manning drove the Giants 83 yards in just over two minutes after the Patriots had marched down the field to take a 14-10 lead. Manning was named the Super Bowl most valuable player a year after his older brother Peyton won the same award for the Indianapolis Colts. It was, fittingly, a brutal sack of Brady by Jay Alford with 20 seconds remaining that all but ended the Patriots’ final chance of saving their unblemished record. Brady heaved the ball nearly 80 yards in the air in a desperation shot to reach Randy Moss with 10 seconds left, but the fourth-down pass fell to the ground."

Here are a few pre-game moments — Paula Abdul's taped performance of "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" and American Idol Jordin Sparks singing the national anthem.

John Travolta flew his own plane in to the Super Bowl and managed to get a chat in with Seacrest before the game:

Said Travolta: "I'm a New York boy and I like the Giants except I did choose the Patriots 34, Giants 24. I want a good game. I think you got the best team vs the hottest team and we will all hope for the best game possible, because I come to the Super Bowl for a Good Game."

No doubt Travolta was pleased that the hottest team won.

Photographer Paolo Pellegrin took a look inside the Giants locker room for the New York Times.

Players pictured here are Plaxico Burress, wide receiver; a reporter; and Zak DeOssie, linebacker (left) and Reuben Droughns, running back; David Tyree, wide receiver (right). Click to enlarge.

Citing rules that restrict favoritism, FOX declined to run any candidate ads during the Super Bowl but Barack Obama found a way to get in on the Super Bowl Sunday right before Super Tuesday.

The Obama campaign made a local ad buy in 20 Super Tuesday states to run this ad.

Hillary Clinton watched the Super Bowl at a Sports Bar in Minneapolis, where she was campaigning, the AP reports:

"When New York scored the go-ahead touchdown with 35 seconds remaining, Clinton leaped up and high-fived some young people standing near. 'That was unbelievable,' she said. 'Oh my gosh.' Filing out of the room after the game, Clinton gushed to reporters. 'I'm so excited, I'm thrilled,' said Clinton. 'It was a fabulous game.'"

There was no major "Snickers-style" controversy in the Super Bowl ads this year. AfterElton felt the two ads above were slightly homophobic. The Prison Break ad, because the bisexual character was tackled, and the Bridgestone ad, because Richard Simmons is targeted by a reckless driver.

Although I see their point, I don't feel as strongly. I think Richard Simmons is viewed as more of an annoyance by most than as a gay person, and that's why he was used here, although there is that stereotypically 'flamboyant' element to his character. But I do feel the Bridgestone ad could have appealed to a wider audience had the driver targeted Ann Coulter. Just sayin.

I was a bit disturbed by the Amp Energy ad with its car battery nipple clamps, however. Don't try this at home.

View all the Super Bowl ads here.

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Tom Brady to Get Buzzed Before Super Bowl

Tom Brady has a stylist on call named Pini Swissa who plans to have at him before the Super Bowl:

"Swissa, who operates the creatively titled Salon Pini Swissa on Newbury St., is in Arizona this week to cheer on the Patriots as they tangle with the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. He's also brought his barber shears and said he plans to give Brady a close crop Saturday evening before the big game. In fact, Swissa says he's on call in the Grand Canyon State. He's already trimmed Brady's locks once this week and said teammates will phone him with a time and location for another Brady haircut on Saturday. 'I did Tom Brady (Tuesday), and right before the Super Bowl, it's a surprise for everybody. Saturday night, I'm gonna cut it off. Saturday night, we're gonna cut it really, really off. We've been doing it the last couple Super Bowls, and Tom Brady is the last person to be superstitious. Every Super Bowl, I cut his hair off. I hope the helmet's gonna fit after I cut his hair off.'"

Pini should give him a 'boyzilian' while he's at it.

By the way, we have a little Super Bowl poll going on over in the right hand column.

(via deadspin)

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Patriots QB Tom Brady Spotted Wearing Brace in New York

Video and photos shot by TMZ show undefeated New England Patriots QB Tom Brady wearing a protective boot and brace over his right foot and walking with a slight limp less than two weeks before Super Bowl XLII.

The extent of Brady's injuries is unclear. In his weekly appearance on WEEI's 'Dennis and Callahan' radio show, Brady was asked about his leg but told the hosts, "Ah, you know, there’s always bumps and bruises. I’ll be ready for the Super Bowl. I’m not worried about that. I’m not missing this one. I’d have to be on a stretcher to miss this one. There will be treatment this week. In games like this, you get a little nicked up. It’s nothing serious."

UPDATE: Brady boot-free at Butter!

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Said Sapp: "It was something that was really, really on the edge of like, gay porn. When it's real bad football, that's what we call it: gay porn. Something you just don't want to watch. Something you just don't want to see on TV. Something you don't even want to talk about. That's gay porn."

That said, I've changed my mind and I'm hoping Tom Brady and Brett Favre play a lot of real bad football in the playoffs.

(via deadspin)

UPDATE: I've been told that Sapp's "gay porn" comments may be about a year old, something not noted in the deadspin or realests posts. So, of course, it's entirely possible he may have grown comfortable to taking it in by this point.

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