Cheating Scandal Least Of Bad News Out Of New England
By CHRIS HAVEL
The news out of New England cuts deep.
I am not referring to the cheating scandal. The Patriots and coach Bill Belichick earned the NFL’s wrath by reducing the word “competition” to its most vile form.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell correctly fined Belichick a league-maximum $500,000 and the team another $250,000. Goodell also ordered the Patriots to forfeit their first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft if they reach the playoffs, or their second- and third-round picks if they don’t qualify for the post-season.
Some think Goodell was too harsh. Others believe he was too lenient.
That alone suggests he was right on target.
While Belichick and the Patriots do their penance, and media braces for the fallout, everyone else may want to pray. No, not for the NFL, which will be fine. Belichick’s staggering inability to know better than to cheat, and Goodell’s prompt and proper response, merely reinforces the league’s upwardly mobile image.
Save the prayers for a higher cause. Save them for Joe Andruzzi.
Andruzzi, 32, has cancer.
He was diagnosed in May with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is being treated in the Boston area at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The Packers’ fans may remember the vibrant offensive lineman who appeared in 23 games during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. Andruzzi – not to be confused with the “Anduzzi’s” sports bar & grill adjacent to Lambeau Field – began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent from Division II Southern Connecticut State.
Andruzzi, a rough-and-ready 6-foot-3, 312-pounder, is one of former GM Ron Wolf’s many brilliant free-agent acquisitions. Andruzzi was more athletic than he appeared, smarter than he let on and more appreciative than most for his opportunity. Beyond that, he was exceedingly kind, jovial and decent.
The native of Staten Island, N.Y., received notoriety for several reasons.
First, he was a pretty darn good player. He was better than John Michaels, the first-round pick out of USC in 1996. He was better than Ross Verba, the first-round pick out of Iowa in 1997. He was an equal of Marco Rivera, the sixth-round pick out of Penn State in 1996, which is a compliment in its own right.
Andruzzi took on all comers and only nagging injuries and a plethora of interior offensive line talent prevented him from being a fixture at right guard. River stepped into that role, while Andruzzi went to New England and became famous.
It didn’t take the affable Andruzzi long to win a starting spot on the offensive line, or to become a media darling and Super Bowl champion.
Andruzzi is remembered for his emotional news conference that took place the day after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Andruzzi choked up several times as he told of not knowing whether his three New York City firefighting brothers were alive.
One brother, Jim, was among the first on the scene at the World Trade Center.
The Andruzzi brothers survived, and Joe ran onto the field at old Foxboro Stadium while thrusting two American flags high into the air before a game against the New York Jets.
The moment remains etched in the minds of Patriots fans, much like the image of Packers linebacker Chris Gizzi waving an American flag during the pre-game ceremony at Lambeau Field before a game against the Washington Redskins. It was the NFL’s first post-9/11 game, and it was played on a Sunday night in front of a national TV audience.
The Patriots’ cheating scandal and 9/11’s six-year anniversary have made for an especially sobering week. The news of Andruzzi’s cancer makes it sad.
Andruzzi’s wife, Jennifer, is raising money for Dana-Farber at this Sunday’s Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. The walk is the only other sanctioned event on the marathon’s route. Jennifer Andruzzi and her “Live, Laugh, Love” team had raised more than $7,500 in pledges as of Thursday.
Jennifer Andruzzi told the Associated Press: “Compared to everything that Joe has gone through, this walk for me is nothing.”
Meantime, NFL fans are reminded that there is a new sheriff in town, cheating won’t be tolerated and none of this is life and death.
The league will be fine. Let’s pray the same for Joe Andruzzi.
Chris Havel is a freelance writer, best-selling author and host of northeast Wisconsin’s top-rated sports radio talk show, Sports Line, heard Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sports Radio 107.5 FM and 1400 AM THE FAN. He writes a weekly column exclusively for Packers Fan Tours’ Website throughout the 2007 season.
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