Football officials
It was a tough year for football officials. On top
of seemingly constant apologizes (Oklahoma-Oregon
comes to mind), officiating in the Rose Bowl and
Super Bowl last winter were both atrocious,
officials clearly getting some calls wrong that, in
the case of at least the Rose Bowl, had a direct
effect on the score.
Ozzie Guillen, Chicago White Sox, baseball
For at least the second time, Guillen used an
anti-gay slur, calling Chicago Sun-Times columnist
Jay Mariotti a "fag." He then mocked gay people,
saying that he's gay-friendly because he goes to
WNBA games and Madonna concerts. The icing on the
cake was him failing to follow through on his
promise to go to the Gay Games in Chicago, where he
lives and works.
Bode Miller, skiing
At the Olympics, he was all style and absolutely no
substance, failing to win a single medal in five
events after Nike and much of the media propped him
up as a possible five-gold Olympian. All that with a
cavalier attitude; oh, and he talked about skiing
drunk.
Larry Miller, Utah Jazz, basketball
The Utah Jazz owner pulled 'Brokeback Mountain' from
a movie theater he owns in a suburb of Salt Lake
City, refusing to comment on it and letting his
decision stand.
Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys, football
This award could probably be called the "Terrell
Owens Jerk of the Year Award." Owens' brash mouth
and bad attitude got him booted from Philadelphia
and had Cowboys coach Bill Parcells at wit's end
this summer. And then there was the whole overdose
thing . . .
Joey Porter, Pittsburgh Steelers, football
It's hard to pinpoint what was the worst thing about
Porter calling Kellen Winslow a "fag" repeatedly:
That he associated "fags" with being soft; Or that
his apology was the worst non-apology we've heard
yet. Regardless, the NFL fined him $10,000 for it.
Rene Portland, Penn State, basketball
The Penn State women's basketball coach was
reprimanded by Penn State after former player
Jennifer Harris accused her of homophobic practices.
Several other players came forward with similar
stories.
