Sportsman and Anti-Sportsmen of the Year

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Hearty congratulations to Peyton Manning - Sportsman of the Year! That was a no-brainer decision for Sports Illustrated.

Just two years ago, while he sat out the 2011-2012 season, he must've wondered whether he could truly comeback from a serious neck injury and multiple surgeries.  That question was quickly put to bed, in the 2012-2013 season.  This season has been more of the same, and it's all positively sublime for an athlete of Manning's caliber and character.  

Richie Incognito

Incognito hit into the unsportsmanlike triple play of bullying, racial slurs and sexual harassment. Incognito's bullying is allegedly responsible for starting left tackle Jonathan Martin's sudden departure from the team midway through the season. According to Martin, Incognito harassed him constantly, left a threatening voicemail in which he called Martin a racial slur, and stuck Martin with a $15,000 bill for a Las Vegas trip the then-rookie didn't even take. After the Dolphins suspended Incognito indefinitely, details emerged of a police report filed a year earlier by a volunteer at a Dolphins charity golf tournament, who alleged Incognito sexually harassed her with a golf club.

He headlines the anti-Christ of athletes in SI's photo album Anti-Sportsmen of the Year.  He remains on extended suspension from the Dolphins, and I haven't heard yet of a final verdict on his case.  In his wake stand fellow Slur meisters Riley Cooper, Roy Hibbert and Kevin Garnett, who proves that he doesn't deserve to be called a man for insulting Carmelo Anthony's wife.  Moreover, they may be millionaires, even gifted athletes, but Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez and Von Miller are nothing more than junkies with the bling-bling to mask their low life.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD