Culpepper Takes Back Jewelry Given to Paralyzed Player
Thursday February 3, 2005
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper appeared to make a very generous gift of two diamond necklaces to a paralyzed football player at the FedEx Ground and Air Player of the Year honors Wednesday, where finalists Culpepper, Peyton Manning, Shaun Alexander and Curtis Martin were on stage for the announcement.
When Jerry Townsend, a paralyzed high school football player, quietly asked the superstar, "can I get some ice?", referring to the diamond-laced jewelry around the QB's neck, Culpepper got up from his seat and put the chains, valued at around $75,000, around the youngster's neck. Townsend's mother then began to cry, obviously touched by the apparent generosity. But according to Associated Press reports, Culpepper awkwardly asked for the jewelry back when the awards ceremony was over.
Whether Culpepper originally intended to make a gift of the necklaces and then changed his mind or had intended to only let Townsend wear the "ice" temporarily is not known. But it's obvious in either case that he didn't think the situation through before acting.
Most likely he was caught off guard by the kid's request, and probably had no intention of giving away the diamond-laced necklaces. On one chain was the No. 11, Culpepper's jersey number, and the other was a large pepper (for Culpepper), which leads me to believe that these items have some significance to Culpepper besides its obvious monetary value.
The problem is, though, when a player of his magnitude makes such a gesture to a player in Townsend's position in front of the media and fans, people are going to assume the intent was to allow the guy to keep the valuables to perhaps brighten what has to be a very rough period in his life. Had Culpepper simply told the kid to hang onto his "bling" until after the presentation, there would have been no question as to his intentions.
I believe that his intention from the start was to simply allow Townsend to wear his chains, and I think it dawned on him during the ceremony exactly what he had done as he obviously kept an eye on his valuables as the events unfolded on stage. Afterwards, he was in the unenviable position of retrieving his property, and he did promise to send Townsend something else. There was no word on what that something else would be.
Townsend, a senior defensive back at Jacksonville Episcopal High School who was paralyzed from the neck down while making a tackle in October, spent the last four months in various hospitals and was just released Wednesday.
When Jerry Townsend, a paralyzed high school football player, quietly asked the superstar, "can I get some ice?", referring to the diamond-laced jewelry around the QB's neck, Culpepper got up from his seat and put the chains, valued at around $75,000, around the youngster's neck. Townsend's mother then began to cry, obviously touched by the apparent generosity. But according to Associated Press reports, Culpepper awkwardly asked for the jewelry back when the awards ceremony was over.
Whether Culpepper originally intended to make a gift of the necklaces and then changed his mind or had intended to only let Townsend wear the "ice" temporarily is not known. But it's obvious in either case that he didn't think the situation through before acting.
Most likely he was caught off guard by the kid's request, and probably had no intention of giving away the diamond-laced necklaces. On one chain was the No. 11, Culpepper's jersey number, and the other was a large pepper (for Culpepper), which leads me to believe that these items have some significance to Culpepper besides its obvious monetary value.
The problem is, though, when a player of his magnitude makes such a gesture to a player in Townsend's position in front of the media and fans, people are going to assume the intent was to allow the guy to keep the valuables to perhaps brighten what has to be a very rough period in his life. Had Culpepper simply told the kid to hang onto his "bling" until after the presentation, there would have been no question as to his intentions.
I believe that his intention from the start was to simply allow Townsend to wear his chains, and I think it dawned on him during the ceremony exactly what he had done as he obviously kept an eye on his valuables as the events unfolded on stage. Afterwards, he was in the unenviable position of retrieving his property, and he did promise to send Townsend something else. There was no word on what that something else would be.
Townsend, a senior defensive back at Jacksonville Episcopal High School who was paralyzed from the neck down while making a tackle in October, spent the last four months in various hospitals and was just released Wednesday.
Comments
No comments yet. Leave a Comment