It's been a busy start to the New Year with a lot of things in the works here at Access Athletes. It was a big weekend in Maryland with the Baltimore Ravens advancing in the playoffs after they blasted the Chiefs in the first round. Next weekend, they will face their heated rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in a showdown that will finally settle the debate about who is the best team in the AFC North and determine who will ultimately advance to the AFC Championship.
Recently, we brought on another incredible contributor at Access Athletes. Master Certified Coach, Chrissy Carew, is the Founder of The Insightful Player™, a bold movement of hope committed to lifting the spirit of the human race by putting high integrity NFL players on the largest stage in the world to share their personal heartfelt stories to inspire all, especially kids. The NFL contains so many examples of these fine young men who happen to be sports heroes, but beyond their stats, live their lives in an exemplary fashion and devote themselves to helping individuals and society as a whole. Through this campaign, Chrissy has interviewed more than 30 NFL players and has assembled their stories in the "A Gift of Insights". You can download a special PDF copy of all 30 Insightful Player™ stories for free and help Chrissy spread her powerful and uplifting message.
Chrissy is one of the most inspiring people I have met. I really admire her passion and commitment to showcasing these immense stories of professional athletes who are leveraging their celebrities to effect positive change in the community. It is much needed in a media landscape that is often inundated with negative headlines about pro athletes.
Be sure to check out Chrissy's first article published on Access Athletes: The Insightful Player: Tony Richardson and Jerricho Cotchery. Chrissy also recently wrote a guest column entitled "What Message Do You Send to Youth?" for the Sports Business Journal.
You can connect with Chrissy on LinkedIn or Twitter, as well as support her movement by joining the Insightful Player Fan Page on Facebook.
Enjoy the National Championship game tonight. I'm picking Auburn to win it all.
Athlete Development
- CBSSports.com columnist Gregg Doyel opines that the scholarship system in college football is oppressive and players have almost no rights. [Bolden situation reveals rotten scholarship system]
- Microfracture surgery is no longer an automatic death sentence for elite players and Amar'e Stoudemire is living proof. [Who’s Afraid of Microfracture Surgery?]
- According to a St. Petersburg Times report, an NFL player, whose career lasts roughly four years on average, lives to be 55. Gregg Doyel breaks down the impact of the NFL's proposal to increase the season to 18 games. [NFL is killing its players, and league doesn't care]
- Dan Wetzel skewers the NCAA for how it handled the Ohio State violations and Terrelle “The Truth” Pryor. [Pryor’s acts expose charade of college athletics]
Business
- Andrew Luck should be put on a pedestal for his decision to return to Stanford and get his degree. I wish people would stop projecting their values on him. I have included a couple of articles about Luck's decision. [How much money, if any, did Andrew Luck leave on the table? and Stanford's Luck Able to Do What He Wanted]
- One former player has a proposal to compensate athletes and increase graduation rates. His idea: Establish a Graduation Incentive Account. [Pay for play? No. Pay for learning?Yes!]
- An insightful Q&A with Jason Whitlock and David Stern. [Commish: 'The Decision' right for NBA]
- iHoops CEO and former Maryland star Len Elmore talks exploitation, recruitment, agents, coaches, fundamentals and much more. [Inside iHoops]
Human Relations
- With his NBA career over, his marriage in trouble, and rumors swirling about drinking and money problems, Allen Iverson finds himself playing minor-league basketball in Turkey and spending his nights at a T.G.I. Friday’s in Istanbul. [Feature: Allen Iverson: Fallen Star]
- According to Oregon running back LaMichael James, we have him wrong. [Oregon’s James tries to change the story]
- A real sad story about a former NHL player who took his own life. [Hockey player Cavanagh found dead inside Providence Place mall garage]
- Not even a playoff victory for the Jets can match the emotion Mark Sanchez felt for Aiden Binkley. [Mark Sanchez mourns Aiden Binkley]
- Eddie Johnson from HoopsHype.com believes the $1,500 debt caused OJ Mayo and Tony Allen to bring attention to something that grown men should have handled in a professional way, but by no means should every team pay for their mistake. [Mayo and Allen broke a rule]
- The Big 12 star opens up about his rough upbringing. [Missouri’s Marcus Denmon has been overcoming adversity all his life]
- Zach Randolph might be long gone from Portland, but the city is still dealing with Z-Bo's "Hoop Family" remnants. A lesson for who you let into your inner circle. [Canzano: A tragic reminder of Zach Randolph's Portland legacy]
