The Buccaneers have decided to part ways with veteran safety John Lynch, and the idealist in me says such a great guy should have been able to write his own terms. Yes, the NFL is a business and tough decisions have to be made and blah, blah, blah.
But, look, this is Lynch, a player who should be placed on the same lofty pedestal as Bucs greats Lee Roy Selmon and Paul Gruber.
Understand, he is not only a valuable leader for the Bucs, but a true superstar for the community.
On the field, he battled through the bad orange years, fought to earn a starting position and blossomed into a Pro Bowler. Off the field, he gave scholarships to student athletes through the John Lynch Foundation, and he helped other organizations, including the Boys & Girls Clubs.
He was willing to take a pay cut, ahem, renegotiate his contract, so why not let him end his career here? Victory-obsessed fans will argue Lynch has lost a step, but I don't think he would stay on the field if he wasn't performing at an optimum level. That's how much I believe in his character.
Again, this is not the preferential approach I would suggest for every veteran, but a kind of royal treatment reserved for only the very best.
This is not the time, however, to curse the organization. Well, it is, but be positive. Buy a ticket to the April 29 Judeo Christian Health Clinic at Higgins Hall, which honors John and his wife, Linda. The dinner was planned before Thursday's news - another sign of Lynch's willingness to help - but now it's all the more appropriate. Call 870-3231 for information.
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SPEAKING OF THE BUCS, kicker Martin Gramatica is stepping up his community efforts, but with a unique twist. While most athletes start with a charitable golf tournament, the Gramatica Family Foundation (brother Bill kicks for Arizona) is staging a soccer weekend with a 3-on-3 youth tournament and a celebrity soccer game.
"Golf tournaments are great, but we didn't grow up with golf," Martin said. "Actually we're terrible at golf. What I like best about this is the kids actually get to participate and interact with the celebrities.
"At the golf tournaments, it's usually only the big money people who get to meet celebrities."
The soccer tournament begins at 8 a.m. at the University of South Florida soccer fields and will be accompanied by a Coca-Cola Fan Fest. The celebrity soccer game, featuring Colombian legend Carlos Valderrama, fellow NFL kickers and players and former Rowdies, will be played Sunday at 2 p.m.
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KUDOS TO HALEY SWINDAL, daughter of Stephen and Jennifer Swindal and granddaughter of George Steinbrenner. Haley has won the University of North Carolina's prestigious Morehead Scholarship, which pays all expenses for four years, along with a laptop computer and four summer enrichment experiences.
If you're thinking that Haley, a student at Culver Academies in Culver, Ind., can afford to pay her own way, you're missing the point. She is one of only 40 winners this year, beating out 1,500 applicants and 112 finalists.
Of course, Haley didn't have to look far to understand the value of the award. Her mother Jennifer, a 1981 UNC graduate, also was a Morehead Scholar.
SO WHAT DOES A DAIRY COMPANY IN UPSTATE NEW YORK have to do with an old bridge in Tampa Bay? Plenty. Friendship Cottage Cheese is the sponsor of Sunday's fourth annual Friendship Races on the Friendship Trail Bridge.
Proceeds help pay to keep up the former Gandy Bridge, used annually as a park by 600,000 people.
"It's a very good cause," said Marc Silverstein, marketing director for Friendship Cottage Cheese. "The people with the Friendship Trail Corporation are great, and it's a non-profit that couldn't do the race without a corporate sponsor."
The event will include an 8k run at 8 a.m., followed by a 5k run, 8k in-line skate and 1-mile VIP mingle. The brand relationship between the trail and the cottage cheese is obvious, but I'm just excited an out-of-town company is willing to step up for a local event.
