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A Matter of Respect
By: Brady Lewis

Let us take a look at the headlines on ESPN.com, shall we?

It is July 26^th, 2007.  Front page news includes:  Michael Vick extravaganza, Pacman Jones news, Bonds homerless in Giants win, Odell Thurman suspended again, and Simeon Rice cut from the Bucs.  Oh, and they had the decency to mention that Skip Prosser died.

Interesting, not one mention of what I was looking for. 

Wait, maybe it is on the NFL subpage.  Headlines there include:  More Michael Vick, Mark Bulger holds out, some rookies sign huge contracts for being unproven punks, even more Michael Vick, and a big feature on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Not a single mention that Curtis Martin, one of the greatest running backs EVER, has retired.

HOW IS THIS NOT NEWS?

The average fan probably has no idea who Curtis Martin is.  They maybe knew he played for the Jets, but that’s about all.  In reality, this is the man who is 4^th all time in rushing yards and 3^rd all time in carries.  This is a man who will be in Canton on the first ballot he is eligible to be on. 

Not only that, but he was CONSISTANT.  He just never had a bad season.  He never had a blow you away, LaDainian Tomlinson type season, but he always got you over 1000 yards and some TDs.  He did so not only because of his awesome talent, but also because the man was NEVER HURT.  This guy was fucking Superman out there.  Nothing kept him out of action until the very end of his career.  And this is made more impressive when taken into account that he is indeed 3^rd all time in carries.  This means he stayed healthy even though he took an insane number of hits. 

He wasn’t flashy.  He didn’t badmouth his team or his coach or his city.  He didn’t talk trash to the media.  He didn’t hold out or cry when he thought he needed more money.  He was an athlete you can respect on so many levels.  His charity work alone puts him above the pack.  The man just seems like a great human being. 

But no, he doesn’t even a mention on the NFL subpage on ESPN.com.  This is pathetic.  Show the man some respect.