Ramblings

Watching Warren Sapp so far on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" has been a pleasure, and a surprise to find such a large man so light on his feet on the dance floor. But for 13 years in the NFL he was also light on his feet as a very fast, very intimidating defensive tackle, first for several years as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, then as an Oakland Raider to finish out his professional football career.

On DWTS, he looks like a big, cheerful, dancing teddy bear, and I hope that reflects who he is these days. It's who we in Tampa always wanted him to be, a big, cheerful, hard-hitting-on-the-field teddy bear, and he was a great player who is destined for the NFL Football Hall of Fame. But he was not a very nice man, at least not while here in our area. He was nice to sick and injured children, but consistently rude to fans and the press, never signing autographs, never giving the time of day to and often cursing those who earned the special privilege of attending a Bucs practice. I'm sure his then-wife didn't appreciate his extracurricular activities, either. And then there was the extremely hard and unnecessary hit on Green Bay Packer Chad Clifton, who had to be hospitalized here locally for several days before being transferred back to Wisconsin, an injury from which it took him months to recover. It was ruled a legal hit by the league, but it would have been nice of Warren to at least visit the guy here in the hospital or even give him a call. Didn't happen, though on ESPN he did once turn to the camera and, in reference to Chad, said, "I hope you get well, big boy."

Consequently, when Warren's contract ended and he went to the Raiders, there were not many tears shed here, like there were for more admirable players like safety John Lynch. There were just too many fans who were resentful of his lack of appreciation for those without whom he wouldn't have had a job here.

But people mellow over the years and change, and the Warren we see now is the one I hope he's become. I wish him the best of luck on his continued DWTS performances.