Why athletes avoid the media

[TheSportsPredictor]

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Oct. 3 — The oddest injury of the season so far was sustained by linebacker Chase Blackburn, who was bumped by a reporter in the crowded postgame locker room Sunday as he cleaned his ear with a cotton swab.

The swab nearly ruptured Blackburn’s ear drum, and it was painful enough to drop Blackburn to the floor. He said he lost hearing in the ear, which bled, but doctors expect it to slowly return.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/sports/football/04giants.html?_r=2&ref=sports&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

 

[Norman Stansfield]

Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!!!

I sure as hell wouldn't want to be that reporter. I'm sure it was an accident, but even still. **** like that is hard to forget, especially if the guy suffers long-term hearing damage. Word travels fast in NFL locker rooms among players.

 

[Ace]

This is why I don't clean my ears. Too damn dangerous.

 

[Captain_Kirk]

Not a very smart move to try and clean your ears in a crowded locker room. Was he going to follow that up by having a rectal exam? Or he couldn't wait until he was in the mosh pit of the local club that night?

 

[BYH]

Not a very smart move to try and clean your ears in a crowded locker room.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic or not, but I wouldn't clean my ears while walking in my apartment, never mind a crowded locker room.

 

[old_tony]

I ruptured my ear drum nine years ago, and though it was painful then (particularly when I had to put the ear drops in), it healed just fine and I suffered no loss of hearing.

 

[Captain_Kirk]

Not a very smart move to try and clean your ears in a crowded locker room.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic or not, but I wouldn't clean my ears while walking in my apartment, never mind a crowded locker room.

Exactly. That's a pretty stupid move by Blackburn.

 

[Boobie Miles]

Not a very smart move to try and clean your ears in a crowded locker room.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic or not, but I wouldn't clean my ears while walking in my apartment, never mind a crowded locker room.

Exactly. That's a pretty stupid move by Blackburn.

Might be a little extreme to call it stupid. Dude just got out of the shower, was probably sitting at his locker cleaning his ears when some reporter not paying attention to where he was going/moving in the herd bumped into him. I doubt he was running around the locker room with Q-tips sticking out of his ears.

 

[Captain_Kirk]

Ok, I'll change it from stupid and go back to not smart. Either way, there are lots of better places to clean one's ears than a postgame locker room. Maybe, he just wanted to make sure he could hear the questions clearly....

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

This is why I don't clean my ears. Too damn dangerous.

Ewwww.

I am fanatical about cleaning my ears.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

I blame the media!!

 

[Captain_Kirk]

How about waiting until you get home? Or go somewhere a little more private.

Yes, it's their dressing room, I hear you there. But. with people milling all over, you're putting yourself in a position where this can happen when you don't have to do so.

 

[Cristiano_Ronaldo]

Regardless, it's still THEIR dressing room and whoever this person was, they were grossly irresponsible.

 

[Boobie Miles]

How about waiting until you get home? Or go somewhere a little more private.

Yes, it's their dressing room, I hear you there. But. with people milling all over, you're putting yourself in a position where this can happen when you don't have to do so.

It's not like this guy was trimming his bush or anything. I don't think you need to go somewhere more private. And honestly who would really fear something like this happening enough to go out of their way not to do it when most people do, when they get out of the shower?

 

[outofplace]

I thought this was going to be about calling them cheats when they pour some liquid on their jerseys, even though all we know about the liquid is the guy drank it. :)

I agree that while Blackburn picked a bad place to do this, the reporter is really at fault here.

 

[Football_Bat]

This is why I use nothing less than my car key to clean my ears.

 

[forever_town]

Granted, the locker room with media and players milling about is not the best place to clean your ears, but blaming Blackburn would be blaming the victim. That makes no sense at all.

Whoever did it needs to fess up and apologize. Otherwise, I'd like to see him/her called out by name.

 

[Bubbler]

I think Jay Mariotti did it!

No wait ... bad first guess.

 

[markvid]

I thought is was about Mentkiewicz getting nailed by a YES ENG guy.

 

[ColbertNation]

I thought is was about Mentkiewicz getting nailed by a YES ENG guy.

Actually, he was a freelancer. And I say was because he no longer works for YES. There's a shocker. Steinbrenner probably called from Tampa and ordered his termination.