Tom Nalen's $25,000 fine angers teammates
By Tom Kensler
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:11/22/2006 11:34:03 PM MST
News that veteran center Tom Nalen had been fined $25,000 by the NFL for an attempted cut block drew about the same reaction in the Broncos' locker room as that Sunday night loss to the San Diego Chargers.
Shock. Bewilderment. And a chorus of anger.
"I can't believe it; it doesn't seem fair," Broncos tight end Stephen Alexander said Wednesday before the team flew to Kansas City for tonight's game against the Chiefs.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed Wednesday that Nalen was fined $25,000 for attempting to cut block an opponent and Chargers defensive tackle Igor Olshansky had been fined $10,000 for clubbing.
Nalen's agent, Brad Blank, said he appealed the fine immediately upon hearing of the suspension Wednesday. The appeal process could take a few months. Blank had no further comment.
With 35 seconds remaining, Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer spiked the ball to stop the clock. Usually there is not much time for contact initiated by either side, but Nalen dived at Ol- shansky's lower legs. The San Diego defensive tackle retaliated by hammering his fist on Nalen's helmet.
"I had surgery four weeks ago," Olshansky told San Diego reporters Wednesday. "Mentally, it affects you when you have surgery on your knee during the season and you have to play with pain and all that other stuff. It's bad enough I have to deal with that and now a guy is trying to dive on my knee, and it's not a football play."
The Broncos have game film showing Olshansky getting physical on several plays previously, including punching offensive linemen and grabbing running back Damien Nash by the face mask. Nalen is expected to argue the fine levied against him was excessive.
Earlier this month, Oakland's Tyler Brayton was fined $25,000 for kneeing Seattle's Jerramy Stevens in the groin. Stevens was fined $15,000 for initiating the fight. This time, the initiator, Nalen, was fined much more than the player who struck back.
Also, Nalen likely will argue that he didn't know the play was going to be a clock killer. Alexander was on the line, three players away from Nalen, when Plummer took the snap from center. Alexander said he couldn't blame Nalen for attempting to execute a block.
"On that (spike) play, there is an option to throw the ball," Alexander said. "It's hard for Tommy to know if the ball is going to be thrown or spiked or whatever.
"I'd hope that the fine will be rescinded or at least talked about (in the NFL office). I don't fault Tommy for what he did."
Olshansky cost the Chargers 15 yards when he was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct and kicked out of the game.
Alexander differentiated Nalen's action from what Brayton did.
"The difference is, what Tommy did was a legal play," Alexander said. "It was right there on national TV that the other guy (Olshansky) took two swings and hit Tommy with one of them. That was completely uncalled for. To just get a $10,000 (fine) for that? To me, that's just a little strange."
"What Tommy did isn't close to what (Brayton) did," Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams said. "And they get the same fine? That's ridiculous."
Denver offensive linemen have been fined in past years. The team has become sensitive to criticism from those who accuse the Broncos' line of blocking illegally.
"I hope anything that happened in the past didn't enter into this," Alexander said. "The NFL says it takes things on a case-by-case basis."
George Foster, the designated spokesman for the offensive line, declined comment on the advice of Nalen.
Injury report
Running backs Tatum Bell (turf toe injuries) and Mike Bell (thigh) were upgraded Wednesday from questionable to probable, as were defensive end Kenard Lang (knee) and wide receivers Rod Smith (ankle) and Brandon Marshall (ankle).
"I'm just sore, like after every other game," Mike Bell said. "I'll be ready."
Tatum Bell was not active for Sunday's game against San Diego. He has been bothered by turf injuries to both big toes for a month.
"It will be good to have Tatum back in there," Mike Bell said. "He has that big-play ability, that breakaway speed that we need."
Guard Cooper Carlisle (back) and Williams (shoulder) remained listed as questionable. Carlisle was the only player previously listed as questionable who did not participate in all drills Wednesday.
Williams, who returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter against the Chargers, intends to play.
"You'd really like to have more days to heal up," Williams said of the short week. I just have to suck it up and give it a go."
Staff writer Bill Williamson contributed to this report.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Chiefs down Broncos 19-10; Jake Plummer Loses Starting Job To Jay Cutler - Denver Post
NFL Network just annouced that Plummer will not start the December 3rd game against Seattle, rookie Jay Cutler will.
Chiefs down Broncos 19-10
Denver loses second game in five days
By Mike Klis
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:11/23/2006 09:37:01 PM MST
Kansas City, Mo. - For starters, Jake Plummer had benchwarmer burned into his consciousness.
Go get 'em, Jake. Win one for the clipboard and the baseball cap. Oh, and by the way. Mind holding for those Jason Elam extra points?
Prior to the Broncos' 19-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs here Thanksgiving night before a raucous, overflow Arrowhead Stadium crowd and a not-so nationally televised audience, speculation was rampant that win or lose, Good Jake or Bad Jake, Plummer was starting his last game as Broncos quarterback.
The conjecture was hardly surprising given Plummer's erratic play this season and the talent of his apparent successor, rookie Jay Cutler.
A bit baffling, however, was why such speculation was allowed to bump into certainty before such a crucial divisional game. The furor of the inevitable quarterback switch may have initially affected both the quarterback, who was shaky until a 3-minute drive near the end of the first half, and the team, which didn't exactly come out punching the Chiefs in their chinstraps.
Is this the end for Plummer as the Broncos' starting quarterback? If so, he bowed out giving his all, although competitive fire was never his problem. He completed 25 of 39 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception and a few other wayward passes, but considering the immense pressure that came with rumors of his demise, Plummer can head to the bench with his eyes up and his chin firm.
This game will not soon be forgotten for many reasons, beginning with how many people never saw it. This was the first game ever telecast by the NFL Network, much to the dismay of the roughly 60 percent of U.S. homes that don't, or can't, subscribe to the station.
What the majority of the nation missed was the Chiefs and Broncos converging into an AFC wild-card tie with identical 7-4 records. They failed to bear witness to not one, not two, but three defensive penalties that erased third-down stops and allowed the Chiefs to continue drives that led to 10 points.
They did not see Larry Johnson, Kansas City's superb running back, tick down minutes upon minutes, yards after yards until he finished with a 157.
And more than half the country may have missed Plummer's final start. Or they may have missed no such thing.
What no one, not even those with fancy satellite systems, saw was a Plummer surrender. He finished the first half leading the Broncos from his own 18 (yes, Denver's special teams remain abysmal) to the Chiefs' 12, from where Elam punched in a 31-yard field goal.
It was 13-3 Chiefs just inside the second half, when Plummer took advantage of a huge break and led the Broncos on a 64-yard touchdown drive. Attempting a pass down the right seam to Javon Walker, who seemingly failed to turn in time, Plummer was intercepted by Chiefs cornerback Patrick Surtain. The return went deep into Broncos' territory, but on the far side of the field, ex-Bronco Lenny Walls was flagged for illegal contact.
Given a new set of downs, Plummer made his best pass of the night, connecting with David Kircus on a hitch-and-go for a 36-yard gain. Eventually, the Broncos had first-and-goal from the 1, where they split out tight ends Nate Jackson to the right and Stephen Alexander to the left.
Plummer floated a fade to Alexander, who caught it falling back for a touchdown.
The Broncos were now down, 13-10, and Plummer was not playing like a dead man scrambling. The Chiefs marched back with Johnson, who the Broncos struggled to stop but managed to somewhat contain until their drives stalled for field goals.
Plummer had no such running attack to play-action off, and he also had no game-winning comeback that he apparently could have used to keep his job.
Up next for the Broncos is an answer from coach Mike Shanahan. The question: Who is the team's starting quarterback for its next game Dec. 3 against Seattle.
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
Chiefs down Broncos 19-10
Denver loses second game in five days
By Mike Klis
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:11/23/2006 09:37:01 PM MST
Kansas City, Mo. - For starters, Jake Plummer had benchwarmer burned into his consciousness.
Go get 'em, Jake. Win one for the clipboard and the baseball cap. Oh, and by the way. Mind holding for those Jason Elam extra points?
Prior to the Broncos' 19-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs here Thanksgiving night before a raucous, overflow Arrowhead Stadium crowd and a not-so nationally televised audience, speculation was rampant that win or lose, Good Jake or Bad Jake, Plummer was starting his last game as Broncos quarterback.
The conjecture was hardly surprising given Plummer's erratic play this season and the talent of his apparent successor, rookie Jay Cutler.
A bit baffling, however, was why such speculation was allowed to bump into certainty before such a crucial divisional game. The furor of the inevitable quarterback switch may have initially affected both the quarterback, who was shaky until a 3-minute drive near the end of the first half, and the team, which didn't exactly come out punching the Chiefs in their chinstraps.
Is this the end for Plummer as the Broncos' starting quarterback? If so, he bowed out giving his all, although competitive fire was never his problem. He completed 25 of 39 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception and a few other wayward passes, but considering the immense pressure that came with rumors of his demise, Plummer can head to the bench with his eyes up and his chin firm.
This game will not soon be forgotten for many reasons, beginning with how many people never saw it. This was the first game ever telecast by the NFL Network, much to the dismay of the roughly 60 percent of U.S. homes that don't, or can't, subscribe to the station.
What the majority of the nation missed was the Chiefs and Broncos converging into an AFC wild-card tie with identical 7-4 records. They failed to bear witness to not one, not two, but three defensive penalties that erased third-down stops and allowed the Chiefs to continue drives that led to 10 points.
They did not see Larry Johnson, Kansas City's superb running back, tick down minutes upon minutes, yards after yards until he finished with a 157.
And more than half the country may have missed Plummer's final start. Or they may have missed no such thing.
What no one, not even those with fancy satellite systems, saw was a Plummer surrender. He finished the first half leading the Broncos from his own 18 (yes, Denver's special teams remain abysmal) to the Chiefs' 12, from where Elam punched in a 31-yard field goal.
It was 13-3 Chiefs just inside the second half, when Plummer took advantage of a huge break and led the Broncos on a 64-yard touchdown drive. Attempting a pass down the right seam to Javon Walker, who seemingly failed to turn in time, Plummer was intercepted by Chiefs cornerback Patrick Surtain. The return went deep into Broncos' territory, but on the far side of the field, ex-Bronco Lenny Walls was flagged for illegal contact.
Given a new set of downs, Plummer made his best pass of the night, connecting with David Kircus on a hitch-and-go for a 36-yard gain. Eventually, the Broncos had first-and-goal from the 1, where they split out tight ends Nate Jackson to the right and Stephen Alexander to the left.
Plummer floated a fade to Alexander, who caught it falling back for a touchdown.
The Broncos were now down, 13-10, and Plummer was not playing like a dead man scrambling. The Chiefs marched back with Johnson, who the Broncos struggled to stop but managed to somewhat contain until their drives stalled for field goals.
Plummer had no such running attack to play-action off, and he also had no game-winning comeback that he apparently could have used to keep his job.
Up next for the Broncos is an answer from coach Mike Shanahan. The question: Who is the team's starting quarterback for its next game Dec. 3 against Seattle.
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
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Warren Sapp: Fans Of Eagles, Other Opponents, Tampered With His Food - AP
Warren Sapp insists food was tampered with on road trips
Associated Press
ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Warren Sapp is a very picky eater.
The Oakland Raiders' defensive tackle refuses to eat out on team trips for fear of getting sick, and he's not talking about the rare case of food poisoning.
Sapp insisted Wednesday his food was tampered with during his nine-year tenure in Tampa Bay from 1995-2003.
"You get your food poisoned," Sapp said at Raiders headquarters. "They don't want you out there on Sunday. You don't think about it. It just got crazy."
He pointed specifically to three incidents: Before the NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia at the end of the 2002 season, which the Bucs won en route to the Super Bowl title; before a divisional playoff game at Green Bay in January 1998; and at New Orleans, where the Bucs played a game during the 1998 season.
"I know it's real, especially in Philly, come on," said Sapp, long an unpopular figure in the NFL for his play and his mouth.
Sapp's comments caught Raiders coach Art Shell by surprise.
"That's the first I ever heard of it," said Shell, who spent five years working for the NFL before the Raiders hired him again in February. "Even being in the league office, I never heard that. That's scary."
Although San Diego Chargers receiver Keenan McCardell said he didn't know of any specific incidents of food poisoning involving Sapp, he understands Sapp's concerns.
"I know what Warren's talking about," said McCardell, teammates with Sapp for his final two seasons in Tampa Bay. "If you were Warren, a lot of people may target you. ... When I was in Jacksonville, Tom [Coughlin] said, 'Don't eat anything outside of what we're served as a team.'"
During his time with Tampa Bay, Sapp even went so far as to book two hotel rooms -- one under an alias -- so he could order room service and not worry about his food.
Sapp, who turns 34 next month, said he requested bottles of water with the cap still on.
"You have to, though," Sapp said of being cautious. "It's either that or feel bad."
For example, Sapp said that about a month after the Bucs won the Super Bowl, he and a friend traveled from Philadelphia to New York to watch Michael Jordan in his retirement tour at Madison Square Garden. First, they had dinner in Philadelphia, trading plates at the restaurant after their orders came. Then, Sapp said, his friend repeatedly threw up all the way to New York.
Sapp, who joined the Raiders before the 2004 season, said he has not had food poisoning after leaving Tampa Bay.
"I've been good out here on the West Coast," he said. "I guess they're more liberal out here."
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
New England Patriots' StubHub Lawsuit Stupid; Stubhub Is Not A Brokerage
The New England Patriots' recently announced lawsuit against StubHub is downright stupid. If you don't know about it, the Pats claim that StubHub causes fans to sell tickets over face value. That's the focus of the suit.
It's also wrong, and proves how little an East Coast firm like the Pats understand not just what StubHub.com does, but the nature of the Internet-based secondary ticket market.
StubHub is a medium through which to sell tickets at any price. The fan sets the price, not the company. Thus the tickets can -- and are -- set at below face value levels. The Boston Globe report found tickets that were higher than face, but didn't even bother to look at tickets that are priced at just $70, and there are a lot of them. Moreover, a ticket for a great seat can be found at a low or below face price if the buyer looks around.
StubHub is the wrong legal target and this lawsuit will not hold up in court. indeed, the Patriots have to explain why the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, San Francisco Giants, and other organizations have set up special programs with StubHub, and they have not.
This started because some Bostonian was less than savvy in his or her ticket purchases. They didn't have to spend over $800 on a ticket -- but they did. StubHub didn't put the ticket there, the seller did.
Going after a ticket reseller is not the answer. Going after a ticket broker is. StubHub is not a ticket broker. It's a reseller and that can be at any price.
It's also wrong, and proves how little an East Coast firm like the Pats understand not just what StubHub.com does, but the nature of the Internet-based secondary ticket market.
StubHub is a medium through which to sell tickets at any price. The fan sets the price, not the company. Thus the tickets can -- and are -- set at below face value levels. The Boston Globe report found tickets that were higher than face, but didn't even bother to look at tickets that are priced at just $70, and there are a lot of them. Moreover, a ticket for a great seat can be found at a low or below face price if the buyer looks around.
StubHub is the wrong legal target and this lawsuit will not hold up in court. indeed, the Patriots have to explain why the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, San Francisco Giants, and other organizations have set up special programs with StubHub, and they have not.
This started because some Bostonian was less than savvy in his or her ticket purchases. They didn't have to spend over $800 on a ticket -- but they did. StubHub didn't put the ticket there, the seller did.
Going after a ticket reseller is not the answer. Going after a ticket broker is. StubHub is not a ticket broker. It's a reseller and that can be at any price.
New England Patriots Sue StubHub - Boston Globe
Ticketmaster sells "scalped" New England Patriots tickets, but Pats don't sue them. Want to know why? Click here!
Patriots sue ticket reseller in effort to fight scalping
By Keith Reed, Globe Staff | November 23, 2006
The New England Patriots have filed suit against one of the nation's largest ticket resellers, StubHub Inc., saying the company encourages fans to flout the state antiscalping law and the team's prohibition against reselling Patriots tickets for a profit by facilitating the sale of tickets on its website, StubHub.com.
The suit, filed Tuesday in Suffolk Superior Court, also names as defendants two Bridgewater residents who allegedly resold season tickets on StubHub after the tickets had been revoked by the team, and 50 other unnamed Patriots season ticket holders who, the team says, illegally resold their tickets on StubHub.
By suing StubHub and the other defendants, the Patriots are taking on the resellers -- and their own fans -- to stop scalping. The team seeks an award of three times the revenue StubHub and the other defendants brought in through the online sales, plus an injunction against further resales of Patriots tickets on the StubHub website .
The lawsuit also could play a major role in the efforts of some lawmakers to revisit the state's antiscalping law in the spring.
"It appears that the current law is obviously not working," said state Representative Michael Morrissey, a Democrat from Quincy. "I applaud the actions of the Patriots, but the question is, how does that stop the guy on the corner from reselling the ticket? They'd never know about it if the person didn't list the ticket on StubHub."
Ticket resales have boomed in recent years as the Internet has made it easier to bring buyers and sellers together. Industry sources estimate annual sales of $4 billion to $10 billion in the resale market, with giants such as StubHub, eBay, Craigslist, RazorGator, and Ticket Liquidator and a host of smaller agencies and websites reselling millions of tickets.
With so much money at stake, professional sports teams and companies that once shunned the shadowy world of ticket scalping now want a piece of the action. Ticketmaster, a company that collected $950 million in fees last year selling tickets to concerts, stage shows, and sporting events, is trying to make millions more reselling those same tickets. Major League Baseball has gotten into the resale business with the website Tickets.com. The four major professional teams in the Boston area all provide or will soon offer a resale service for season ticket holders online.
Many states are doing away with their antiscalping laws, prodded by teams and corporations eager to get a piece of the resale market. Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina have scrapped or relaxed many of their regulations this year; Illinois and New York did the same last year.
But scalping is still illegal in Massachusetts , though the law is rarely enforced. The law doesn't prohibit ticket purchases above face value, but it requires anyone in the business of reselling tickets in Massachusetts to obtain a license from the Department of Public Safety and limits markups to $2 above face value, plus certain service charges.
Last night, however, several dozen tickets to the Patriots' home game on Sunday against the Chicago Bears were listed on StubHub.com. Lower sideline seats with a face value of $125 were being offered for $754; upper-level sideline seats, face value $59, were for sale at $205.
In an e-mailed statement, StubHub said last night it could not comment on the suit because it had not yet been served with it. But the company said it has already struck partnership deals with other NFL teams, and it said it has sufficient protections in place to prevent fraud and abuse.
"StubHub is a champion for the rights of fans to be able to gain access to tickets for events they want to see and a platform to sell the tickets they cannot use," the statement said. "Every individual is subject to our user agreement which obligates them to abide by their local and state regulations with respect to ticket resale," the statement read.
Daniel Goldberg, the attorney representing the Patriots, acknowledged that there are many other ways fans and scalpers resell tickets, but he said StubHub as a particularly troublesome offender that encourages ticket holders to resell, often at inflated prices and without warning buyers that the tickets they purchase may not be honored by the club.
"If you're encouraging people to list their tickets for sale, if you're doing that knowing that these tickets have an expressed prohibition against reselling and they're not telling them what the risks are, I think that's an issue," he said.
All sales of Patriots tickets originate with the team, though they can also be bought legally through Ticketmaster, a company that has a deal with the National Football League. Beyond that, the Patriots prohibit resale of any of tickets except through a website it controls, which allows those on the waiting list for season tickets to buy them from existing season-ticket holders at face value.
The Patriots can revoke a fan's season tickets if he or she resells them, or for unruly conduct during the game. When that happens, the bar code on the ticket is deactivated for the rest of the season . Those tickets are supposed to be returned to the Patriots, but in some instances they end up on StubHub without any warning that the purchaser -- who often pays hundreds of dollars above face value -- won't be allowed into the game.
That problem, the Patriots argue, is worsened by a guarantee from StubHub that if tickets turn out to be fraudulent, the website will find alternate accommodations for the buyer.
"Our experience is that as the listings on StubHub have increased, so also have the number of people who show up at the stadium with invalid tickets," Goldberg said.
The Patriots say two defendants , Steven McGrath and Carol McGrath of Bridgewater, sold invalid season tickets through StubHub. A woman who answered a phone listed to Carol McGrath in Bridgewater declined to comment on the lawsuit .
Dorchester resident Colman Herman, who has sued ticket brokers in the past, applauded the Patriots' action against StubHub. "All they have to do is go after one and really whack 'em, and that'll be it," he said.
Patriots sue ticket reseller in effort to fight scalping
By Keith Reed, Globe Staff | November 23, 2006
The New England Patriots have filed suit against one of the nation's largest ticket resellers, StubHub Inc., saying the company encourages fans to flout the state antiscalping law and the team's prohibition against reselling Patriots tickets for a profit by facilitating the sale of tickets on its website, StubHub.com.
The suit, filed Tuesday in Suffolk Superior Court, also names as defendants two Bridgewater residents who allegedly resold season tickets on StubHub after the tickets had been revoked by the team, and 50 other unnamed Patriots season ticket holders who, the team says, illegally resold their tickets on StubHub.
By suing StubHub and the other defendants, the Patriots are taking on the resellers -- and their own fans -- to stop scalping. The team seeks an award of three times the revenue StubHub and the other defendants brought in through the online sales, plus an injunction against further resales of Patriots tickets on the StubHub website .
The lawsuit also could play a major role in the efforts of some lawmakers to revisit the state's antiscalping law in the spring.
"It appears that the current law is obviously not working," said state Representative Michael Morrissey, a Democrat from Quincy. "I applaud the actions of the Patriots, but the question is, how does that stop the guy on the corner from reselling the ticket? They'd never know about it if the person didn't list the ticket on StubHub."
Ticket resales have boomed in recent years as the Internet has made it easier to bring buyers and sellers together. Industry sources estimate annual sales of $4 billion to $10 billion in the resale market, with giants such as StubHub, eBay, Craigslist, RazorGator, and Ticket Liquidator and a host of smaller agencies and websites reselling millions of tickets.
With so much money at stake, professional sports teams and companies that once shunned the shadowy world of ticket scalping now want a piece of the action. Ticketmaster, a company that collected $950 million in fees last year selling tickets to concerts, stage shows, and sporting events, is trying to make millions more reselling those same tickets. Major League Baseball has gotten into the resale business with the website Tickets.com. The four major professional teams in the Boston area all provide or will soon offer a resale service for season ticket holders online.
Many states are doing away with their antiscalping laws, prodded by teams and corporations eager to get a piece of the resale market. Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina have scrapped or relaxed many of their regulations this year; Illinois and New York did the same last year.
But scalping is still illegal in Massachusetts , though the law is rarely enforced. The law doesn't prohibit ticket purchases above face value, but it requires anyone in the business of reselling tickets in Massachusetts to obtain a license from the Department of Public Safety and limits markups to $2 above face value, plus certain service charges.
Last night, however, several dozen tickets to the Patriots' home game on Sunday against the Chicago Bears were listed on StubHub.com. Lower sideline seats with a face value of $125 were being offered for $754; upper-level sideline seats, face value $59, were for sale at $205.
In an e-mailed statement, StubHub said last night it could not comment on the suit because it had not yet been served with it. But the company said it has already struck partnership deals with other NFL teams, and it said it has sufficient protections in place to prevent fraud and abuse.
"StubHub is a champion for the rights of fans to be able to gain access to tickets for events they want to see and a platform to sell the tickets they cannot use," the statement said. "Every individual is subject to our user agreement which obligates them to abide by their local and state regulations with respect to ticket resale," the statement read.
Daniel Goldberg, the attorney representing the Patriots, acknowledged that there are many other ways fans and scalpers resell tickets, but he said StubHub as a particularly troublesome offender that encourages ticket holders to resell, often at inflated prices and without warning buyers that the tickets they purchase may not be honored by the club.
"If you're encouraging people to list their tickets for sale, if you're doing that knowing that these tickets have an expressed prohibition against reselling and they're not telling them what the risks are, I think that's an issue," he said.
All sales of Patriots tickets originate with the team, though they can also be bought legally through Ticketmaster, a company that has a deal with the National Football League. Beyond that, the Patriots prohibit resale of any of tickets except through a website it controls, which allows those on the waiting list for season tickets to buy them from existing season-ticket holders at face value.
The Patriots can revoke a fan's season tickets if he or she resells them, or for unruly conduct during the game. When that happens, the bar code on the ticket is deactivated for the rest of the season . Those tickets are supposed to be returned to the Patriots, but in some instances they end up on StubHub without any warning that the purchaser -- who often pays hundreds of dollars above face value -- won't be allowed into the game.
That problem, the Patriots argue, is worsened by a guarantee from StubHub that if tickets turn out to be fraudulent, the website will find alternate accommodations for the buyer.
"Our experience is that as the listings on StubHub have increased, so also have the number of people who show up at the stadium with invalid tickets," Goldberg said.
The Patriots say two defendants , Steven McGrath and Carol McGrath of Bridgewater, sold invalid season tickets through StubHub. A woman who answered a phone listed to Carol McGrath in Bridgewater declined to comment on the lawsuit .
Dorchester resident Colman Herman, who has sued ticket brokers in the past, applauded the Patriots' action against StubHub. "All they have to do is go after one and really whack 'em, and that'll be it," he said.
Field Position Conversations: Wil Mara, Author of "The Draft" - 11/21/2006
Field Position Conversations: Wil Mara 11/21/2006
Bill Chachkes sits down with Wil Mara, author of over 75 books, to talk about his latest release The Draft.
They discuss the many colorful characters, interesting plot lines, and portraits of some of the NFL’s most intriguing myths and realities.
The Draft touches on the worlds of the players, the front-office personnel, player agents, players and even the world of moles and spies. Mara describes the book as a story written for anyone who loves football. Chachkes describes it as riveting.
In this installment of the Field Position Converstations series, Chachkes and Mara talk not only about the book, but about some of the experiences in Mara’s life that inspired some of the plot lines.
I did this interview about 11 days ago, but we wanted to save it as a treat to all of our football fans for Thanksgiving
You can listen to this by clicking on the link on the front page of this blog
Bill
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