Twitter is aflame with rumors of an impending deal between the disgraced quarterback and the semi-disgraced team. He's been seen at the airport! He's at a hospital in Rochester! He's at One Bills Drive! He's in the back seat of your car! RadarOnline, that treasure trove NFL insider news has confirmed it .... EXCLUSIVE. Why won't you listen to me?

Is it because the Bills have said six times today that they are not interested in signing Vick? Or because there is no evidence that Vick is anywhere near any stop on the Erie Canal? Maybe you're just a puppet for The Man, because I get my news from the internet. Specifically, Rich Eisen.

That is crazy! Who would even hint at such a thing!

Oh. Right. (P.S. This is exactly the kind of thing ESPN's much-aligned "social media policy" is intended to avoid. This is why broadcasters can't have nice things.)

Anyway, all the rumors appear to be false—but that doesn't mean they won't someday be true! Give it enough time and anything can become a reality. At the very least Adam Schefter's brain might explode.

Bills say they are not in the Vick sweepstakes [AP]
Rich Eisen (richeisen) [Twitter]
Michael Vick: Bills call press conference, Vick related? [RotoWorld]
Rumors fly of Vick to Buffalo [PFT]
Could it really be? [KSK]

Cleveland fans are still coming to terms with the notion that Edwards will continue to be their wide receiver after much talked about trade rumors fizzled out this offseason. It's been noted many times that Edwards had more dropped passes than any wideout in the NFL last season, which suggests a certain lack of concentration. So now is probably not a good time for this tidbit to show up in ESPN: The Magazine. It's a quote from pretty boy defensive back Will Demps about his last encounter with Braylon.

"Last year I was with the Texans, and when we played the Browns, Braylon Edwards asked me between plays if we could talk after the game about modeling and acting."

In case you're wondering, Cleveland got thumped in that game leaving "their season in shambles." Demps explains that there is a price to be paid for his own modeling career, saying that "teammates tease me in the locker room. Everyone calls me Pretty Willie, and they hang up magazines I've been in." That doesn't seem to be an issue for Edwards, since complaints about his starstruck dreams go back beyond last year. (Edwards has his own fragrance, a tailor on speed dial and likes to hang out with the boys from "Entourage.")

And a pretty young athlete who enjoys the company of his bros? You know where this is heading. Now the unsubstantiated rumors about his personal life are turning into unsubstantiated rumors about his football prospects.

First of all, let me start out with the fact that I think this is ridiculous. I have a friend who is inside the NY Giants and this morning I talked to him about the draft and the subject of Edwards came up.

No lie, he said that there was a big concern how he would fit in the locker room because a lot of people thought he was gay. He said that for some reason a good deal of the players believe that Braylon is gay and that is why he wants to go to New York (because it is a better atmosphere for homosexuals) and this has actually come up as a concern within the Giants in trading for him

You know how people say that nothing on the internet ever dies? Well, this latest rumor probably has something to do with Braylon's sexy man-friend that always-reliable MediaTakeout introduced the world to last year. I mean, just look at the pictures! Hugs! Thankfully, MediaTakeout is able to both introduce and shut down the rumors in one fell swoop, thanks to helpful commenters like this:

I LIVE IN CLEVELAND AND SEE HIM AT PARTIES and NICE RESTAURANTS. TRUST ME PLEASE** THE MANS GOT MO HOES THAN AT GOLF COURSE**

Good enough for me. On the other hand....

ANY PROFESSION WHERE ITS "ALL MEN" LIKE SPORTS OR THE ARMED FORCES WHERE YOU ARE ONLY AROUND OTHER MEN AND GETTING NAKED AND SHOWERING WITH OTHER MEN...THESE MEN ARE TRULY THE GAYEST MEN ON EARTH! BUT SOCIETY VIEWS THEM AS STR8 when they are the MAIN ones checking for other men...

Excellent point? But before the rest of you judge, remember this:

If you're so straight,

#1 Why are you on a gossip blogging site early in the morning??
#2 Putting so much effort in observing another man and clocking his "T"?

Ladies if you want to call anyone supspect, these are the men you should be questioning!

(Psst. She's talking about you.)

Hollywood Bray Update [Cleveland Frowns]
"Last year I was with the Texans [Dawgs by Nature]
SUSPICIOUS PICS: NFL's Braylon Edwards And His CLOSE MALE COMPANION!!! [Media Takeout]
Part of why Giants passed on Braylon-Don't shoot the messenger [Scout.com]

After shelling out half the GDP of Somalia to his ex-wife Juanita, it seems highly unlikely that Jordan would remarry so quickly. And what about Oak? He cant be happy with this news. Horseshit or not, the upside to any Media Take Out rumors are the passionate comments on their site:

Mommahips is beside herself:

NOT SURPRISIN....HE BEEN BRAINWASHED FOR YEARS....THAT'S WHY I NEVER HAVE AND NEVER WILL BUY THEM PHUCKED UP AZZ, CHEAPLY MADE JORDANS!!!!!!

Sexcess1 is wistful:

Nuccas just cant be happy with brown cooch. I hope she take it azz to bank just like Juanita!

Mochaquarias is just angry:

nyggahs and saltines! when will it end?! every nyggahs fantasy woman is also their greatest downfall! smh!

For the record, Yvette Prieto is of Cuban descent, so I don't know if she'd technically qualify as a "Saltine."

Michael Jordan Getting Remarried [Media Take Out]

It starts with an email like this one, placed in the inbox of several prominent blogs earlier this week:

As of Sunday Dec. 14, 2008, there were rumors of a sex tape featuring both sexy ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews and the New York Mets' David Wright. The video was thought to have been taken after a Rutgers football game which both attended in October 2007 at a hotel in New Jersey. Both the camera and video were apparently later stolen from Wright's Mercedes soon thereafter, while it was parked in a garage near his home in New York City. Since then the thieves or their surrogates have shipped clips of the escapade to Hollywood porn producers, including Red Light District, the porn production company behind the "One Night In Paris" Paris Hilton video. David Joseph, Red Light's CEO, only offered, "We have seen the tape and we have yet to make any conclusions upon its veracity or whether we are interested in buying it."

When reached late Monday, spokespersons for Andrews, Wright and ESPN have no comment.

Ok, that was highly suspicious. No links or actual sources were included. Then this follow up, minutes later:

"Just dropping a line to let you know that the folks over at /b/ are making up a fake story about Erin Andrews having a sex tape with David Wright. Naturally, I do not wish to see my Princess' name defamed like that. ... Anyhow, they are making a fake torrent, rapidshare vid, yahoo questions, google analytics or some such nerdy brouhaha... the whole shabang"

That sounds about right. To their credit, most of the people who heard about this were wise enough not to bite, but when first-hand stories become third- and fourth-hand, and anonymous comments become independent verification, it doesn't take much for any rumor—even a false one—to turn into the accepted truth.

So what is this /b/, you may ask? For those of you less familiar with the more obscure corners of the internet, 4chan, and specifically the /b/ or "random" board, is the king of all internet message boards. It's a bizarre free-for-all, filled with porn, anime, insane discussion threads, and strange inside jokes that are often incomprehensible to outsiders, but they are also responsible for inventing or propagating many of the great internet memes, like LOLcats and Rickrolling. Their sheer numbers alone can easily manipulate Google rankings or take down unprepared websites. For the most part, it's just general goodnatured stupidity—but their power to influence the web is astounding. Amuse them and they will make you a hero; cross them and they will destroy you. You can read about some of their more famous antics here.

The thing is, these people get the internet (because they mostly created it), so there is a certain savviness to the rumor. They knew exactly the right person to target in order to send basement dwellers like us into a frenzy. They left all the right clues in all the right places, in order to reel in anyone trying to verify the story. The claim is just outrageous enough to be believable—she's a well-known web celebrity, but not so famous that no one would buy it. In other words, if you wanted to start a rumor that would set the internet aflame (and specifically sports nerds) it was the perfect crime.

Most importantly—the groundwork for rumors of an Andrews-Wright courtship had already been laid. There was existing proof that they did indeed meet at a Rutgers home game in 2007 and searching for their names on Google leads to more speculation about a relationship. And look ... they're smiling at each other! Chemistry! Given their respective levels of fame, a romance is certainly not out of the question. (Even if a video taped dalliance certainly is.)

The use of a fake Joseph quote was a nice touch too. His company marketed celebrity sex tapes from Paris Hilton and Amy Fisher, so if you wanted to lend legitimacy to any such rumor, he'd be your go-to-go guy. I actually talked to Joesph on the phone and asked him about it.

"I have absolutely no idea what that is about. I don't even know who those people are. I suppose it's flattering that they would use my name, since we're know for celebrity stuff, but I don't like people using my name in a lie."

So there you go. For the record, ESPN says, "We aren't going to get in the business of dignifying baseless gossip with comment," which is exactly right. For all we know at this point, perhaps 4chan didn't even have anything to do with it. It could just be some crazy emailer with a Digg account and a dream.

But that's how things like this always begin.

"Yeah, he called me one day, and he usually doesn't call unless something big is happening in his life," the elder Frasor said. "He was all excited. He said, 'Dad, my street value has just gone up big-time.'

"He said, 'I don't know where this is coming from, but I don't mind.' "

So the late night encounter with Andrews didn't happen?

"As far as I know, it didn't happen," Bob said, dousing the excitement.

Not that anyone would have thought that the notoriously private sideline queen would be involved in such a tryst, but it's nice to know that the mere mentioning Erin Andrews give you page views street value.

H/T Busted Coverage.

Of course the denials are starting to pour out of Favre ( l love how his hometown paper is usually one of the first places he talks to. Well, and Jay Glazer. And AL HARRIS, apparently.) and his agent Bus Cook's once again overusing the phrase "As far as I know..." We get it, Bus. You know nothing.

Based on some of the information that I've been told from sources not related to Bus Cook or Brett Favre, here's how it possibly went down: Mort gets a scoop from his various Packers' "sources "(whomever they may be...) starts to work on it. Harris is in the studio, so, Hey, let's ask him if he knows anything about it? He does? Really? What's Brett say...

"He's itchin to come back..."

That's enough. Let's run with it...have Mort pick up a phone and call in to make it sound legit...

Let's say that Favre did actually approach Mike McCarthy about coming back and McCarthy (and the Packers) told him "We're moving in another direction." Does Brett Favre still have that "itch" then? If you watched yesterday's NFL Live did you notice how quickly the conversation went from "Favre going back to the Packers" to "Other teams who need a quarterback." One of the teams that would make some sense for Brett to check into (and who ESPN has deemed a "likely" candiate) are the Minnesota Vikings . Even though Tarvaris Jackson has received the over-the-top accolades from head coach Brad Childress so far this year, the Vikings do have some other weapons that might benefit from having the ol' gunslinger under center.

But — but!— if Favre goes to another team...what would happen to ESPN's magical opening dedication and Favre jersey retirement ceremony during the Monday Night Football opener? Wouldn't that ruin it? Not if he's on the Vikings.

Bottom line: Brett Favre may come back. He's just not not heading back to Green Bay. The team was very much looking forward to putting Number 4 along the other retired jerseys that adorn Lambeau field — that way they know they can keep him off the field.

After all of this , does it mean that Al Harris will now get an NFL analyst contract with ESPN? They should. The guy's got great sources.

Packers: Favre has "itch" to play[Wisconsin State Journal]







Favre: "It's All Rumor...No Reason For It." [PFT}

Kobe Bryant’s alleged affair with former Laker Girl, Vanessa Curry, is now in its first full week of circulation. Most of the sports blogosphere, wary of the story, kept its coverage to a minimum during the initial flurry, cautiously skeptical about the source (The Dirty.com) and the lack of visual evidence that the site usually provides with its stories.
(Or overall disinterest.)

So far, none of the visual evidence has yet to surface, but the story is getting advanced, blurbed and talked about at a higher frequency, mainly because of the cease and desist letter and because ESPN the mag's Laura Lane decided to blog about Vanessa Bryant’s warped tirade.

After the jump, the breakdown of what’s transpired so far – and what’s to come.

Thursday, May 20:

The original, one-off post that cracked open the door. Nik Richie, the Dirty’s lead writer,, said in a phone interview that his source was “rock solid” and that the both the site’s legal team and owners were 100% backing this info certain based on their source’s information. Richie contends that the alleged affair had been ongoing and was one the Lakers were, obviously, doing everything in their power to tamp out. The disappearance of Curry’s information on the Laker Girls site, was the only evidence The Dirty.com trotted out during its initial posting, but hinted to having more damning evidence. Richie said during that phone conversation that he was speaking on the phone with Curry (she declined to comment) and that TMZ was in the process of posting the cease and desist letter from Bryant’s attorney. The C & D ran Monday.

May 21st:

The story gets a little action from entertainment blogs and then gets picked up on the always entertaining in its own special way, Media Takeout, with accompanying comments from its readership like, “Im guessing that his wife doesnt like to buttf*ck” and “KOBE IF YOU DONT WANT YOUR WIFE PASS HER LIKE A BASKETBALL TO A REAL PLAYER YOU LOLLIPOP SUCKA!!!!” Well said.

May 22nd:

The Laker Girls' coach Lisa Estrada responds to the Dirty’s allegations, but says Curry left on her own accord to pursue a career in “hosting.” This is kind of a red flag on this whole thing. Why on earth would an 18-year-old girl decide to up and leave a high profile job right before the playoffs in order to pursue a career in “hosting”? Questionable, but again, nothing too indemnifying. Kobe’s world continues to spin on its Mamba-sized axis.

May 25th:

ESPN the magazine contributing writer Laura Lane writes on her own blog, "Ride The Fast Lane", that Kobe's wife, Vanessa, flips out on her outside of the Lakers lockerroom after a story Lane wrote for the magazine. The outburst was considered odd, but not uncommon for Vanessa Bryant. In her post, Lane suggests that Bryant may be taking out her frustration on her due to the rumors about the affair. Lane takes down her blog after the story takes off.

May 26th:

The Dirty.com posts another photo of Curry and baits Kobe's lawyers even more: "Ask your client about the escapades in the back room at Dolce in Dallas." The Dirty hints that the information they're receiving is coming from a current member of the Laker Girls.

• TMZ runs cease and desist letter from Bryant's attorney, Adam Streisand.

• Nik Richie threatens a Mitchell Report-sized mountain of evidence against Bryant. (Like this, I guess, but in pink font.)

May 28th:

The Dirty.com is still rabbit-punching — but still revealing nothing of substance.

• The Dirty.com’s lawyer, David Gingras, responds to Team Kobe’s legal threats. TMZ (again) runs the letter, taking pot-shots at the site throughout. One of the amusing things about Gingras’ letter is the last paragraph: “As you may have noticed, www.TheDirty'.com allows viewers to post comments in response to stories such as this one,as several folks have already done. If he would like to do so, Mr. Bryant is welcome to post a comment in this section explaining that he is not pleased with the story and he is welcome to express his opinion that The Dirty is not a website he finds worthy of his endorsement.”

• Laura Lane talks to USA Today about why she ditched the blog: "I saw it was getting a lot of crazy attention. I really wasn't expecting to get this attention. Attention comes with controversy, and I didn't want that." Via email Laura Lane declined to comment any further about the Bryant situation.

• ESPN (The "Mag.com") has a little fun with this whole thing. Sports By Brooks makes a great point and suggests the post may be a result of ESPN trying to do damage control on the "Lane-Bryant" situation.

The future:

Richie insists that incriminating photos of Bryant and Curry are forthcoming. One source close to the situation says that the photographic, visual evidence of Kobe and the Laker Girl are currently being negotiated for a price by a national gossip publication. If the affair allegations are true, does it change anyone’s perception of Kobe? He survived a much worse public relations nightmare during the Colorado fiasco. His image, seemingly irreparably damaged, rebounded, and his game flourished.

Thing is, major media outlets can't even pretend they're interested in this story because if it's not true, pissing off the NBA's best player in the midst of a possible title run isn't going to be good for business. On the other hand, this is newsworthy: the NBA's best player (allegedly) gets busted (allegedly) cheating on his wife again, even after a very public, uncomfortable apology to her and this time with a (allegedly) member of the Laker Girls, and the team (allegedly) tries to cover it up. Yeah. That's news. But the sports media is having a justifiable crush on all things Kobe right now and, even if this is true, that will most likely not change. He'll survive. Again. His marriage, however, might not. But, as we well know, that also has a price that’s negotiable.

Unfortunately, Sixers PR maestro Mike Preston isn't returning any of my calls to answer who the lucky/possibly diseased player is.

My money's on Reggie Evans. He looks like he'd be into gals like her.

Porn star Mary Carey makes out with a Sixer in NYC? [The Mighty Dan Gross]
What a time to be a Sixer [True Hoop]