NFL Does What It Can To Ape Jerry Lewis

Well, if you're excited about the doubleheader of NFL games tonight, you should stop it, because tonight is not about football, it's about the hurricane, so stop smiling and having fun and checking your fantasy team and enjoying the games. The NFL will have none of that.

Yep, tonight's an extended telethon to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and though we obviously support the cause, we can't help but smell all kinds of public relations stench wafting through. (By the way, we love the above picture of Dolphins cheerleaders accepting donations; the NFL never met a charity it couldn't jazz up with some sex and violence.) Considering the NFL was strangely unsympathetic directly after the disaster, and considering the NFL certainly has much to gain by the Saints continuing to be successful — they should hire David Stern to make sure they win — we just kind of feel like tonight's going to be a bit of an overkill. Better way to put it: If you need Chris Berman to convince you to contribute to the Red Cross, perhaps your priorities aren't quite where they need to be in the first place.

NFL Hurricane Relief Telethon [NFL.com] NFL To New Orleans: Let Them Eat Cake [Deadspin]