Tough to Feel Sorry For Connor
Adam J Locascio
Tuesday August 23, 2005
Call it the drawback of the AFL – what’s "wrong" with their game. Oh sure the NFL has their problems. Just ask Ron Mexico. The NHL has their problems, so much so that they skipped a season over them. The NBA has been unwatchable for some time.
The AFL has their issues, too. Is it as bad as the other leagues? Professionally, no. Personally, yes.
The Tampa Bay Storm have had some horrible luck in the off-seasons. Between pre-season brawls that ended a career to alleged insurance fraud. The most unfortunate though cost someone their life.
Storm OL/DL Darrion Conner was convicted on manslaughter charges last week. He was driving while intoxicated and his Toyota Land Cruiser struck a man on a bicycle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Connor received a 15-year sentence.
All season, the charges hung over Conner’s head. Conner was restricted by the court and was unable to leave the county, which rendered his team value to that of home games only. Even then, he didn’t see much action in the games.
But Conner was there, at every game. He even attended autograph sessions in his jersey and signed for many fans.
But even then, something didn’t seem right. People knew what he was being accused of. People knew that there was someone dead because of him. People knew that they were on the same field with someone who was responsible for another’s death.
Someone was dead, and they shouldn’t be. And we knew who was responsible.
On the field after one game, I saw Conner signing autographs for fans. I overheard a female fan say to her counterpart, "It’s tough for me to look at him, knowing what he did."
And this is the league’s drawback. These guys become our friends, and it’s tough to separate friend from player.
How is a fan supposed to act? What can you say to someone like Connor on the field? It’s tough to be supportive of someone when the facts are clear. It’s not like you can say, "Good luck with the case," with a clear conscience. We’re talking about life and death.
Can you be a fan and a friend? Maybe. It’s tough though.
I remember after the Storm’s ArenaBowl XVII win over the Arizona Rattlers, the feeling of being able to hang out with the team at the St. Pete Times Forum after the game and tell each and every player congratulations. That was fun. It was an event to remember. We were almost part of the team.
But while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t invite me to Chilli’s for happy hour after they won the Super Bowl, fans didn’t have to stand uncomfortably next to running back Michael Pittman after he tried to drive his Hummer over his wife’s Mercedes with his wife and child inside.
And that’s the NFL’s advantage. They can shield their players from the media and the fans. So a player takes some heat when they walk in and out of the tunnel at road games, but it’s rare that the NFL gives the fans full, unadulterated access to a team.
AFL Commissioner David Baker has created a unique atmosphere and I am not, by any means, saying that it should be changed. It’s what makes the AFL the "all-fun league."
It’s just unfortunate for the player when he has to mingle, smile, and make nice amongst the fans. As for the fans, they have to stand on the field with a felon and the 800 pound gorilla that no one wants to mention.
Adam J. Locascio is a financial advisor in the Tampa Bay area and a Board Member of the Tampa Bay Storm Surge Fan Club. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Phoenix and is a six-year season ticket holder for the Tampa Bay Storm.
