By: J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola
The venom being directed at Travis Hunter Jr. and Deion Sanders by SOME FSU football fans on the internet is among some of the most misguided, idiotic, and ridiculous stuff I have ever read.
For those unfamiliar, Hunter is a 5-star high school prospect from Georgia, who pledged to attend FSU a while back but changed his mind and signed with Jackson State last Wednesday. Jackson State is an HBC (Historically Black College) coached by Sanders, a former FSU player. This signing has resulted in a few irrational, crazy FSU fans going ballistic, burning Sanders memorabilia, calling him a traitor, and just being plain being nasty to one of the greatest players in Seminole history. These people need a reality check. First, Sanders is the head coach at Jackson State. His number #1 priority in life (besides making cool AFLAC commercials with Nick Saban) is to be the best football coach he can be and that includes signing the best players he can sign. As a former long-time FSU athletic department employee who worked with the Seminoles when Deion was a student-athlete, I am actually quite proud of Deion. In the previous four seasons, Jackson State has been 22-43 and in his just his second year, Deion has guided them to an 11-2 record. Since the star rankings have started. Hunter is the first 5-star recruit to sign with an HBC. Deion deserves no criticism for successfully recruiting Hunter, and Hunter certainly deserves no darts or arrows for changing his mind on where he wants to play college football as hundreds of kids a year change their minds from non-binding oral commitments (Funny how you hear moans and groans when a kid decides not to attend your school, but you never hear fans complain when their coaches flip a kid to your school)….
Favorite Christmas Quote: “Adults can take a simple holiday for Children and screw it up. What began as a presentation of simple gifts to delight and surprise children around the Christmas tree has culminated in a woman unwrapping six shrimp forks from her dog, who drew her name”…
Hunter Schinabeck is a long-time member of the Bills Mafia – which is a group of diehard Buffalo Bills fans. Upset at a perceived no-call pass interference on Stephon Diggs during the waning moments, Buffalo’s loss to Tampa Bay last Monday, Schinabeck decided to donate $17 to Visually Impaired Advancement (VIA), a Buffalo non-profit that works with the visually impaired in the community. In a note with his donation, Schniabeck noted the donation was in honor of the NFL officials who obviously had vision issues. Word got out of the donation other members of the Bills Mafia ended up donating more than $40,000 to the non-profit. It’s not the first time Bills Mafia has been involved in charitable work. Last year, in a show of good sportsmanship, Bills Mafia donated more than $360,000 to Lamar Jackson’s favorite charity after he was knocked out of the Ravens-Bills playoff game with a concussion. When former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s mother passed away last year, Bills Mafia raised and donated $1 million for the Oshei Childrens Hospital in her name. Well played Buffalo, well played….
The coaching decision by Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley to bypass three-chip shot field goals against the Chiefs was baffling to say the least. If Kansas City was scoring touchdowns on every drive, I would get it, but Patrick Mahomes and his offense looked pretty pedestrian all game. Had they kicked those field goals they probably would have won the game…
Without his talented weapons around him, Tom Brady looked a little lost on Sunday night against the Saints, who won despite scoring a whopping nine points. About the only lesson here is when you take Evans, Godwin, and Fournette out of Tampa Bay’s offense, the GOAT looks like any other 44-year-old QB…
Y’all Have A Great Holiday Season
By: J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola
J. Daniel Pearson, a long-time resident of Osceola County, has joined Positively Osceola as a freelance contributor. His JD’s Monday Morning Musings column is a regular feature and he will be covering events for us throughout the year. Dan is a former Public Relations Specialist for Florida State University, Boardwalk and Baseball, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Orlando Predators, and other professional sports teams and has been a freelance reporter to many newspapers in the state.
