Tampa, Florida					Monday, September 06, 2010

Dear John: Don’t Let The Door Hit. . .
Thursday, March 11, 2004
TAMPA—I guess I have had it wrong for a long time. I had thought an ideal professional athlete would be one who would immediately set up home in the place of his work—buy or build a home for his wife and a family that would come. I had thought the athlete and wife would join as quickly as they could into the community, oh. . . like walks in the park, taking in Little League games where their kids would one day play. I had thought the couple would join a club or two, go to church, other sports events other than their own, and other events, musicals, plays, concerts. . . just sort of fit in. I had thought how ideal it would be for the athlete and wife perhaps to start a foundation, work for the good of kids with less, or in civic or religious projects. I had thought none of this would matter if the athlete didn’t produce, but if he did, all the better, like becoming All-Something, Citizen of the Year, not hide, or return to his original home at a whim, be law-abiding, without taint. I had thought how nice it would be to have on our team a player who could knock the daylights out of a guy on the other side, but cleanly, then pick him up, salute him and get ready for another fair, smash-mouth play. And, well, it wouldn’t if one or both were good on their feet, with a microphone, could speak before audiences, were good-looking, friendly, and modest. Finally, they’d make our place their home forever. Guess I had it all wrong. John and Linda Lynch were all that, and more—for 11 years, in Tampa—the fine young parents and the kids that came—Jake, Lindsay and Lillian. But our Tampa Bay Buccaneers, thought by us not to do things like this any more under a new Code of Conduct, told All-Pro John Lynch, Mr. and Mrs. All-America, John and Linda Lynch, and their scrumptious three kids, to find another place to homestead. New Buc hitman and hired Gun, it now appears, GM Bruce Allen made a Dear John telephone call to John Lynch in California Tuesday night, where they were visiting their parents, but soon would to return to their home on Harbour Island in Downtown Tampa. They were going to return to their home, their hometown, their team, their friends, their church (Sacred Heart and St. Lawrence), their Foundation, their banquet just ahead to raise money for those who need so much, to their chairs on several charitable boards, to their walks and bike rides on Harbour and Davis Islands to play out his distinguished, perhaps Hall of Fame, career with the Bucs of perhaps a couple more years, and to continue their good works among us, then stick with us, after football. Hey, how does Mayor John Lynch of Tampa sound? They loved (love) it here and all love them. Don’t forget we are talking about a Stanford grad and a California grad, a family of brains and bucks and spotless reputations at civic, charitable and family affairs. No baggage. No drugs. No probation. Nothing. Just good guys off the field, and the best at what John did on the field at the key Buc safety position for which he was a model. And off the field, Lynch the player, well, he was always there, win or lose, star or not, and, hey, he was the captain of the team. Back in his senior year at Stanford, Coach Bill Walsh called Buc head man then, Sam Wyche, and told him to draft Lynch. Said he’d never regret it. Said he’d hit harder than he could imagine. Our Sam did that and aren’t we all glad he did. Until Tuesday night. Lynch beat the Bucs to the press conference. From California, he told a telephone press conference the Bucs were cutting him loose, Allen would note later…so John could find a better opportunity. Better opportunity? Silly. The Bucs, Lynch said, made no offer at all, only saying they’d help him relocate. Perhaps pay Forgarty to move him. He didn’t…they didn’t…they don’t want to go anywhere.	The Bucs said it was best—for him—to start anew. Another Buc source said, “he wasn’t going to start anyway,’’ and suggested he couldn’t be paid big bucks to stay and not start. “No offer was made,’’ said Lynch, “not even the minimum. Throw it out and let me decide. I didn’t want to leave. How wonderful it was to run into our stadium in Tampa and see all those 47s in the stands.’’ That was, of course, Lynch’s number. But he already has feelers from other teams. Sure. Why not? Now, the Bucs have not said repeated neck injuries have made Lynch a major risk—as they have not yet said about fullback Mike Alstott. That is what most of us expected. Had they said he was a risk, that his stingers put his life and career in peril—of course, if it is true—that would be different. No, said Dear John, from California, no. The docs said something was wrong and they fixed it with surgery, “and I am fine.’’ His good and great friend, Monsignor Lawrence Higgins, on whose available housing board both John and Linda serve, was shocked at the news, shocked at the treatment of this best ever at his job with the Bucs, shocked, shocked, shocked, and has said so publicly. The Monsignor and the Safety have done so many good works projects together. Shameful, said Higgins of the treatment of John and Linda Lynch. So am I. So are most of you, I am sure. Of course, the decision ultimately lies with the head coach, Jon Gruden, in the midst of a major changeover of the Bucs, and one needed, but not helped by this move, for it was not for the money, the trusted player has said, and no one in medicine has said it was because of risk of serious injury because Lynch is such a hard hitter, such a hard head-first hitter. Gruden said he agreed, it was “time to move on,’’ and Allen said it was all talked over in that phone call. All agree that Lynch did not have a typical season in 2003, injuries causing him to miss games and perhaps age figuring into this slight step backwards. Still say it is awful. It’s undeserved. It kills the incentives I thought, teams sought from their key players. It seems so unlike the new Buc folk….though, well, there’ve been signs such changes might be ahead—Shaun King, perhaps. And, are others ahead. Best be careful here. The Bucs who had come so far in abilities, in winning games and public favor, are putting themselves up for a major change in the sharper image created by the great first season of young Coach Gruden. Oh, he has made it clear his team fell off badly last year in quality and in production and that he was almost leaderless on offense. But, not on defense, with the likes of Derrick Brooks, Ronde Barber and the classy, team-first, leading citizen, John Lynch. Now, Lynch himself has said it is their decision. He has said he’ll badmouth no one. He has said he will always be a “Buccaneer at heart,’’ and wept when he said that and said how rotten he felt about the whole mess. And, yes, we all know that people like the great coach, Weeb Ewbank, said he let his great teams slip because he was late and reluctant to replace aging, great players. That has not changed and again it was our even-minded Lynch who said, just look at Junior Seau (formerly of the Chargers) and Jerry Rice (late of the 49ers) and you will see that chances these days are slim and none that a player of achievement can start and finish with the same club. But, that is the way he would have wished it, and most of us would have wished it. Final? Guess so. Could the Bucs change their minds and would Lynch go along? No idea. But, then, I had no idea a few days ago we would be even having to think of that unlikely possibility. I mean the Lynches were in the midst of a big charity dinner just ahead—in Tampa., where we used to say the living gets better every day. Didn’t yesterday. ##
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