When Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck agreed to speak to a group of students at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., it generated some real excitement, especially for the person who introduced Luck on Friday.
According to Dana Benbow of the Indianapolis Star, "the introduction went on and on ... and on. A rundown of all his accomplishments in high school, college, the NFL -- on the field and off."
"It sounded like a eulogy back there," Luck said after finally taking the stage.
Luck, who led the NFL in touchdown passes with 40 in 2014, spoke to a crowd of about 1,400 as part of the Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture Series. Luck's talk was billed as "Creating Your Personal Game Plan for Success."
"As far as advice? I'm only 25," Luck said. "I don't have any advice."
Instead, the three-time Pro Bowler answered questions from the audience. Among the highlights collected by Benbow:
• On funny stuff on the field: "You'd be surprised at the interactions between [opposing] players in the NFL. There are some hilarious conversations out there sometimes. You'll be lined up and you hear conversations about their kids. 'How's your Aunt Margaret doing?' "
• On following Peyton Manning as Colts quarterback: "If I woke up every morning saying I'm going to fill Peyton's shoes every day, I'd go crazy. You can't do that. I'm going to do the best I can. It was actually a lot easier than you think. Not once did I have an older player say, 'No, you've got to do it this way because Peyton did it this way.'"
• On getting over his nervousness on his first day with the Colts: "Dwight Freeney, the most fearsome pass rusher, came up to me and said 'Look, we're all behind you. You do it your way.' It was awesome to hear on my first day in the locker room. It put all my fears and doubts aside. He squashed all those. That made it a lot easier."
• On being a good leader: "I get somewhat of a sick enjoyment out of getting to yell at people."
Romo, no!
Sorry Dallas Cowboys fans. Your quarterback just jinxed the whole season.
Romo was this year's recipient of the Nancy Lieberman Lifetime Achievement Award given by the basketball Hall of Famer's foundation and accepted the award at an event last week in Dallas.
"This award is very meaningful to me, mostly because I get to be associated with this and to be associated with Nancy," Romo said, according to the Dallas Morning News. "It's incredible and I really appreciate you, and we're going to win a Super Bowl next year. Thank you."
Unless he turns into Joe Namath, who did manage to pull off a "guaranteed" Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl III, the Cowboys are likely doomed.
No mercy
American sprinter Tyson Gay should have been banned for life for doping, says six-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt of Jamaica.
Gay, a former 100- and 200-meter world champion, was suspended for a year after testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid, a period that was reduced for cooperating with the US Anti-Doping Agency.
"It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. The message should be: 'If you cheat, you're going to be kicked out of the sport'," Bolt said.
Gay, a former Arkansas Razorbacks track and field star, was back in action by June 2014 and, over the last year, has run faster times than Bolt.
"I'm not looking forward to competing against Tyson," Bolt told Runner's World. "I'm not worried about him beating me, it's because I respected him so much. It's a bit like parents must feel when they have a kid who does something bad and lets them down.
"You have to drive fear into athletes, to make them think about the consequences of their actions. If they're getting an easy penalty why would they care?"
Sports quiz
How many touchdown passes has Andrew Luck thrown in his NFL career?
Answer
86
Sports on 04/27/2015