Post by sdm3 on Jan 22, 2020 11:10:22 GMT
Yeah, it's Bleacher Report, but...
bleacherreport.com/articles/2520265-nfl-urban-legends-donovan-mcnabbs-super-puke
bleacherreport.com/articles/2520265-nfl-urban-legends-donovan-mcnabbs-super-puke
In the weeks that followed the loss, a rumor began growing and taking on its own life, becoming a full-bore urban legend that turned a disappointing-but-hard-fought near-miss into a case of a quarterback who couldn't toss passes because he was too busy tossing cookies.
The story of the Super Puke is a great sports urban legend in a city full of them. People will talk about booing Santa Claus as if it happened two years ago (it occurred during the LBJ administration—and not the way you think) until I have great-grandchildren, and Philly fans will swear they saw McNabb vomit all over the field in Super Bowl XXXIX, just before some game-killing interception, until we are all too old to remember anything else.
But did it really happen? How well do we really remember that 2005 Super Bowl?
The story of the Super Puke is a great sports urban legend in a city full of them. People will talk about booing Santa Claus as if it happened two years ago (it occurred during the LBJ administration—and not the way you think) until I have great-grandchildren, and Philly fans will swear they saw McNabb vomit all over the field in Super Bowl XXXIX, just before some game-killing interception, until we are all too old to remember anything else.
But did it really happen? How well do we really remember that 2005 Super Bowl?
The legend: Donovan McNabb threw up in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XXXIX, either due to jitters or poor conditioning, and the incident had a major impact on the Eagles' 24-21 loss to the Patriots.
What we know: First of all, no one saw McNabb throwing up on television. I own a DVD of the game, watched it several times: No McNabb puking.
Don't take my word for it. Search YouTube. Nothing. Search Google. In this era of GIFs, surely it must be easy to find one of a quarterback vomiting during the 2005 Super Bowl. Nope.
You will find McNabb throwing up at the line of scrimmage against the Buccaneers on a 90-degree day in 2006, but that video is actually solid evidence against the Super Puke: If vomit video from an ordinary midseason game exists, why doesn't any exist for the same thing happening during the Super Bowl?
What we know: First of all, no one saw McNabb throwing up on television. I own a DVD of the game, watched it several times: No McNabb puking.
Don't take my word for it. Search YouTube. Nothing. Search Google. In this era of GIFs, surely it must be easy to find one of a quarterback vomiting during the 2005 Super Bowl. Nope.
You will find McNabb throwing up at the line of scrimmage against the Buccaneers on a 90-degree day in 2006, but that video is actually solid evidence against the Super Puke: If vomit video from an ordinary midseason game exists, why doesn't any exist for the same thing happening during the Super Bowl?
In the last few years, Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard and fullback Jon Ritchie have asserted that McNabb threw up in Super Bowl XXXIX. Sheppard said in a 2013 interview on SportsRadio WIP (via philly.com) the event was "subtle" and happened when he was walking to the line of scrimmage. Ritchie said on WIP (via philly.com), "It looked that way," and McNabb often threw up before games, which is not that unusual for an athlete. "Some guys have those nervous stomachs," he said.
Both Sheppard (defensive player) and Ritchie (injured reserve) were on the sideline during that fateful drive. Both were also talking years after the fact on sports radio stations, still trying to drum up attention by talking about the Super Puke.
Sheppard appeared to be speaking about the coughing fit that was visible on television. Ritchie was speaking about pregame vomiting. The radio host never asked him to clarify whether McNabb threw up before the Super Bowl or during the fourth-quarter drive, but then you should never ask a question if you don't want to know the real answer.
Both Sheppard (defensive player) and Ritchie (injured reserve) were on the sideline during that fateful drive. Both were also talking years after the fact on sports radio stations, still trying to drum up attention by talking about the Super Puke.
Sheppard appeared to be speaking about the coughing fit that was visible on television. Ritchie was speaking about pregame vomiting. The radio host never asked him to clarify whether McNabb threw up before the Super Bowl or during the fourth-quarter drive, but then you should never ask a question if you don't want to know the real answer.
In summary, we know the Eagles lost, McNabb was hacking and coughing after a pair of big hits in a critical late drive, and there is zero evidence—no video, no firsthand accounts, not even a withering comment from an attention-seeking Owens—McNabb "threw up" in the way most of us would understand throwing up.
All we have is a possibly intentional misremembrance of an event, some talk-radio comedians with a decade of airtime to fill and lots of word of mouth that got garbled over the years. Then again, those things practically make up the exact definition of an "urban legend."
All we have is a possibly intentional misremembrance of an event, some talk-radio comedians with a decade of airtime to fill and lots of word of mouth that got garbled over the years. Then again, those things practically make up the exact definition of an "urban legend."