Same Ol' Cup of Joe

Joe Willie Namath might have an excuse for his pre-Super Bowl flub on Sunday.

But first, remembe it's Broadway Joe who made the Super Bowl what it is. He was the star quarterback at Alabama who shocked the establishment by spurning the NFL for the upstart American Football League. He made the game's first brash prediction by "guaranteeing" his New York Jets would beat Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts, and they did. That was back in the day when the quarterback called the plays, and Namath was brilliant.

So if anyone can excuse his frequent transgressions, it the NFL.

In an interview, Namath claims to have brain damage suffered from his football days. I, though, would like proof that it's not from all his boozin', and crusin' in the late 60's and early 70's. 

The Super Bowl III MVP  claims to have had "some treatment" and says that there has been improvement. This would be one of the oldest players to actively state that he has post-playing mental problems, while others like Mike Webster and John Mackey clearly showed signs of deterioration.

Mind you, the signs of mental addlement have been seen before:

Joe went out in style as one of pro football's greatest performers and characters. And for that, a premature coin toss is quite understandable.