Antonio Cromartie: No room for Tebow on Jets

Antonio Cromartie apparently isn't too keen on the New York Jets taking an interest in Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow in any capacity.  Cromartie tweeted about it after Denver signed Peyton Manning— all but ending Tebow's career with the Broncos.

The outspoken Jets cornerback used Twitter to express his feelings about pursuing Tebow.

"We don't need Tebow," Cromartie tweeted Tuesday.  "We sell out every home game let him go to Jacksonville Tampa or Miami."

Cromartie— one of the leaders of the mayhem in the Jets locker room— wasn't through trying to sway the Jets brass from bringing in the unorthodox quarterback.


"Our Wildcat offense can be run by (Jeremy) Kerley or Joe McKnight,"he tweeted.  "We have Mark_ Sanchez and just signed Drew.  Mark has taken us to 2 AFC championship game.  We need to build on the team we have right now."

Could introducing Tebow's ultra-religious character to the dysfunctional Jets locker room have something to do with Cromartie's rant.

Cromartie has a troublesome background and has fathered nine children with eight women in six states and doesn't exactly adhere to Tebow's beliefs.

The Jets cornerback does make some good points for not getting Tebow, but several people in the Jets organization have told the New York Daily News that he might be a good fit.

Many insiders believe the Jets new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano could put Tebow's abilities to good use in certain Wildcat schemes.  Sparano was the head coach for the Miami Dolphins when he began using the Wildcat offense to pump up the anemic offense.

There are a lot of pros and cons that come with bringing Tebow into the Jets family.

For one thing, Tebow's character could play a big role in bringing the fractured locker room together, but could just as well split the team in two.  The team isn't exactly a group of choirboys.

The media attention surrounding Tebow could distract the press enough to take the cameras away from oft-targeted Sanchez but, on the other side of the coin,  there is also the possibility that Tebow could wilt under the 24/7 New York media spotlight.  'Aw, shucks' only goes so far in New York— unless you win it all.

Just ask Eli Manning.

Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum hasn't commented on Tebow except to say that "Tim Tebow is a player under contract with another team."

Tannenbaum also avoided dumping any more negativity onto the tattered psyche of Sanchez— after the 'Peyton Manning to the Jets' stories and disappointing 2011 season— by saying he "feels good about" the quarterbacks on the roster, which includes Greg McElroy and Drew Stanton.

Tebow-mania and Linsanity in the same city might be a little too much anyway.

NFL Players Asking For Lower Alimony Payments; NBA Watching Closely

While NFL players lose paychecks, and the lockout continues to be stuck at a stand-still, the repercussions of a trickle-down effect could reach the littlest and most innocent of victims--player's children.  Out of work NFL players have now reached out to lawyers in hope of having their alimony and child-support payments modified to lower amounts.  The NBA, with their contract expiring in two months, must be watching this scenario closely.

According a report in the Bloomberg Business Report, a number of unidentified NFL players are preparing for the worst and looking into modifications of financial support if the dead lock between the NFLPA and team owners shuts down the 2011 season, leaving many players with no income.

The report said if the NFL players are unable to reach a collective bargaining agreement with their union, many more players will be looking for modifications in their support requirements.

The poster-child for child support, New York Jets defensive back Antonio Cromartie, already has his 2 year-old son's mother a little nervous and she is probably not alone.  Cromartie is reported to have sired nine children with eight different women.

Tina Julien, a 33 year-old nurse from California, said she is worried about being able to afford child-care for Cromartie's son if the NFLPA and team owners don't shake hands.



"The money I get from him [Cromartie] is definitely important," she stressed.  "Something would have to give."

Julien did not disclose how much support she receives from Cromartie.  The Jets defensive back made $1.7 million last season.

Raoul Felder, the well-known divorce lawyer with a history of famous clients, said it is not uncommon for the unemployed to make support modifications to ease their situation.  He said many Wall Street executives made the same moves during the recent crash.

"The NFL is an industry, and the industry is in trouble," said Felder.  "The men can't meet their obligations."

NFL players earn an average of about $1.8 million a year.  NBA players earn close to $6 million and are expecting a lockout when their basketball contract expires on June 30.

Judges usually allow modifications for child support during times of financial stress but, only after checking the athlete's outside income and selling off of assets including real estate, autos and even championship rings.  The players are not covered by their teams during the lockout and must now pay the added expense of up to $2000 a month for health insurance.

Most pro-athletes can usually afford the hit on their lifestyles during a loss of income, but it is their children's mothers and ex-wives who get clobbered when offered financial modifications.

The players are surrounded by an army of lawyers and agents bent on spreading butter on their own bread, while the women are left holding the licked clean knife unless they cut back or sell their self-esteem to some tawdry reality show.

Even if the NFLPA and team owners hug it out with an agreement, the players won't get their first paychecks until September.