Let's be real: The accusations from Tim Brown and Jerry Rice that former Oakland Raiders coach Bill Callahanintentionally lostSuper Bowl XXXVII are ridiculous. Brown and Rice are thoughtful men, and they were highly intelligent players, but this theory is insane.
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After 24 hours in the news cycle, with other Raiders defending Callahan, the coach officially has heard enough.
"I am shocked, saddened and outraged by Tim Brown's allegations and Jerry Rice's support of those allegations," Callahan, now with the Dallas Cowboys, said in a statement released to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. "To leave no doubt, I categorically and unequivocally deny the sum and substance of their allegation. To suggest otherwise, especially at this time when it involves the Super Bowl, is ludicrous and defamatory.
"Any suggestion that I would undermine the integrity of the sport that I love and dedicated my life to, or dishonor the commitment I made to our players, coaches and fans, is flat out wrong. I think it would be in the best interests of all including the game America loves that these allegations be retracted immediately."
Now that's a statement. It even hints at Callahan potentially taking legal action. (Note the word defamatory and the ask for a retraction.) Brown's conspiracy theory defies logic in so many ways that it's almost not worth discussing.
But with Brown a finalist for the Hall of Fame voting next week, this is a topic that probably isn't going away.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
