FanHouse CurtisMartin

After cracking down on identity thieves targeting the big-named professional athletes, it looks these criminals have been more realistic in their expectations; instead of going after Ben Roethlisberger or Curtis Martin, they're focusing on the smaller fish. Like Justin Leonard. No, really.

A 30-year-old Texas man has been indicted on identify theft charges for allegedly opening credit cards and a cell phone account in the name of pro golfer Justin Leonard, a prosecutor said Thursday. ... [Joel Keith] Bridger's alleged scam last year unraveled only by happenstance...

He went to a post office to pick up mail in Leonard's name and flashed his ID, which had Leonard's information but Bridger's photo ... "The clerk said, `I know the Leonard family, and you're not Justin Leonard,' ... To use it where somebody knows you, that's unusual," said assistant DA David Lobingler.

Ah, yes, the justice system's best crime-fighting weapon: stupid criminals. I wonder how a dude arrested on four occasions, everything from drug possession to jumping bail, settled on the 1997 British Open champ.

Whatever, Bridger learned the same lesson as the '99 European Ryder Cup team: don't [mess] with Justin Leonard; he's much tougher than he looks.

Next up, John Daly takes a cue and blames his bizarre behavior on being the victim of identity thieves ... from outer space.

Pro Football Talk has put together the pieces to surmise that Curtis Martin could soon own a part of the Falcons.

For the past year Martin has been making noise about his plans to become an NFL owner, the question has just been which team he would purchase a piece of.

PFT reported that Martin was at the Falcons game on Thursday night. As Mike Florio notes, there aren't a whole lot of reasons to make a special trip to that game unless you're there for business reasons. He's also been rumored to have been seen with Falcons owner Arthur Blank at an Atlanta restaurant. Martin told the New York Daily News last week that he is focused on becoming an owner, and he expects to be one by next season.

Former New York Jets running back Curtis Martin and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank sat down to dinner on Wednesday night to discuss business. What business was being discussed? Unfortunately, only the two of them know the answer that. However, speculation has already begun.

Back in late July, shortly after his retirement, Martin announced that he would like to own an NFL team. Although he was not more specific, he made it sound as if a deal was already on the table.

"I'm done playing football in the NFL but I'm not done in the NFL," Martin said.

Then [he] disclosed that he was interested in purchasing an NFL team.

"I can't be specific right now because I don't want to jeopardize the deal," he added.

Could the Michael Vick controversy be weighing so heavily on Blank that he just wants to pack it in? And if so, is that where Martin fits in?

"It was clearly business," Palm general manager Willy Cellucci told the AJC's Peach Buzz when we called Thursday. "It wasn't two old buddies getting together. It appeared that Curtis was coming into town to see Arthur. I showed Curtis to Arthur's table and heard Arthur ask Curtis, "Did you find the place OK?"

Unless Martin received significant amounts of money under the table during his days as an NFL player, or plans to apply for loans that would give him enough to buy a small third world country, I can't see a scenario where Martin has enough money to purchase a franchise. However, it would not been entirely unrealistic to assume that he would buy a portion of a team. Say ... the Atlanta Falcons.

10 years from now, players donning the green and white will enter the Jets locker room and his presence will still be felt. 20 years from now, his influence will still be evident. And 50 years from now, Curtis Martin's helmet and uniform will still be on display in the very locker he manned for nine years.

In honor of their all-time leading rusher, the New York Jets have decided to leave Martin's locker as is. Everything from the nameplate to the contents will remain intact as a shrine of sorts to one of the NFL's greatest.

"Curtis still has a presence in the building," Eric Mangini said. "And I love having Curtis around. He'll always have a locker in Jets fans' hearts."

He certainly will and there is no man more deserving.

It's a sad, sad day in New York today. Jets running back and future Hall of Famer Curtis Martin has officially retired, ending one of the greatest, albeit somewhat quiet, careers of all time.

So, what does Martin plan to do in retirement? Well, how about owning an NFL franchise?



Whether or not Martin ever ends up owning a team remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: He'll go down as one of the hardest working, classiest men in the history of professional sports. He gave it his all on every play of every game of every year.

Martin goes out ranking fourth all-time in rushing (14,101), third all-time in carries (3,518), 20th in total touchdowns (100) and seventh all-time in yards from scrimmage (17,430). Additionally, he joins Barry Sanders as the only other running back in NFL history to gain 1,000 rushing yards or more in each of their first 10 seasons. He also retires holding the Jets franchise record in rushing yards with 10,302.

He will most certainly be missed.

Hat Tip: The Jets Blog

According to the transactions section of the New York Jets NFL.com page, the team has officially removed running back Curtis Martin from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

This could very well be the last step taken before Martin finally announces his retirement. This "saga" has been going back-and-forth for a couple months now and saw times that suggested he may stay and others that assured his departure from the league.

Through it all, Martin has stayed extremely loyal to his teammates, the organization and the fans. He's remained level-headed and respectful; exactly as his reputation dictates. When he does ultimately hang them up, he'll be sorely missed. I think Brian Bassett of "The Jets Blog" put it best:

Like I know all of us believe, just like that guy named Chrebet who retired last year, he deserved a championship, but that doesn't detract from him being a champion ...

I wish Curtis the best in his future venues.

Story Hat Tip: The Jets Blog

Previously on FanHouse:
Jets, Curtin Martin Agree on Restructured Contract
Curtis Martin Will Retire ... Maybe. Probably. We'll See
Curtis Martin Can't Possibly Think He Can Still Play
Curtis Martin is Staying in Shape, Just in Case
Curtis Martin: 'I Don't Love the Game...I'm Not a Football Fan'

According to a report by Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News, the New York Jets and running back Curtis Martin have agreed to a restructured contract. The new agreement will void the 2008 and 2009 seasons and drop his salary for 2007 from $3.25 to $820,000, the NFL's veteran minimum.

Before anyone starts to make assumptions, Martin is still expected to retire and this move was strictly done for salary cap reasons. While the Jets were very comfortable under the cap, Martin did not want to burden the franchise and essentially saved them an additional $2.4 million this season.

If anything, this move basically assures me that Martin will retire after all. Despite the relentless debate over the last couple of weeks, it's clear that Martin has decided to end his NFL career.

He's a future Hall of Famer and this move was a class act. Here's a tip of the glass to a very respectful man.

Is Curtis Martin going to retire or not? That's a very good question and the answer changes daily. One day he's expected to announce his retirement, but doesn't. Then a friend and teammate claims Martin told him he's done, only to be followed up by Martin saying he's working out and keeping his options open. Then, to add to the mess, sources claim Martin is in fact thinking about a comeback.

Well, today is a new day and you know what that means. A new Curtis Martin story!

Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News reports that the Jets do expect Martin to retire and that he [Cimini] expects him to as well. But hold the phone! You don't think it's going to end that easy, do you? Oh no, no, no, no, no. Things just aren't that simple. The media and Martin apparently want this to rival the Brett Favre and Roger Clemens sagas.

"But I will bet my mortgage that Martin, one of the all-time competitors, is having second thoughts. I know he is," Cimini wrote.

So wait, we've come full circle ... is Martin retiring or not? I suppose we won't know until the bitter end. Either Martin is going to have a press conference to announce his return or to announce his retirement. Until then, we can just continue to speculate.

Previously on FanHouse:
Curtis Martin Can't Possibly Think He Can Still Play
Curtis Martin is Staying in Shape, Just in Case
Curtis Martin Calls It a Season, Not a Career
Signs Point to Curtis Martin's Retirement

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)