There it was. Sparkling brightly, blinding me with rage and jealousy.
Jerome Bettis, retired running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, basking in the glow of the 15 pounds of diamonds that adorn his Super Bowl Championship ring.
So, on behalf of Seattle Seahawks fans everywhere, I confronted him.
One on one.
He showed me the ring. I asked him the question.
“You know a lot of people in Seattle think you stole that, right?”
“I can respect that, no question,” Bettis told me. “Whenever you have difficult calls, I don’t care what game it is, you always have an issue. But, now, in the Super Bowl, it’s heightened. And, the play wasn’t definitive either way.
“But, obviously, when your allegience is to the other side, it’s wrong. So, I can respect them saying what they’re saying, because if I’m a fan, I’m going to say the same thing. … They have every right to be pissed off.”
The retired Pittsburgh Steelers running back was at the TV Critics Association press tour on Friday to promote NBC’s new coverage of Sunday Night Football, which is his new place of employment.
If it’s any consolation, Bettis thinks the Seahawks can make it back to the Super Bowl this season.
“The one benefit, though, (is) they’ve got a great team,” he said. “So, hopefully, it’ll just keep them on the same track and make them hungrier. Because we lost the AFC Championship two years ago, and it just made us hungrier.
“They did nothing but get better (in the offseason). I’m picking them and Carolina to be right there in the NFC Championship.”
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