Why let the facts get in the way of a good story?
It was indeed a good story. And, indeed, the facts don’t support it.
As pointed out by MDS, Peyton Manning said during last night’s ManningCast that, to cap the 1998 season, Patriots coach Bill Belichick added Ravens linebacker Peter Boulware to the Pro Bowl roster in order to spite Ravens owner Art Modell, who had fired Belichick as coach of the team after moving from Cleveland to Baltimore.
Manning said that the gesture forced Modell to pay Boulware a $1 million Pro Bowl bonus. Belichick served at the time as defensive coordinator for the AFC finalist Jets, and head coach Bill Parcells tapped out of coaching the Pro Bowl team.
Here’s the problem. Boulware’s contract for 1998 didn’t include a Pro Bowl bonus. We’ve obtained it, we’ve reviewed it. There’s no Pro Bowl bonus in it.
Belichick may have picked Boulware for some other reason to spite Modell, but it wasn’t to force him to pay a million dollars. Or, you know, one dollar.
So, to summarize, great story. Not exactly true, but great story.
