Shades to show your Diva sideWhen Charles Woodson came to Green Bay, I was pretty sure it was going to mean trouble in the locker room that would find it’s way onto the field. I can vaguely recall an ESPN interview of Woodson where he was bad-mouthing his coach on live TV, via satellite. He was wearing sunglasses (indoors) not unlike the ones pictured here, except I believe his were diamond-studded. The diamonds may have spelled the word “diva” on the sides.*

At the time of the interview I was embarrassed for Michigan. Having won the 1997 Heisman award (and as a defensive player, beating out players like Peyton Manning for the honor), this guy could do no wrong in the Big House. But now he was on the Left Coast, where reality sometimes takes a back seat to la-la-land. Maybe that clouded his mind and made him think he owned the town. Al Davis has never been known as a player disciplinarian, so maybe he promised the town to Woodson. Whatever the cause, the result was he was hanging filthy jockstraps out on the community clothesline for all to smell. And that was pretty much the last I’d heard about him until he came to the Packers.

So I was expecting this huge investment of cap dollars for an oft-injured athlete sometimes characterized as a malcontent to be a huge waste of money. And frankly, I’m still not sure we should’ve spent that kind of money on him. But he’s been here, putting in the work, making the plays. Shutting things down. And all without the lip flatulence I feared would be included in the package.

Shades to show your Diva sideSo I apologize to you, Charles Woodson. I made some early judgements about you that appear to have not been true. I’m not often glad to discover I was wrong about something, but I am today. You bring much to the defensive table and do it without attitude.

But Charles - can you please lose the sunglasses? They make you look like a black George Michael. And you know about George, right? The whole…you know. Thing?

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* May be an exaggeration.