Buccaneers’ Most Hated Man Tournament: Round One, Game One
The Buccaneers have a history with a lot of highs, and a lot of lows. There have been many players, coaches, and front office players, that have more than earned the ire of the fan base. Who is the most hated?
Since their arrival in 1976, the Buccaneers have had an up and down go of it. They have had future Hall of Famers, like Steve Young and Warren Sapp. There have been future Super Bowl winners, with Doug Williams coming to mind. They have enjoyed their own Super Bowl title, yet a great many losing seasons as well. A lot of guys have come through this franchise that have left a bad taste in Bucs’ fans mouths.
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But who was the worst? Who does Bucs Nation hate the most? Well we are going to put that to the test here in our first ever Buccaneers Most Hated Man Tournament!
There are nine players and seven coaches/front office staff nominated. They will face off, head to head, and the decision will be made by your votes at the end of each post. You will have 48 hours to vote, and the winners move on, until we have a champion.
Take a look at your bracket, seeded randomly:
With that, let’s get right to the opening matchup, Bo Jackson vs. Michael Johnson:
In this corner, we have Bo Jackson! Most everyone remembers the “Bo Knows” commercials, his career as a two-sport star with the Royals and Raiders, and his college career at Auburn. But Bucs’ fans remember him best for his epic dismissal of the team, even though he received the number one pick in the 1986 draft.
During his final year at Auburn, then owner Hugh Culverhouse flew Bo on his private jet to visit with him and talk about playing for Tampa Bay. Bo’s story is that he was told that the trip was cleared by the NCAA, and that he wouldn’t forfeit his eligibility to play in college. That turned out to be wrong, and Jackson was declared ineligible for the balance of his senior year.
Jackson blamed it all on Culverhouse and vowed never to sign in Tampa, even if he was selected. The Bucs called his bluff, drafting him number one overall in 1986 and giving him a then record contract offer. He never signed, played only baseball in 1986, and ended up being drafted by the Raiders after the Bucs forfeited rights to Bo.
But what made him go elsewhere? It was his opinion, he had no real evidence that he was lied to. Culverhouse may have been lied to by the NCAA. He could have been the foundation of a team led by Steve Young at quarterback, and Bucs Nation could have been treated to many more winning seasons than they have been.
Bo knew football and baseball, but he also knew ticking off Buccaneers’ fans.
And in this corner, we have Michael Johnson! This is a player that we received several nominations for, and with good reason.
Johnson made his bones with the Bengals, drafted in the third round of the 2009 draft. Over his first five years in the league, he posted 20 sacks, including a career-high 11.5 sacks in 2012. So, he seemed like a good idea when the Buccaneers decided to sign him as a free agent prior to the 2014 season.
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He was signed to a five-year, $43.75 million contract, including $9 million fully guaranteed in 2014. What did the Bucs get back for their generosity? They got a whopping 27 tackles, after a career-high 56 in 2013, to go along with four sacks. He was released after 2014, he went back to Cincinnati to post higher numbers, and the Bucs were still on the hook for $7 million guaranteed in 2015!
So there you have it. There are our first two competitors for the title of “Bucs Most Hated Man”. You have 48 hours to vote. Please vote below: