Should we care how much Fournette weighs?

by Gary Shelton on July 21, 2022

in general

Thursday, 4 a.m.

A story I care about:

Maybe former Bucs' running back Ronald Jones didn't leave in free agency, after all.

Maybe Leonard Fournette just ate him.

Okay, okay. I'm sorry, but I care about the reported weight gain by Bucs' lead back Leonard Fournette. It's a shame when any one in pro athletics puts on 30 pounds, but it's especially disturbing when


Content beyond this point is for members only.

Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo)!

Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.

it's a running back. It's also disturbing when his coaches don't come out and say "no, Lenny's weight is just fine." Or when Fournette himself doesn't post a photo of him on a weight scale.

Instead, Fournette wrote some strange remark about energy, and posted a video of him lifting a lot of weight (no one said he was weaker). So, despite the internet vultures who wrote that Fournette had "rubbished" the reports or had "angrily denied them, well, that's just not the case. Fournette did post a comment saying he was at 245, which is still 17 pounds over his listed weight. But that's not the same thing, is it?

Look, it's the middle of July. Fournette has time to get into shape. I get it: some people want to blame Times reporter Rick Stroud, who won't gain a yard this year.

But yeah, it's a concern. How could it not be?

A story I don't care about:

Is Rob Gronkowski retired? Has he unretired? What time is it?

Look, Gronk says he's done. That's fair. He gave a lot to this sport, and frankly, I hate to see him go. But this daily arm-wrestling over whether he's done or not done is tiresome.

Personally, I don't think Tom Brady is going to want to go to battle with a room full of tight ends where only Cameron Brate has experience. So I think the Bucs -- unless they know differently -- will be looking to make a move to replace Gronkowski.

When he decides to come back, or the team decides to bring in a new guy, let me know. Til then, it's just noise.

A story I care about:

Goodnight, Ondrej Palat. Hate to see you go.

The Tampa Bay Ligthning has been passing out contracts like they were Tic-Tacs, But they didn't have enough left to re-sign Palat, who may be the most underrated player in the history of the franchise. The team will miss him.

A story I don't care about.

Most of the players of the MLB draft have one thing in common. I've never heard of most of them.

So why are a lot of people upset at the Rays' choice of Xavier Isaac in the first round? I mean, they had the 29th pick.

One report included the Rays among the draft "losers." Another said he was the reach of the first round.

Me? I don't know. I would wager you don't, either.

It's silliness to carry on about a draft pick who may or may not reach the majors in five years. It's worse to pretend that you're more of an expert than the team's scouts who have drafted him.

Is Isaac a bust? Possibly. But get back to me when we know for sure.

A story I care about.

Usually, an all-star game makes me switch the channel faster than a fishing show. But I found Tuesday night's game fascinating with the assorted players who were miked up during play. It gave us an unusual glimpse into who these guys are, who is funny, who tells great stories.

I'm all for seeing a lot more of that.

A story I don't care about.

This player, or that one, is upset about where they rank in the Madden 23 Ratings.

Ja'Marr Chase of the Bengals is irked after being tied for 18th in the receiver rankings. Neither D.K. Metcalf of Seattle or Deebo Samuel of San Francisco made the top 10, either.

Hint: It's a game.

Look, rock is still upset that it is an underdog to paper, and the king isn't nearly as powerful as the queen. So what? It's a game.

Previous post:

Next post: