Athletes - Warren Sapp

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	Athletes - Warren Sapp

Warren Carlos Sapp (born December 19, 1972 in Orlando, Florida) is a professional football player for the NFL's Oakland Raiders. Sapp is known for his intense and aggressive defensive play, his swift and powerful tackling, and (when periodically substituted on offense) his ability to cast aside multiple defenders with ease.

Early years

Sapp was raised in Mount Plymouth, a small, rural community on the Lake County/Orange County, Florida line. During the late 1980's, he earned widespread recognition as an outstanding football player at Apopka High School in Apopka, Florida. Many top national colleges sought him out as a football player, but Sapp chose to play for the University of Miami.

Professional career

After playing college football at the University of Miami, where he was a defensive standout, Sapp was drafted into the NFL by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 1995 draft (12th pick overall). Some felt Sapp would be drafted even higher, but his draft standing was damaged following allegations, just prior to the 1995 draft, that he had tested positive for marijuana on one or more occasions while at the University of Miami.

Upon joining Tampa Bay, however, Sapp was almost immediately given the starting job at the position of right defensive tackle and finished his rookie season with 27 tackles and one interception.

Sapp continued to be a prolific, intimidating tackler for the Buccaneers, tallying 51 tackles and nine sacks in 1996 and 58 tackles and 10.5 sacks in 1997. In 1997, Sapp was named to his first Pro Bowl. He has appeared in six consecutive Pro Bowls since, and Sapp has never been penalized for testing positive for any type of prohibited substance under the NFL's stringent substance abuce policy.

In the 2002 Super Bowl

In 2002, Sapp helped lead a resurgent Tampa Bay team to victory in Super Bowl XXXVII over the Oakland Raiders. Sapp picked up a total of five tackles and two sacks through the 2002 postseason.

Mike Sherman confrontation

On November 24, 2002, at Raymond James Stadium, Sapp drew wide criticism for leveling the Green Bay Packers' Chad Clifton. There was a national debate on whether the hit was a cheap shot, as replays showed that Clifton and Sapp were far away from the play during the interception, but the route Dwight Smith took on the return may have eventually put Clifton in position to make the tackle, had Sapp not laid the block on him. The hit sent Clifton to the hospital with a serious pelvic injury and ended his season. Following the 21-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers victory, Sapp and Packers' coach Mike Sherman exchanged heated words. Initially nonchalant about the incident, Sapp at first reached out to shake Sherman's hand, but Sherman would have none of it, and appeared to have uttered something under his breath towards Sapp that sounded like "That hit on Clifton was chicken shit." On national television, Sapp told Sherman: "You fucked up. Put on a jersey...You're so tough? Put a jersey on...win some games." One year after the incident, Sapp was named the enemy of Wisconsin in the Sports Illustrated's 50th anniversary edition. Clifton has since recovered from the injury and still plays for the Green Bay Packers.

The skipping incidents

In 2003, during an October 6 Monday Night Football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sapp was scolded for skipping through and disrupting the Colts players, who were spread out on the field, streching during pre-game warmups. There was much anticipation and national interest going into the game, which was the return of former head coach Tony Dungy to Tampa. The Colts wound up erasing a 21-point deficit in the final four minutes, and defeated the Buccaneers 38-35 in overtime, further adding to the disdain and frustration of fans.

A week later, on October 12, 2003, prior to the game against the Washington Redskins, Sapp was skipping by the Redskins' sidelines, antagonizing his opponents. He then bumped into and knocked over an NFL referee. The incident drew a fine of $50,000. Sapp's response to the fine further tarnished his public perception: "It's a slave system. Make no mistake about it. Slavemaster say you can't do it, don't do it. They'll make an example out of you."

These were not the first times Sapp had done this. He also skipped through and taunted the Pittsburgh Steelers during pre-game warmups of a December 23, 2002 Monday Night Football game at Raymond James Stadium. Steelers running back Jerome Bettis shoved Sapp, and this was followed by a heated argument between the two teams. Sapp was not fined for the incident, but these incidents just added to his controversial image. Sapp felt that he was made an example by the NFL by being fined for the first skipping incident. "That's all this is about", said Sapp. "In my nine years in this league, no one's been fined for verbally abusing officials. It's unprecedented". The Steelers wound up winning the game 17-7.

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