# Is Jerry Rice's career tainted? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 10, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312 "2015-02-10T18:18:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/1 "2015-02-10T18:18:54Z")
Should the career of the man with most of the meaningful career receiving records have an asterisk next to them? Should Jerry Rice be removed from the Hall of Fame, or at least have his bronze bust there covered over? [He’s an admitted cheate](http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25061760/jerry-rice-on-stickum-use-all-players-did-it)r, after all. > [@Jerry Rice](#): > > I know this might be a little illegal, guys, I just put a little spray, a little stickum on them, to make sure that texture is a little sticky. and > [@](#): > > I apologize ppl after doing my research about stickum! The NFL banned this in 1981. All players did it! **Hentor** , what do you say? ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/2 "2015-02-10T18:25:25Z")
Not getting enough attention in the other thread? PM broken? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/3 "2015-02-10T18:30:55Z")
What I remember about Rice’s play was that he stayed in such supurb physical condition in regular and off season through training and that was what allowed him to speed and route through defenses getting open where he could make a play, not that the catches then were unusual or really exceptional in any way. And yes, I’d imagine most every receiver in the league was using the exact same stuff. Further, how can we say his record is tarnished for stickum on gloves when we now allow gloves that far exceed anything available to Rice? For the record I was a Cowboy fan and had reson to despise Rice’s success but I absolutely do not begrudge him this, he was an absolute stud of a receiver. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/4 "2015-02-10T18:37:19Z")
As **lieu** said, the gloves that are legal today result in catches that were unheard-of in Rice’s day. One of the things that I enjoy about the game now as opposed to when I first started watching closely in the 60s is amazing catches. Rice needs no asterisk, there is no blemish on his record, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/5 "2015-02-10T18:49:58Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Is Jerry Rice’s career tainted? > > Should the career of the man with most of the meaningful career receiving records have an asterisk next to them? Should Jerry Rice be removed from the Hall of Fame, or at least have his bronze bust there covered over? [He’s an admitted cheate](http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25061760/jerry-rice-on-stickum-use-all-players-did-it)r, after all. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo. Jerry Rice made a lot of quarterbacks look good. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/6 "2015-02-10T18:51:23Z")
This will blow over and Rice’s legacy will remain untarnished in the eyes of most. But I can understand if some fans view Jerry Rice a little differently. I mean, he broke the rules. I’m not saying he should be out of the Hall of Fame or anything extreme. But the “everybody did it!” excuse didn’t fly for PED users in baseball. Granted, stickum is the bottom rung of the cheating ladder while PED use is up there quite a bit. It sounds like Jerry knew he probably should not have been using it, but I don’t think this will taint his career except for in the eyes of very, very few fans. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/7 "2015-02-10T19:16:25Z")
Rice’s legacy as a player will remain untarnished. His reputation will take a hit as a hypocrite, as it should. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/8 "2015-02-10T19:47:35Z")
I wonder, did Rice ever play against Lester Hayes? The two of them could’ve ended up glued together for life. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/9 "2015-02-10T19:53:17Z")
Like lieu, I’m a Cowboys fan, and have no love lost for the man. He was an amazing route runner, with an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time. Not many of his catches were extraordinary or incredible to watch like some of today’s (Looking at you Beckham Jr) insane catches. A hypocrite yes, but he deserves and earned his place in history. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/10 "2015-02-10T20:05:07Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Rice’s legacy as a player will remain untarnished. > > His reputation will take a hit as a hypocrite, as it should. During Rice’s playing years, who didn’t know that Rice, as well as many other pass receivers, used “stickem” on their hands, gloves, and forearms? It was a pretty obvious aid and its use would have been obvious to both teams and the officials. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/11 "2015-02-10T20:42:58Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I wonder, did Rice ever play against Lester Hayes? The two of them could’ve ended up glued together for life. 😃 Hayes is the reason the stuff was banned. Even so, if he hadn’t covered his entire body with it to the point it showed even on a CRT TV, nobody would have cared. > [@Telemark](#): > > Rice’s legacy as a player will remain untarnished. But he _cheeeetedddd!!!_😉 > [@Hamlet](#): > > Not getting enough attention in the other thread? PM broken? How does it feel knowing it’s all about to blow up in your face and you’re powerless to stop it or even elude it? Are you planning to confront it when it happens, or simply ignore it? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/12 "2015-02-10T20:52:27Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > During Rice’s playing years, who didn’t know that Rice, as well as many other pass receivers, used “stickem” on their hands, gloves, and forearms? It was a pretty obvious aid and its use would have been obvious to both teams and the officials. Exactly. He plays coy and acts like he didn’t know it was illegal, but how many fans didn’t know? I was just a kid for most of Rice’s career, but I had no idea stickum was illegal (though I knew Super Glue was). He’s still the best receiver ever. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/13 "2015-02-10T21:04:45Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > How does it feel knowing it’s all about to blow up in your face and you’re powerless to stop it or even elude it? What the fuck are you on about now? I don’t recall ever posting “Jerry Rice never cheated!” ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/14 "2015-02-10T21:05:01Z")
Rice’s legacy MIGHT be tainted if he were known primarily as a good-hands guy. But he wasn’t. Rice was known as a guy who got open even against tough secondaries, and who took short passes all the way to the end zone. People rarely looked at Rice and wondered, “How did he hold on to that ball?” Rather, they looked at him and groaned, “Who the heck was covering him???” or “Dang it, he’s not even that fast!!! How’s he leaving all those defenders in the dust???” ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/15 "2015-02-10T21:10:47Z")
As someone who played football in my youth, I can say that it is indeed possible to drop a ball if you have stickum on your hands. It’s not glue. It doesn’t give you that much of an edge. And it doesn’t give any edge if you ain’t the only person using it. So, no. His career is untainted. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/16 "2015-02-12T21:55:09Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Rice’s legacy MIGHT be tainted if he were known primarily as a good-hands guy. But he wasn’t. Rice was known as a guy who got open even against tough secondaries, and who took short passes all the way to the end zone. > > People rarely looked at Rice and wondered, “How did he hold on to that ball?” Rather, they looked at him and groaned, “Who the heck was covering him???” or “Dang it, he’s not even that fast!!! How’s he leaving all those defenders in the dust???” This. Have a sticky substance on his hands is the LEAST of what made him a great receiver. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/17 "2015-02-12T22:31:47Z")
Well, he clearly didn’t use it for _every_ [catch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFm8Axdra54). ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/18 "2015-02-13T00:11:09Z")
Ah, the argument du jour from Patriots fans: someone else cheated, so blablablaIcan’thearyouwhenyoucalloutthePatriotsforcheating. It’s a variation on the “Republicans/Democrats did it too!” argument. What Jerry Rice did or did not do does not change the fact that Belichick is a known cheater and is therefore not believable when he says he didn’t this time. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/19 "2015-02-13T14:03:36Z")
Not quite getting it, are you? Let me help: Are you anti-cheating or anti-Patriots? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312/20 "2015-02-13T14:16:10Z")
I look forward to reading your, or anybody else’s for that matter, long-anticipated denunciations of the Browns for [Textgate](http://espn.go.com/blog/cleveland-browns/post/_/id/11153/browns-text-message-issue-with-nfl-a-bad-look), btw. That one actually has evidence involved, too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jerry-rices-career-tainted/712312.md?page=2)