Thankyou Rich Kotite ......for signing Wayne Chrebet. Really good interview with Karen Keyes on http://www.newyorkjets.com/ . Video is just under 10 mins long. If you can watch that and not get a lump in your throat , you're a better man than me. Its not every year you get two class acts bowing out of the game. When I come to the Big Apple I'm definatly going to 'Chrebets' , if they let hippies in there , lol.
loved chrebet as a player but the few times i met him and a few others who have met him say he isn't necessarily the nicest. one thing about chrebet kotite or not i think the jets would have tried him out.
This is simply untrue, at least from my own personal experience. Please state exactly what Chrebet supposedly did or said when you met him that causes you to say this about him, otherwise I'll dismiss this post as the pure rubbish that I suspect it is. In August of 2005, I ran into Wayne on his lunch break. I happened to drive across the road to the Colisseum Deli (not far from the aforementioned bar Wayne bought, now called "Chrebet's") and got in line to order a sandwich. The guy takes my order and then says to the guy behind me, "And what'll you have, Wayne?" Unaware that someone had been behind me, I turn to look and I'm face-to-face with Wayne Chrebet. So, I had just purchased one of those white autograph balls over at TC and I was going to be looking for some autographs that afternoon, so I could put the ball in my office as a conversation piece. So then it dawns on me to ask Wayne for an autograph, so I said to him, "Uh... Wayne? I know you're on your lunch break but if I go outside and get a ball, do you think you could sign it for me?" He says to me, "Sure, go ahead and get it and I'll hold your place in line!" So I go outside and come back in and he's already at his table with some other guy who wasn't a player and he actually let me interrupt his lunch to sign the ball... even asked me how big I wanted the signature. So please, unless you have specifics as to a different side of Wayne Chrebet than I experienced that day, squelch this rumor right here and now. Wayne Chrebet is a real standup guy and has always been terrific with the public.
I also only had good experiences meeting Chrebet. About two hours after the afternoon practice, I was waiting near the Jets parking lot hoping for players to come out. Most of the players were already gone but Chrebet saw me wearing his jersey and stopped his car while he was talking on his cell phone to sign a mini helmet. I have never had a bad experience meeting Chrebet but I have defenitely met other fans at training camp that said he wasnt such a great guy.
I was at a friend's place in Colts Neck for a July 4th get together about 5 years ago. The host of the party was setting off some fireworks in his backyard for about 15 - 20 minutes. I was sitting around the pool with some friends, and during a lull in the explosions, I saw a dark figure coming towards us through the woods that led to the neighbor's house. He climbed a fence and upon stepping into the tiki torch light i realized....Thats Wayne Chrebet!!! I immediately grabbed a football i had been throwing around earlier to ask him if he wouldnt mind signing it. Upon approaching good ol' media darling Wayne i overheard him telling the host to "cut the Sh** with the fireworks." Despite sensing his hostility, i still asked him to sign the football i had in my hand. His response? "NO WAY". He then jumped over the fence from which he had come, and vanished into the trees like Shoeless Joe in 'Field of Dreams'....This story is 100% true. In my eyes, Wayne Chrebet will never be the 'gentleman athlete' you portray.
Seriously...i think his bad reputation is deserved. I remember my guitarist and i were talking about how great this new guy was when he was just making a name for himself and the singer for my band at the time overheard us and said she not only knew him, but dated him for a while (She's from North Arlington and he's from Garfield). When we asked what he was like, she said, "He was a total dick". Now, I'm a huge fan of Chrebet the football player, but Chrebet the gentleman seems to be a fantasy.
The funny part about this is you are dis liking the guy now because he doesnt appriciate fireworks booming in the neighborhood? Every single player in the NFL will turn down autographs and photos at some point in time. Otherwise they will never be able to live their life because all their time will be spent signing. It sounds like yea you had a bad experience with him, but the whole story isnt there like what time these fireworks were going off and what not. Guys have bad days and I am sure we all have been in the spot. But I personally work with all sorts of professional players and see their behavior on the sidelines and no matter what they do its not good enough in the eyes of everyone. The fireworks pissed him off, he is only human. Youth?
One time I saw this girl with a flat on the side of the road. I pulled over and changed her tire, she gave me her number, etc. She probably thought I was a nice guy, and if someone said otherwise she might take exception. The other day, while leaving McDonalds on my lunch break, I wasn't paying attention to the road and I ran over an old lady. If someone was singing my praises in her presence, she would more then likely show me in a much different light. I met Wayne once. He just seemed like a regular guy, not overly nice, not a dick. Whatever.
this seems like the most likely true situation that anyone on here will have. chance meetings to get autographs are one thing. the way a man lives his life with the people around him really shows what kind of a man he is. i am willing to bet that she knows more of him than anyone who got an autograph and it being negative doesnt really surprise me as he does seem like the typical meathead. but hey i dont watch football cause the meatheads are people i would want to hang out with.
You guys crack me up!:rofl: I went outside to grab my football and the guy behind the counter handed Wayne his sandwich before I got back! So he sat down at the table (I mean... come on, guys... he's on his lunch break from TC and needed to get back to Hofstra!) so no, he didn't stand there like a dork because he didn't need to. The guy behind the counter still had my sandwich all made and waiting for me on the countertop because maybe he had heard our conversation or whatever... but to me the sandwich didn't matter at that point anyway. My point is he still signed the ball while sitting at the table with his sandwich in front of him, which I think was pretty nice of him. He could've blown he off just as easily. After he signed it, I picked up my sandwich at the counter and paid for it at the back register on my way out to my car. Still, I never expected some of these negative posts about Wayne. There are always ex-girlfriends who are gonna think you're "a dick" (just ask some of mine). All I know is, Wayne was real nice to me that day.
I hear you, Jaywayne. I'm probably partial to Chrebet only because he autographed my ball. I was like a little kid that day... couldn't wait to show it off to T-BirdJet and Kurt. They're probably like, "WTF is with this guy?" but it was a lot of fun getting all those autographs. And the ball looks GREAT in my office. I should probably take a picture of it and use it as my avatar or something.:rofl:
Those are always memorable experiences. I hear you. Great idea with the avatar. My claim to fame is being in a sand trap...hitting out within a foot of the cup..and hearing a guy teeing off at the next hole say "nice shot kid" Phil Rizzuto. Those are the stories you always remember....plus I suck out of the sand.