The best news of the San Francisco 49ers’ offseason might have been Vernon Davis saying “no.” From MMQB:
“If it’s something I think I’ll be overwhelmed with, I won’t do it,” Davis says. “I got an offer to do Dancing With the Stars this year but couldn’t, even though it was a beautiful opportunity. I have a feel for [the demands] now. I know what could be too much for me.”
Readers who enjoy watching DWTS should probably stop reading this post now. I’ll wait. Here’s a link to this season’s cast, which includes Winnie Cooper.
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My wife gives me a hard time (meaning she laughs at me because she’s heard the rant several times before) because I really don’t like watching people dance on TV or in movies. I’ve never been known to Step It Up. Don’t ask me to Bring It On. You want to get Served? Go ahead, I’ll leave the room. I can’t stomach ice dancing, and I almost stopped watching “True Blood” when they started featuring three-minute hedonistic dancing scenes in several episodes.
You get the point. I’m not one of those people who stay posted against the wall while others dance, and I’ve even taken dance lessons (not many, maybe five or six) with my wife. But I’d almost rather watch an entire TLC program than five minutes of dancing on my television.
So, good on Davis for turning down the “opportunity” to boost his brand. ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio took this news as a chance to call out the potential problems that could arise due to Fantex, the investment company that gave Davis $4 million in return for 10% of Davis’ future earnings. Florio thinks Davis might be hesitant to dance on TV if he’ll have to forfeit some of the money he receives.
But that’s standard Florio, trying to stir stuff up. I’m pretty sure Davis wants to prepare for another deep playoff run and doesn’t want to waste time on physical activity that won’t help him on the football field.
Davis is an incredibly hard worker. No one catches more balls shot at close range from Jugs gun. His route-running is light years better now than it was five years ago. Clearly he spends several hours per week in the weight room. DWTS is a time-intensive activity (I’m guessing), especially if Davis made it all the way to the finals.
Also, when the 49ers and DWTS are brought up in the same sentence, we all think about Jerry Rice. Rice did well in season two, finishing as the runner-up. But we also saw this:
Russell Wilson also turned down DWTS. Seahawks and 49ers fans rejoice — this rivalry is heated enough without key players wearing makeup and leather vests on TV to fan the flames.