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Worn Out Welcome
Lee Montgomery
RICHMOND, Va. – Here we go again. When will it ever stop?
It’s like Forrest Gump talking about going to the White House – again.
Tony Stewart is in trouble – again. Aren’t we all getting a little sick of this? When is Joe Gibbs going to say enough is enough?
Perhaps that’s what Gibbs is thinking this weekend. We’ll know more Saturday, or at least we hope we’ll know more Saturday. That’s when Gibbs will answer questions, and he’s sure to be asked about Stewart’s status.
For sure, Gibbs will be asked about Stewart’s fiery temperament, which has gotten him in trouble more than once in his brief but tempestuous career.
You know the drill by now. The shove of Robby Gordon at Daytona two years ago.
The punting of Jeff Gordon last year at Bristol. The slapping and kicking of a reporter’s tape recorder last year at Daytona. The shoving of a photographer this year at Indianapolis.
And, now, the shoving – allegedly, of course – of a female fan last month at Bristol.
Do you see a pattern? His behavior has become boorish, and this time you can’t blame the media. The fan went to the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department first, not “Entertainment Tonight.”
And for those who believe the fan is just making charges to get attention, well, you could be right. But I doubt it. And let’s remember this, too, in this country you are innocent until proven guilty. But I doubt Tony is innocent.
All that aside, let us pretend Stewart did indeed shove the fan at Bristol. Heck, history is on his side. That he didn’t shove someone else may be more of a surprise.
If Stewart did push someone, unwarranted, and is convicted of assault, it’s time for a bigger lesson to be learned. It is too late to issue another statement of apology. It is too late for probation. It is too late for the double-secret probation that NASCAR seemed to give him last year. It is too late for a fine.
It is too late for lip service, my friends. Forgiveness is one thing, but responsibility is another.
It is time for Stewart to be suspended, perhaps even fired. And I’m not talking about one race. I’m talking about the rest of the season, with probation next year, too.
Gibbs probably won’t fire Stewart before Saturday’s race. But maybe he should. Maybe he should sit down with Stewart, like he’s sat down with NFL stars before, and tell them what’s what.
“Sorry, Tony, but it’s time for you to go,” Gibbs should say. “You’ve embarrassed yourself, you’ve embarrassed me, you’ve embarrassed The Home Dept, you’ve embarrassed your family, you’ve embarrassed the sport, you’ve embarrassed your fans.”
Kevin Harvick seemed to get the message after he was kicked out of the race Martinsville Speedway earlier this year. Harvick hasn’t so much as nudged anyone since then.
Stewart, though, keeps running into trouble off the track. He hasn’t seemed to learn his lesson. Oh, sure, he’s said he’s sorry and will seek help. And I hope he gets it, too.
I don’t wish to bury Stewart. I sincerely hope he changes. He’s a great driver, and when he’s in a good mood, he can be as jovial and friendly as any in the garage area.
But when he’s in a bad mood, well, he can be criminal, or so it seems.
I used to be married, but I made a few mistakes. A few too many, it seems. I’d say I was sorry after each one, and I suppose I meant it. But then I made more mistakes. I’m not talking about cheating, but it doesn’t matter now. The only way I was going to wise up was to be fired, so to speak.
I’m a lot wiser now, and there is no way on God’s green Earth I’ll make the same mistakes.
It’s time for Joe Gibbs to do what my ex-wife did. File the divorce papers. Stewart needs to wise up.
Worn Out Welcome
Lee Montgomery
RICHMOND, Va. – Here we go again. When will it ever stop?
It’s like Forrest Gump talking about going to the White House – again.
Tony Stewart is in trouble – again. Aren’t we all getting a little sick of this? When is Joe Gibbs going to say enough is enough?
Perhaps that’s what Gibbs is thinking this weekend. We’ll know more Saturday, or at least we hope we’ll know more Saturday. That’s when Gibbs will answer questions, and he’s sure to be asked about Stewart’s status.
For sure, Gibbs will be asked about Stewart’s fiery temperament, which has gotten him in trouble more than once in his brief but tempestuous career.
You know the drill by now. The shove of Robby Gordon at Daytona two years ago.
The punting of Jeff Gordon last year at Bristol. The slapping and kicking of a reporter’s tape recorder last year at Daytona. The shoving of a photographer this year at Indianapolis.
And, now, the shoving – allegedly, of course – of a female fan last month at Bristol.
Do you see a pattern? His behavior has become boorish, and this time you can’t blame the media. The fan went to the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department first, not “Entertainment Tonight.”
And for those who believe the fan is just making charges to get attention, well, you could be right. But I doubt it. And let’s remember this, too, in this country you are innocent until proven guilty. But I doubt Tony is innocent.
All that aside, let us pretend Stewart did indeed shove the fan at Bristol. Heck, history is on his side. That he didn’t shove someone else may be more of a surprise.
If Stewart did push someone, unwarranted, and is convicted of assault, it’s time for a bigger lesson to be learned. It is too late to issue another statement of apology. It is too late for probation. It is too late for the double-secret probation that NASCAR seemed to give him last year. It is too late for a fine.
It is too late for lip service, my friends. Forgiveness is one thing, but responsibility is another.
It is time for Stewart to be suspended, perhaps even fired. And I’m not talking about one race. I’m talking about the rest of the season, with probation next year, too.
Gibbs probably won’t fire Stewart before Saturday’s race. But maybe he should. Maybe he should sit down with Stewart, like he’s sat down with NFL stars before, and tell them what’s what.
“Sorry, Tony, but it’s time for you to go,” Gibbs should say. “You’ve embarrassed yourself, you’ve embarrassed me, you’ve embarrassed The Home Dept, you’ve embarrassed your family, you’ve embarrassed the sport, you’ve embarrassed your fans.”
Kevin Harvick seemed to get the message after he was kicked out of the race Martinsville Speedway earlier this year. Harvick hasn’t so much as nudged anyone since then.
Stewart, though, keeps running into trouble off the track. He hasn’t seemed to learn his lesson. Oh, sure, he’s said he’s sorry and will seek help. And I hope he gets it, too.
I don’t wish to bury Stewart. I sincerely hope he changes. He’s a great driver, and when he’s in a good mood, he can be as jovial and friendly as any in the garage area.
But when he’s in a bad mood, well, he can be criminal, or so it seems.
I used to be married, but I made a few mistakes. A few too many, it seems. I’d say I was sorry after each one, and I suppose I meant it. But then I made more mistakes. I’m not talking about cheating, but it doesn’t matter now. The only way I was going to wise up was to be fired, so to speak.
I’m a lot wiser now, and there is no way on God’s green Earth I’ll make the same mistakes.
It’s time for Joe Gibbs to do what my ex-wife did. File the divorce papers. Stewart needs to wise up.
