Penn Reacts Angrily To Report On His Girth
May 27th, 2013
It didn’t start out as a pleasant Memorial Day holiday for Bucs left tackle Donald Penn. The proud resident of the City of Angels awoke to a story on PewterReport.com that alleged Penn is failing his weight tests regularly and, as a result, is in danger of not staying with the Bucs after the 2013 season.
This didn’t sit well with the normally laid back Penn, who took first to Twitter.
@DPENN70: This article here is some bullshit n false I been working hard n putting in work messed up my whole weekend
Then Penn reached out to the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, the great Mike Florio to vent.
In a tweet directed at our Twitter account, Penn declares that he’s “330 right now in the best shape I been in in a long time stop reporting bullshit I made all my weigh in last yr n this yr.”
He later added: “I still shut down the best DEs in the game n ball out every Sunday I gave up 4 sacks all yr last season get yo shit right.”
Penn then apparently realized that the information came not from us but from Pewter Report.
In addition, Florio has several other Twitters from Penn about the report in which Penn used various forms of colorful language that he has since deleted from his Twitter feed.
Unless the Bucs went out and got a left tackle — there’s not that many decent left tackles floating around looking for work at this time of the year — Joe finds it difficult to fathom Penn being bounced. Hell, the Bucs barely have the right tackle position locked up.
If anything affected Penn’s play last year, it was the loss of left guard Carl Nicks, forcing Penn to be spread out a little too thin.
Look, Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik and coach Greg Schiano don’t play games. If they are displeased, they won’t hide it, which is why cornerback Eric Wright had to crawl back with his hat in his hands begging for another chance, then Dominik went out and beefed up the corner position big time.
Could Penn be gone by 2014? Sure, shoot, Joe may be dead tomorrow for all he knows. This year, barring something terribly unforeseen, Joe expects Penn to be in the starting lineup in Gotham against the Jets.
May 27th, 2013 at 12:43 pm
Joe, this is really pathetic on a lot of “sports news” sites. First off Cooks comments were taken out of context and spun to suggest that Penn currently has a weight problem. Sites such as Profootballtalk, roto world, and NFL.com. Thats the truth of the matter. Cook didn’t actually say Penn has a weight problem, he just alluded to him having had one in the past. Now he also suggested that the organization is maddened by his weight issues which may or may not be true but the real irresponsible journalism imo is on NFL, Roto, and PFT not necessarily Cook.
Now they seem to be deflecting responsibility which is really the pathetic part. Penn has a right to defend himself in this situation for sure. Terrible reporting and its sad that no one will hold these other sites accountable.
May 27th, 2013 at 12:46 pm
When I read these other articles and the read the linked article on PR, it didn’t match up at all and it was immediately obvious that these other “journalists”(?) either didn’t read what Cook actually wrote or intentionally decided to ignore it and spin the situation a certain way. NFL journalism is really going downhill now-a-days due to these bigger names and sites not being held accountable at all for their subpar reporting.
May 27th, 2013 at 12:46 pm
Sombrero:
Penn has weight clauses in his contract. That speaks for itself.
May 27th, 2013 at 1:07 pm
Hey I agree. Its just a bit ridiculous that these other sites took what Cook said and artfully spun it to suggest that Penn is in hot water due to current weight issues. Just really lazy reporting on their part but again, this is now the norm among a lot of sites. Anonymous sources, quotes without context, rumors without any actual basis. There should be some type of integrity check amongst the sports journalism world. A lot of good people in the sports journalism world, but way too many irresponsible lazy reporters getting free passes.
May 27th, 2013 at 1:08 pm
Penn always starts the season ”’making weight.” It’s the balooning as the season goes on that worries folks.& his play does deteriorate.
NB, he can say anything about his clauses that he wants as the T.B. brass isn’t going public w/ any details of his contract.It’s like the ”I only did Adderall” pronouncements when a player is suspended.
Donald needs to watch his potty mouth; disgusting language to put in the public eye.
May 27th, 2013 at 1:10 pm
Sombrero,
To be fair, this is not a big deal, but the article is about Bucs that may be on the hot seat. Cook alluded to his past weight issues and went further to suggest that Penn has had difficulty making the weight required by his contract.
It’s possible that Cook’s words may be taken out of context, but he made Cook’s list for a reason – implied weight affecting his level of play and his ability to keep it under control!
May 27th, 2013 at 1:19 pm
4 sacks ALL last season, just stop… it’s embarrassing
Anyone that is questioning Penn and his ability is just looking for a bite.
Reality of the situation is we could be way worse off at the LT position.
May 27th, 2013 at 1:20 pm
nobody reads pewter report. cook is always a day late unless its untrue crap like this
May 27th, 2013 at 1:26 pm
“Penn has weight clauses in his contract. That speaks for itself.”
EXACTLY, therefore IF he was actually failing his weigh ins or still struggling with weight we would be seeing or hearing about the consequences etc..(fines, suspensions, demotion)
May 27th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
Nothing worse than to alienate the only good left tackle we have. Instead of applauding Penns great performance on the field, some reporters intenionally try to dig up dirt. The shock and awe factor. I want facts, and the fact is even though Donald has a weight clause in his contract, it is not up to sport reporters to encourage the club to take disciplinary action. Leave the dude alone. When and if when their is a problem in the organization about Penns weight then it will be open season for a character asssasination.
May 27th, 2013 at 1:33 pm
I wrote a comment that didn’t show so sorry if I double post.
@Macabee
I am completely fine with what Cook wrote. It was an implied speculation piece on which Bucs could be on the hot seat. Im fine with that, its the offseason and you have to write something. It was taken out of context by NFL.com, Rotoworld, and PFT and spun into a factual situation which again, wasn’t what Cook intended.
I agree that its not a big deal in reference to Penn. My problem is with todays NFL journalism as a whole. It is too common for these “journalists” to take things out of context or spin things a certain way or create baseless rumors. It’s lazy journalism, irresponsible journalism, and sadly, the average NFL journalism.
May 27th, 2013 at 1:45 pm
@BigSombrero
I just watched a movie recently called “Teenage Paparazzo” which essentially is a documentary on the world of paparazzi in which ultimately you see that eventually in that field of business it stops becoming about the truth and even about the person being covered and it starts becoming about
reactions/socialgossip/Hits/etc…
Reminds me of that what you just said lol
May 27th, 2013 at 1:54 pm
Journalists aren’t paid to write truth, just drum up reads/page views/subs. Grandma used to say, “get it in writing”. Well, that saying is worth jack now days.
May 27th, 2013 at 2:02 pm
PR just issued an update to their statements about Penn, saying that he did in fact meet all of his weight clauses for the 2012 season but in seasons prior to 2012 he had lost bonus money because of failing to meet those clauses.
So Penn was right. He made every single weigh-in for 2012 and wasn’t fined anything at all. I think in addition to “updating” that article, PR should also issue a public apology to Penn for making erroneous statements that called into question his professionalism and performance in 2012.
May 27th, 2013 at 2:06 pm
Why should sports “journalists” be any different than regular ones? They are mostly self serving hacks with their own agenda. Only believe 10% of what you read! It’s obvious Penn has to fight his weight and wears down late in the year because of it, but his overall play is more than acceptable. If the Bucs haven’t invoked his contract weight clause, they must not be too upset about it.
May 27th, 2013 at 2:10 pm
@FL
Its good PewterReport did that and im sure Penn appreciated that but what are the chances the real culprits in this issue an apology as well? Slim to none is my guess. They intentionally misrepresented a speculative piece then expertly deflected blame and helped point the finger at Cook. Makes me kind of sick really. Not much local small-timers can do about that though. Just take it and move on and learn to speak up immediately when these national “journalists” spin-job them.
Better pay attention Joe.
May 27th, 2013 at 2:14 pm
You go Donald Penn! Don’t piss him off, just ask Jared Allen!
May 27th, 2013 at 2:38 pm
I actually read this article and my first reaction was the exact same as Penn’s. I know of weight issues he had before signing this last contract but since then I dont remember hearing any reports about him not maintaining his weight. I had thought he was doing a great job.
May 27th, 2013 at 3:21 pm
Simple solution is to boycott the sites responsible for this type of reporting until they apologize to Donald for reporting this out of context.
May 27th, 2013 at 4:32 pm
Myron has “bulked” up an nobody reports about him!!! Lets be fair, give Penn a break.
May 27th, 2013 at 4:57 pm
“only believe 10% of what you read”
then why bother reading.
May 27th, 2013 at 5:01 pm
Just for some perspective, Penn made the list of players that may be on the hot seat for 2013 and Myron Lewis did not!
They’re obviously going to feature Myron in an upcoming feature of players who are “definitely” on the hot seat for 2013!
May 27th, 2013 at 5:11 pm
Donald “the Elephant Man” Penn doesn’t work for peanuts!
May 27th, 2013 at 5:16 pm
I don’t blame Penn one bit for getting upset. If someone wrote an article about you saying things that weren’t true (I read the article, it was absolutely implied that he is always missing his weight clauses.), wouldn’t you be upset as well? The guy has been a Pro Bowl player for us, and hasn’t missed a game (knock on wood). He must be doing something right.
May 27th, 2013 at 5:36 pm
[Not cool to wish someone to be physically attacked, man. Mark Cook is a nice guy. For all Joe knows, someone from the team told this to Cook and hung him out to dry. Joe is pretty sure if Penn is not here in 2014, it will be because the size of his contract, not the size of his posterior. — Joe]
May 27th, 2013 at 5:47 pm
@Andrew1
“then why bother reading.”
Cause in today’s world it’s not about whether it’s true, it’s about whether or not it entertains its intended audience..
Smh
May 27th, 2013 at 6:03 pm
I bet Penn pulled the plug on his “Pewter Insider” subscription over this!
May 27th, 2013 at 7:27 pm
As a frequent visitor to this site, and a Pewter Report subscriber since 2007, I have to say this story is getting blown way out of proportion. Cook made fair points, and even pointed out Penn’s record of toughness and reliability – he mentioned him in the same breath as Paul Gruber, and if that’s not respect then I don’t really know what is. My issue is not his even-handed commentary on Penn, but the fact he was on that list over an overpaid injury-prone guy like Davin Joseph.
May 27th, 2013 at 7:47 pm
@Kevin,
That’s all fine and dandy, but if you were Penn, would you be happy that they were reporting facts that weren’t true? The majority of people who read that have the immediate response that Penn is fat and lazy, and that is the opinion they form of him. Most aren’t like us and go back and see the “update”. It is a direct shot to Penn’s reputation, and is a flat out lie. I’m sure he has to work his butt off to both be big enough to be an effective LT, yet keep his weight under control. For him to work so hard and have Cook say things that are inaccurate absolutely should piss him off. So while I agree it’s not a big deal in the overall scheme of things, this is a huge deal to Penn, and for good reason. Good luck to Cook to ever get a decent interview with Penn again.
All that being said, hopefully this puts an even bigger chip on his shoulder. Only good things will happen as a result.
May 27th, 2013 at 8:26 pm
Penn is a Big Strong Agile Man, no matter how he appears. He has faced the best DE’s over the years and never backs down. He wins almost all of his battles too. What kind of ahole writes crap about him to start with.
I say to all these hack reporters ” man up and say it to his face” bunch of keyboard wuss hacks. STFU!!!
May 27th, 2013 at 8:37 pm
Actually Penn already hit PR where it hurts…he basically said in a tweet that he won’t be giving PR anymore interviews. Without interviews and player access most of the local sports writers would eventually be out of a job. PR can’t do this too many times or it’ll cost them in a major way. Other players will be wary of interviewing too, eventually, if this becomes a pattern. I can guarantee you that PR will be seriously dotting all their i’s and crossing all their t’s from now on when confirming potentially damaging information about a player.
May 27th, 2013 at 8:40 pm
I’m all for bashing reporters that don’t do their jobs right. I include Cook in that category. That said, Joe is right in pointing out the weight clauses. They are there for a reason.
I think the bigger story is Penn’s age. He just turned 30. He still has some time left, but he is at an age when the Bucs need to start searching for his heir by next year. His position is not plug and play. Not unless we get a high first round pick…which I hope does not happen for a long time.
May 27th, 2013 at 9:46 pm
@PR
pretty sad, dont you think. call me crazy but I would much rather have the boring truth than to have entertaining lies. the lack of integrity from pretty much everybody reporting the “news” now a days is sickening. thats why things are so fuked up.
I know you cant trust everything you read, hell I know Ive been duped more than once before and it shouldn’t be that way.
May 27th, 2013 at 9:48 pm
my point is somethings gotta change.
May 27th, 2013 at 10:03 pm
Penn got a +15 grade from PFF. I just can’t stop obsessing about how good he COULD have been.
May 27th, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Its no big deal if you ask me.. hes getting paid right now millions and his weight is fine.. done deal.. time to move on..
May 27th, 2013 at 11:51 pm
Here Donald have a Snickers, you get a little angry when your hunger X)
May 28th, 2013 at 12:58 am
^^^^^ ahahahaha LMFAO
May 28th, 2013 at 1:01 am
@ Hawiian Buc
Penn can take all the issue he wants – he did work his tail off this past year, and the o-line turned in a great performance given the circumstances. Like I said, I didn’t think Cook said anything particularly outrageous, at least not enough to warrant this much attention. Even before they made their edit Cook singled out Penn as a steady contributor as well as a great presence to have in the locker room. As for the charges of being lazy, Joe said it better than anyone – the weight clauses speak for themselves.
May 28th, 2013 at 1:12 am
You are right Joe. I wouldn’t want that to happen, either.
Sorry. Will show more restraint in the future.
May 28th, 2013 at 1:30 am
Capt.
LOVE the passion but that was a bit much. Mark is a good guy.
May 28th, 2013 at 9:14 am
Joe,
Can the idiot reporter come out and say “I did it”. Or, are they going to hide behind the “Pewter Report” “soruces”?
I am all for bringing in the news, and athletes are held accountable for their mistakes. Can the journalist who ran this piece issue an apology, and admit they were blowing smoke out of their arse?
Accountability, Penn met his weight requirements since Schiano has taken over, why can’t the scully wag reporter come out and admit their at fault?
I don’t think Penn is mad about being called “fat”, he is more ticked about reporters saying he is on the “hot seat” for not making weight requirements. Don’t spread lies!
I stopped checking out Pewter Report, becuase it is a bunch of bologna. No one wants to read the tabloids, at least your site presents insightful, true, and interesting news.
I remember the old Pewter Report guy, “Charlie Campbell”- he seems to hate the Bucs and offers poo advice/tips/predictions.
Thank goodness there are a few reliable sites to get Bucs news.
Pewter Report took a deuce on itself yesterday.
May 28th, 2013 at 9:19 am
Joe- got you, and I agree! As my health deterioriates, some days are better than others.
When you are fighting to breathe- small things piss you off more than they should. I have apologized to fellow posters, because I unfairly was irratible with them!
The good thing is- on really bad days, I would read JoeBuc, and it would actually focus and calm things down enough, that I breathe easier. JoeBuc has been my companion in more than a few hospital rooms- in the last year.
None of that is an excuse. Again, apologies- and I will keep my maturity level set on “adult”- even on passionate Buc issues!!!!
Thanks
May 28th, 2013 at 9:37 am
I have a feeling that this will fire him up and he’ll bring it to the field.
May 28th, 2013 at 9:02 pm
@Andrew1
I hear ya and I agree