During the stream-of-consciousness performance that was his retirement press conference Thursday, Clinton Portis let slip an interesting anecdote: he had, at one point, decided to play football at the University of Maryland.
Steve Whyno of The Washington Times picks up the story.
"I just remember telling my mom that I'm going to college and I'm going to the University of Maryland," he said. "From that point on, she didn't answer a University of Maryland football call, she threw away all the mail. And I walked into house and I said, 'Did any of the coaches call?' And she said, 'Yeah, Miami.' I said, 'That's it? That's the only team that called?' She said, 'That's the only one that I can remember.' "
Such skulduggery from Mama Portis! But wait, let's go back and take a look at the records. The years between 1999 and 2001 saw the final two years of the Ron Vanderlinden era in College Park (combined record: 10-12, 5-11 ACC), and the annus mirabilis of Ralph Friedgen's first year (10-2, 7-1 ACC). By contrast, the U went 9-4, 11-1, and 12-0 with a national championship in Portis' three years.
So maybe Momma Portis knew what she was doing. That is, of course, if you believe this story in the first place.