Dick Butkus Suing Dick Butkus Award

Every year some lucky college football player is given the honor and privilege of being named the winner of the Dick Butkus Award. Handed out by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando and decided by a vote of journalists, the award has been given to the best linebacker in the college game since 1985. That may not be the case for much longer. Butkus is suing the organization to gain control of the award for himself after a dispute about what charitable organizations should benefit from the fundraising efforts associated with the award.

“The Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando has been using Dick’s name for the award and supporting their causes, with permission that was granted some time ago, but that permission has been terminated,” (His attorney Robert) Helfing said in a telephone interview yesterday. “It was very a much a handshake agreement between Dick and the club. There was no timetable ever established as to how long their association would continue.”

The attorney stressed that Butkus isn't looking for any financial gain of his own, rather he's looking to support an educational campaign he launched called Lean Mean and Clean. Currently the Club hosts a golf tournament to support a scholarship program but they and Butkus have come to loggerheads about what causes are supported. The program aims to eradicate steroids in high school sports and Butkus hopes to use money raised through the award to support foundations focused on similar activities. 

He believes he has the right to use his name and namesake award any way he wants and I agree. After all, what better way to combat steroid abuse than by using an award that counts Bill Romanowski as a former finalist and Brian Bosworth as a two-time winner. Because steroids never helped either one of them one bit.

Comments

[Izzy Braverman]

so by that sterling logic MLB,NFL,NBA and NCAA should not join the fight against steroids since their participating athletes certainly used the "juice"....maybe Butkus should be commended for having the balls to stand up for kids at risk....might also be worth noting that Butkus never had control of his Awards and the selection was conducted by independent sportwriters..reading is fundamental