Couple of stories on former Pitt football players.

Troy Benson, a former linebacker, who played for Pitt in the early 80s gets a “where are they now” piece. He still seems a bit frustrated about the 1982 season.

“That was our most underachieving team,” he said. “We didn’t play to the best of our abilities.”

Pitt started that ’82 season ranked first in the nation. Benson said it was difficult with the transition from one head coach to another.

“There’s no doubt we should have gone undefeated, and if Jackie (Sherrill) had stayed, I think we would have won the national championship,” Benson said.

Yeah, not the best feeling to know that team goes down in college football as one of the most talented and disappointing teams.

Meanwhile, former Pitt CB and present Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Torrie Cox has been suspended by the NFL for four games for violating the substance abuse policy. The, uh, good news. It probably wasn’t for illegal drugs or steroids.

The substance that landed Cox in the league’s substance-abuse program to begin with apparently is not an illegal drug, but likely alcohol, something that has long been an issue with Cox.

“I can assure you that this has nothing to do with illegal narcotics, ” his agent, Peter Schaffer, said from Denver. “I love him. He’s a great kid.”

Schaffer declined to elaborate, citing the league’s stance that specifics about those in the program remain confidential. The league and the franchise will not comment on the matter. But Schaffer suggested that a look at Cox’s history would help answer some questions. Cox, 26, has twice been charged with DUI since 2004, the second time earning him a one-game suspension handed down by the Bucs in 2005. It also was a violation of probation. Adjudication was withheld on all charges.

Cox mainly plays special teams, but was expected to compete for the starting nickleback job. The suspension costs him about a quarter of his salary. Roughly $140,000. That’s an expensive bar tab.

Mainly because it amuses me at this point.

The day after the introductory press conference for the new Bulls players they headed out to that other Reinsdorf property — the Chicago White Sox.

Bulls 2007 draft picks Joakim Noah, JamesOn Curry and Aaron Gray were honored before Tuesday’s game, with Gray throwing the ceremonial first pitch. Noah wore a jersey that read “Booozynski,” in reference to Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, a rabid University of Florida supporter.

I’m guessing that Noah wasn’t able to throw out the pitch because of his rotator cuff. Since there was no mention of it and nothing I noticed on SportsCenter, I assume Gray got it over the plate.
Gray was also thrown into the local gossip/sightings page.

The Bulls’ GM John Paxon entertained new draft picks Joakim Noah, Aaron Gray and JamesOn Curry at Morton’s the Steakhouse in Northbrook.

Finally just to note that article on Aaron Gray and Darren Morningstar. The only thing that had “parallels” with them beyond being centers at Pitt was their place in the NBA draft. Hardly parallel careers to this point.