Vai pulls a fast one on a local Arizona station
A minor controversy was stirred up this week when an Arizona sportswriter claimed that former Eagle and Cardinal but current Philly sportscaster Vai Sikahema would be rooting for the Arizona Cardinals this weekend.
The story was entitled "Sikahema will root for Cards, not Eagles"
You might think that former Eagles and Cardinals running back and return specialist Vai Sikahema would be torn this week with two of his former teams facing off in the NFC Championship Game at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Actually, not so much.
"I have loyalties to both organizations, but people who know me know that I openly root for the Cardinals," said Sikahema, now sports director and anchor at NBC 10, the peacock network's affiliate in Philadelphia. "It's been easier since they left the (NFC East) division. But they're the team that took a chance on me 27 years ago."
Vai never said in the article that he would be rooting for the Cardinals this weekend. He simply said that he roots for his old team much like he roots for the Eagles... But just to clear things up, Vai released a statement
I never said that I was rooting for the Cardinals over the Eagles. The headline was blatantly inaccurate and led readers to believe that I was pulling for the Cardinals in the NFC Championship Game.What I actually said was that I root for the Cardinals in general, not in this game. I do this for two reasons. First, they are the team that drafted me and the organization has always treated me well. Second, they are not in our division.
Why on God’s green Earth would I root for the Cardinals over the Eagles this Sunday? I have such a vested interest in this game that it would be silly to even suggest that I would support the Cardinals over the Eagles. If the Eagles win, I get to go and cover them in the Super Bowl. That’s the Eagles, the team I played for, from the city I have lived in for almost 20 years.
I want everyone to know the truth and not listen to a headline that is completely misleading and wrong -- so inaccurate it’s not even funny."
-- Vai Sikahema
Is Vai forgiven?