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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 10, 1963)
posed to a bookie or that no one from the Los Angeles Rams ever met a man who bet on a game? The whole thing is rotten. They gave Paul the electric chair for go ing through a traffic light "Bet? Sure he bet. Who doesn't these days? And remem ber where Paul comes from Louisville, Ky. Why, if you're a kid down there and you don't have a bet riding on the Derby, you're thrown out of the gang. Sure we'll welcome him back. I know of only five guys in Green Bay who don't like Paul, and all of them have the same reason : their girl friends fell in love with him." Another businessman, who wanted to remain anonymous so he'd have some peace, had another slant on the return of Hornung. "Of course, we'd welcome him back but he'll never be back in Green Bay. If he comes back and he blows a game, the whispering will start. This is a small town. Everybody knows everything these players do. If Paul comes back here, he'd have to live like a monk, and that wouldn't be his way. No, I wouldn't be surprised if he never came back to pro football. After all, he's making good money on the outside. Why should he go through all the headaches again?" That "GOOD MONEY" is an understatement Hornung may well earn more while ostracized from football than he did as a star halfback. He has contracted to model wearing apparel for big advertisers; he reportedly has scheduled 28 banquet talks this season at $600 a speech; he has ex tensive radio-television contracts. If he were playing foot ball, he wouldn't have time for most of this. A city official told me his reasons for hoping Paul would not return. "If he does, a lot of kids will have the wrong idea. He broke a rule and defied authority, yet when he came here a while back to appear on a charity telethon, he received more phone calls than the show-business people. It's tough enough to raise kids today without the handi cap of having the town's biggest hero a man who got away with something." But this comment from a leading businessman is more typical: "Paul got a rotten deal. They wouldn't try this with a big-town team like Chicago or New York. The Eastern press has always ganged up on us, and so does Chicago. If Paul had been playing for one of those teams, they'd never try this." Another Packer fan, described as being "very close to Paul" (though not connected with the team) had a dif ferent viewpoint: "Sure we were surprised at how they picked him out from so many who bet, and we sure want him back. But now that I've had time to think about it, I believe this is going to do Paul lot of good. He had had his own way for so long that he could be excused for thinking the rules which apply to other people didn't apply to him. This is going to mature him. When he comes back, he'll be a bet ter man and a better football player for it all." And just as I had made up my mind that no one in Green Bay could be jocular on the subject, I took a ride with a cab driver. We were talking about the new athletic plant the Packers had built, and when I commented on the wall-to-wall carpeting in the locker room, he said, "Yup, they'll keep their feet clean even if they can't keep their noses clean." In a way, this wisecrack tells the story of how the blue collar worker in Green Bay feels about the Hornung af fair. They like Paul and want to see him back, but they can't see what all the noise is about. Betting is kid stuff to most of them, and they can't understand all the yelling. "Most of the people I know," a barber explained, "don't understand the particular rules of the league. All we know is that Paul got suspended, and we accept it. But every one is going to be glad to have him back. He's the best liked football player we ever had around here." Regardless of how you look at it, no player has more loyal rooters than Paul Hornung has in Green Bay. He has another half a year in which to prove he deserves them. " SPORT flj .-71 . ! 1 -. - Paul Apologizes to His Fans Shortly after his suspension, Paul Hornung wrote the following letter to the people of Green Bay. It is reprinted from the 1963 Packer Year book: "This will be my toughest season in football be cause I'm not playing. "I have played 17 seasons of football three in grade school, four in high school in Louisville, four at Notre Dame, and six with the Packers. "It will be extremely difficult to sit idle from the sport I love so dearly. I feel the price I must pay for what I have done, according to the rules and regulations of the National Football League, is a just penalty. "I hope and pray that my suspension will be lifted in time for me to resume football in Green Bay in 1964. I will do everything in my power to conduct myself in the best interests of the NFL, the Packers, and pro football followers of America during my period of inactivity. "People the fans, my teammates at Green Bay, my opponents in the NFL, and players in other sports have been extremely understanding and most cordial. I appreciate this very much, and it has given me a new lease on life. Again, I say to all of them that I am truly sorry. "I will be pulling with everything I've got for the Packers to win the championship again this year, and I will be a fifth man in their backfield. "If Commissioner Pete Rozelle feels I deserve to have my suspension lifted before the '64 season, I'll be back and make every effort to help the Packers win another championship." Family Wnkly, Notwmtwr 10. ISC CUTS - SCRAPES BURNS Stop Pain Fast Promote Rapid Healing Apply Caupho-Phbnique to cuts, scrapes, minor bums. You'll be amazed ac how FAST its anesthetic action soothes, coots, stops pain. And its antiseptic action combats infection, helps injuries heal Nature's way. 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