Catching Up with Tyree's Helmet
Not pictured: Helmet
If you ask a football fan what he or she remembers most about Super Bowl XLII, they'll probably say one of three things: 1) the New York Giants ended the New England Patriots' perfect season, 2) the Giants incredible fourth quarter - or - 3) David Tyree's improbable leaping catch during the Giants final drive of the game.
This Sunday, before the Giants and Patriots Super Bowl rematch kicks off, Tyree will drift back into the collective conscious of football fans when he makes an appearance on NBC's pre-game show. Tyree has been out of football since 2009, but the catch he made by pinning the football to his helmet in Super Bowl XLII remains one of the most viewed plays of all-time.
Tyree's iconic catch will probably help the generally underwhelming former receiver remain relevant much longer than his career numbers would dictate, but there is a lost soul in this story who struggles to find purpose in life four years after that remarkable catch.
The following is an interview with David Tyree's helmet conducted earlier this week in a New York hotel room.
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Scott Lewis: I understand that you are no longer in touch with the man, David Tyree, whom you helped make one of the most memorable Super Bowl game catches of all-time. Is that true?
David Tyree's Helmet: We were all each other had for so many years, and then one catch we made together changed everything. I think we’ve spoken just once in the past two years.
SL: And how did that conversation go?
DTH: David called me to tell me that he chose to not take me with him for any of the press he would be doing leading up the Giants-Patriots Super Bowl rematch. He said he’d get in touch if he changed his mind at the last minute before he takes part in any pre-game spots.
SL: What happened to your relationship?
DTH: People forgot pretty quickly how big of a role I played in the catch. The story became “hey, who’s this guy that’s done very little his whole NFL career making one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history?”
I mean, watch the catch; you’re going to see it probably 3 dozen times between now and Sunday. Think to yourself, “Does David Tyree make that catch without his Helmet?”
Today, the media and the fans, they just want to know what’s up with David. Nobody cares enough to even find out where I’ve been, or what I’ve been reduced to, in the aftermath of our 15 minutes of fame.
SL: What are you up to?
DTH: I’ve spent a lot of time in this old timer’s broom closet on the campus at Montclair State University in New Jersey. I try to make ends meet by selling autographed mini-replicas of myself. I attempted to reconnect with the Giants organization last summer, but I found out who my real friends were pretty quickly when I accepted an “offer” to attend their training camp.
SL: How did you end up in Montclair?
DTH: Oh, this is a good one. You remember David said he’d trade our catch to prevent same-sex marriage being legalized in New York?
(Helmet pauses and requests a minute to gather his emotions)
He was really pissing a lot of good people off. His campaign against gay marriage really drove a spike between us. I opposed his intentions... David gave me away to the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center like I was an old piece of fruit shortly after that.
(We take a break from the interview and Helmet shows me some old photos of him and Tyree. Upon returning to our session, Helmet indicates that he’s willing to talk about the rift between him and Tyree in greater detail.)
SL: Can you tell me about the details of the split?
DTH: David was using the popularity of our catch to work his way into some shady circles. Man, some of the people we were running with... there was all kinds of shit going on.
One guy, this baseball player, was saying stuff like "God created the sun, the stars, the heavens and the earth, and then made Adam and Eve. The Bible never says anything about dinosaurs. You can't say there were dinosaurs when you never saw them. Someone actually saw Adam and Eve. No one ever saw a Tyrannosaurus rex."
Pictured: Left-to-right Carl Everett, John Rocker, Tim Thomas, David Tyree and Helmet
Then there’s NHL goalie talking about hating the government and he’d decline an invite to the White House if he ever won the Stanley Cup, oh, and John Rocker. John Rocker shows up looking like he’s been hanging out on film sets with Sylvester Stallone. It was all too surreal for me, and I got tired of the toxic environment. There was very little discussion about it, I got tossed in the trunk one morning and woke up a Montclair resident.
SL: That must have been very difficult for you.
DTH: Yes, very. He abandoned me.
SL: Your attempted comeback with the Giants, what happened there?
DTH: I thought that, at the very least, that the Giants would give me another shot.
SL: You attended training camp in 2011, am I correct?
DTH: I called Tom Coughlin and asked him for a second chance. He invited me out to their 2011 training camp, so I got all polished up and ready to show the Giants organization that I’m still a gamer.
SL: And how did training camp go?
DTH: It was a ruse. I showed up and one of the trainers plopped me on the Gatorade table on the sidelines, I watched something like 3 hours of drills. I finally grabbed Coughlin’s attention during a break, so I ask him in front of everybody: “when are you going to give me a chance to do something?” And he goes, right there in front of everyone, “as soon as we get Tiki Barber signed to that new deal for his comeback”. There was eruption of laughter, Coughlin just standing there smirking like it’s the goddamn funniest thing he’s ever said, and I felt like a grade school kid who just pissed his pants in front of his classmates. He made a mockery of me in front of some of my best friends and former teammates.
SL: What a prick.
DTH: That’s what I’m saying.
SL: Last question: will we see David Tyree’s Helmet live and in the plastic this Sunday?
DTH: That’s not a decision I can make. I’ll say I hope so. I really hope so.
