Bad things in a part of town that is supposed to be getting better
In a story that has not yet even made the Washington Post (ed. note, this story was reported Monday morning by the WaPo. -Ben), seven people were shot late last night outside Sidelines Restaurant, a sports bar in Largo Maryland owned by former Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington. The restaurant is located at The Boulevard at Capitol Centre, the town center style monstrosity that was built on the site of the Capital Centre / US Air / US Airways Arena which was demolished in 2002*
According to NBC 4 in Washington (just saw the report on the 6pm news) and MSNBC (op. cit.), an argument started between two groups inside the restaurant, when it spilled out into the lot guns were drawn and seven people were shot, one died. Two were treated on the scene for serious injuries and the other four, get this, drove themselves to the hospital. After getting shot.
According to this blog post from February 2008, men are not allowed to wear athletic gear into Sidelines, including tennis shoes, there is (or was) a pat down or other type of personal search of patrons entering the establishment and there was tons of security inside this cavernous sports bar.
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For those that need a refresher LaVar Arrington was drafted out of Penn State by the Redskins with the second overall pick in the 2000 draft. After making the Pro Bowl three straight years in 2001, 2002 and 2003, LaVar signed an eight year 68 million dollar contract extension intended to to keep LaVar in Washington for his entire NFL career. However a dispute over a 6.5 million dollar roster bonus that would have been payable before the third season of the new contract, 2006 that is, a bonus that did not make the final draft of the contract, and a knee injury soured LaVar's relationship with the team. Ultimately LaVar's agent was found responsible for the dispute and barred from representing NFL players for two years.
Gregg Williams, then the Redskins new defensive coordinator in 2004, managed to field a top squad without LaVar and got used to life without the star linebacker. LaVar was forced to buy his way out of his contract before the 2006 season, then signed a seven year 49 million dollar contract with the New York Giants, even admitting in an interview later that he kept the Redskins playbook after departing the team. LaVar was not spectacular in New York then blew out his achilles tendon midseason and was cut after the 2007 season. While still rehabbing from the achilles injury LaVar crashed his motorcycle in suburban Maryland and never came back to football. He has appeared on local media and, as we now know, owns a local business.
* The destruction of Capital Centre was witnessed over early morning beers by me and lifetime Eagles fan, season ticket holder and Curly R reader/lurker Wilbert Montgomery on 15 December 2002, we were on our way to the Redskins at Eagles game that day and the scheduling of the destruction was fortuitous for us, we pulled over at Redskins Stadium and stood on the nob overlooking Cap Centre and watched it go down, I saw many a Capitals game, Bullets game and Grateful Dead show at that venue. The Eagles game that day was the seventh in eight Eagles-Redskins games for us and the fifth rivalry game in a row for me, a streak we have continued and that now stands at nineteen of the past twenty and seventeen in a row for me.
LaVar Arrington in front of his retaurant: uncredited image from here.
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