Original Photo: Chris Humphreys – USA TODAY Sports
Tamba Hali may or may not be running for office.
Wednesday night, the King of Caps took it to Twitter—that’s not a typo. He sent out 22 tweets in a four-plus-hour window. If servers were people, I’m pretty sure that’d be a hate crime—and asked a smorgasbord of football questions; chief among them:
WHO SHOULD I RECRUIT TO COME JOIN OUR TEAM IN KANSAS CITY? @KCChiefs
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) January 22, 2015
Fuse, meet lighter.
To no surprise, Kansas City Twitter blew up, taking it as a blood oath of undying allegiance.
Obviously, though, the tweet was just taken out of context; a playful quip that got lost in translation. Hali knows that he, like a number of others, could be spending 2015 elsewhere.
@DomahawkChop @KCChiefs CHIEFS FOR LIFE BABY
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) January 22, 2015
Welp.
Look, does any of that mean anything? Probably not. His timeline looks like a conveyor belt of (NFL-themed) curiosity, so I’m guessing the league encouraged it. Plus, John Dorsey’s schedule is stuffed with Senior Bowl scouting; I doubt he had a come-to-Oprah moment and started handing out extensions like Halloween candy.
Regardless, Hali was just getting started:
SHOULD PASS INTERFERENCE BE A 15 YARD PENALTY? FORCING THE OFFENSE TO EARN EVERY YARD INSTEAD OF A SPOT FOUL? @SiriusXMNFL @nflnetwork
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) January 22, 2015
THE PLAYOFF IS SO MUCH MORE COMPETITIVE THAN THE SEASON. SHOUKD WE EXPAND TO 14 TEAMS INSTEAD OF 12? @SiriusXMNFL @nfl @nflnetwork
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) January 22, 2015
SHOULD THE PRO BOWL BE PLAYED IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES EACH YEAR? @SiriusXMNFL @nflnetwork @nfl @KCChiefs @ArrowheadPride @KCChiefs_UK
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) January 22, 2015
Three things:
First, I just pictured Hali next to a cloven-hoof animal, gazing at the stars, uttering, “Night’s like tonight make a man wonder what it’s all about.”
Second, playoff expansion has been gaining steam lately, with Roger Goodell hinting at 2015.
Third, an international Pro Bowl is actually kind of intriguing. That, I’m sure the league has already racked its brain over the logistics and doesn’t want to sell a diluted product.
At the end of the day, Hali’s tweets were, in all likelihood, nothing more than exactly that. No clues. No end game. No Da Vinci Code.
If he were to remain with the team, the decision would likely stem from a pay cut. An aging vet—he’ll turn 32 next season—who’s coming off a down year and sharing snaps with last year’s first-rounder doesn’t scream “extension.”
But to his credit, Hali has never been under any delusions. He knows that football, like the vast majority of sports, is a young man’s game.
The fan favorite has always shown humility while praising Justin Houston’s potential. And four days after Dee Ford, his presumed replacement, was drafted, the rookie was playing the piano with Hali’s daughter.
@dee_ford_ AND PRINCESS HALI AFTER A DAY OF WORK AT THE JOB. pic.twitter.com/7jrazcvAEI
— Tamba Hali (@TambaHali91) May 13, 2014
Simply put, No. 91 is the embodiment of selflessness.
And when scratching the surface of his childhood, it’s easy to see why.
At age 10, Hali left war-torn Liberia and, without knowing a lick of English, moved to America, where he initially ducked at the sound of planes in fear that rebels were prepping to rain bullets down upon him.
Twenty-one years and 79.5 sacks later, his biggest decision revolves around a seven-digit salary—and he has earned every penny of it.
However, all things considered, I wouldn’t put too much stock into Wednesday’s tweets.
Next: Clark Hunt, John Dorsey Pay A Visit To Eric Berry