LenDale White and Titans make peace with terrible towel after stomping

November 5, 2:38 PMPittsburgh Sports ExaminerMatt Pawlikowski

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The Terrible Towel is one of sports most iconic treasures.
Photo by Matt Pawlikowski

Does the Terrible Towel really have some sort of mystical power?

"The towel is a positive force that lifts the Steelers to magnificent heights and poses mysterious difficulties for the Steelers' opponents only if need be." its creator Myron Cope once said.

Apparently the Tennessee Titan players believe it does. Last season LenDale White along with Keith Bullock stomped on one after beating the Steelers in Nashville.

The Titans failed to win a game after, and even head coach Jeff Fisher got a healthy dose of its magic when he was overseas touring Iraq, of all places. They then started this season 0-6.

Nashville's WNSR-AM sports radio host Thom Abraham aware of its 'powers' decided to have the two sign towels and send them to the Allegheny Valley School which will be later auctioned off for charity.

That's because unlike most concessions around the NFL that sell copycats of the Terrible Towel, money from sales of what has become the symbol of Steeler nation have generated close to $2.5 million for the Allegheny Valley School, an institution which assists developmental disability children and adults.

"Please accept this towel on behalf of The Thom Abraham Show in Nashville, Tenn. LenDale and Keith wish you all the best. P.S. Please lift the curse," was the note that came attached with the package.

Mission accomplished, because just days after the school got the package, the Titans won their first game of the season over the Jaguars.

"I know we ticked off a lot of people up in the steel city, but they are a great franchise and the towel is for a great cause. When you strip the game away from it, it's all about the cause that it's behind," Bulluck said in a letter to the school.

For those still with doubts, lets re-visit its history. Back in 1995, the Browns Earnest Byner decided to stomp on it prior to a playoff game. The Browns lost and not long after became the Ravens as then owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore.

There was the 2005 season, when Bengals receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh decided to wipe his feet with it after a regular season win.

A month later, the Steelers met up with the Bengals in the playoffs and beat them 31-17, prompting then Steeler coach Bill Cower to go wild with the Bengals favorite chant of "Who Dey" saying "We Dey, We Dey, We Dey!"

The Ravens Derrick Mason did the same last year. Um-mm, the Steelers beat Baltimore not once, but three times in 2008.

And finally, back to the Browns. In 2000, tackle Orlando Brown who said he would go into the stands and grab one of those towels and shove it up those towel waving idiots buttocks and then use it himself in the bathroom.

The Browns have been pitiful since.

NORTH NUGGET

Speaking of the Browns. their blunders continue. A day after canning GM George Kokinas, they released former Steeler Anthony Madison. The cornerback played in four games for the Browns and had two tackles. Although there is no roster spot currently available, Madison was a key contributor on special teams last year and would help bolster a corp that has allowed kick returns for touchdowns in back-to-back weeks.