Dispensing Forgiveness
Summary: Steelers kicker Jeff Reed goes kickin' around Washington County for a cause. No, make that two causes -- his own redemption, and charity. Reporter: Wendy Bell, WTAE Channel 4 Airtime: 1 minute, 15 seconds on Oct. 27 Visuals: * The headline, "Steelers kicker Jeff Reed keeps sense of humor at Washington County fundraiser." * Enthusiastic fans waiting for the Steelers bad boy to autograph their assorted memorabilia. Highlights: * When anchor Wendy Bell smiles as she tells us about some people on a mission to help those in need have a "happy Thanksgiving" -- "among them, Jeff Reed, whose recent troubles with the law came up not once, but twice." * When state Rep. Tim Solobay, a Canonsburg Democrat, decrees, "On behalf of myself and the state legislature, I'd like to present you with this citation from the House for your cooperation. ... This is a good citation." * When Bell refreshes us, "As you may recall, Reed was cited by police after a confrontation with them on the North Shore after the Browns game. Tonight it was all about signing autographs for cash -- raising money for the 2000 Turkey Program. Some who came brought paper-towel dispensers for Reed to sign -- gotta love that -- in reference to an incident this past summer, when he damaged a dispenser at a Sheetz in Westmoreland County." * When a female fan says to Reed, dispenser in hand: "We're kinda in the same boat. I risked my job." When Reed hollers, "She stole this! Citation. I'm out to get everybody now." The woman pleas for a pardon -- "No, it's not from here. It's OK." * When Bell says, "Organizers hope to feed more than 18,000 people a turkey dinner this Thanksgiving. Lofty goals. Hope they do it. ... They raised $3,700 in 90 minutes." * When anchor Andrew Stockey gets the last word in: "And we'll be looking for towel dispensers now to be missing from bathrooms all over Western Pennsylvania." What We Learned: Beating up a towel dispenser is kewl! Unanswered Question: Why don't they just have a matching-funds program? Whatever Reed gets fined for a stupid antic, donors can match it! News Value: 0. I don't like the idea of having my kids idolize a man who seems to have an anger-management problem, and I don't think it's cute at all, Wendy. I'm all for giving money to the food bank, but the Jeff Reed autograph, I can do without.
