Tatum Bell: dropped calls or dropped balls

Tatum Bell: hang onto that pigskin!. How desperate are the Denver Broncos for a healthy running back? Desperate enough to reach out to former Bronco Tatum Bell, whose release earlier this year by the Detroit Lions only made headlines because teammate Rudi Johnson accused him of stealing his bags on...

By Michael Roberts

November 12, 2008

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Tatum Bell: hang onto that pigskin!.

How desperate are the Denver Broncos for a healthy running back? Desperate enough to reach out to former Bronco Tatum Bell, whose release earlier this year by the Detroit Lions only made headlines because teammate Rudi Johnson accused him of stealing his bags on the way out of the locker room -- an incident detailed in the September 4 blog "Former Bronco Tatum Bell: Papa's Got a Brand New Bag." The beef with Johnson was subsequently squashed, but Bell failed to hook up with another team, and he's lately been peddling cell phones at the Aurora Mall. There, he likely dealt with more complaints about dropped calls than dropped balls, his biggest problem with the Broncos: During 2006, his last full season with the squad, he fumbled a whopping five times, with the team losing each one. Hopefully, his retail experiences have taught him a little something about customer service. -- Michael Roberts

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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