Nathan Fenno
Articles by Nathan Fenno
FENNO: Oscar Pistorius only latest example of role model giving way to reality
Somehow we confused athletic brilliance with morality, turned a sprinter into a savior, an ideal because of what his blades did on those synthetic tracks. Published February 18, 2013
FENNO: Paterno report sad attempt to salvage legacy
The "Critique of the Freeh Report" leaves you sad, a desperate, reality-detached attempt to salvage Joe Paterno's legacy that won't change anyone's mind. Published February 13, 2013
FENNO: Redskins nickname an unwanted ‘honor’
Published February 11, 2013
FENNO: Minority candidates need more from NFL
Since the regular season ended in December, eight head coaches and seven general managers were hired. None were minorities. Published February 6, 2013
NCAA playing catch-up with concussions
In October, a helmet-to-helmet hit spun University of Southern California wide receiver Robert Woods around 180 degrees while he was blocking on a kick return against the University of Utah. Published February 5, 2013
Blind side to concussions: NFL’s latest legal blows give feeble push to NCAA
Head injuries have left the NFL under unflinching scrutiny over the past year. At the NCAA level, however, the issue has escaped similar furor. Published February 5, 2013
FENNO: NFL’s ‘evolution’ commercial opens window to ex-players’ pain
Three players featured in the NFL's own advertisement pushing safety advances are among the more than 4,000 former players suing the league over head injuries. Published February 4, 2013
FENNO: Oh, deer? Antler spray nothing you won’t find in next cubicle
The only thing more predictable than the well-practiced howls of outrage that followed this week's exposes about performance-enhancing drugs in baseball and football is that athletes would search anywhere for an edge. Even if the quest led to, say, an innocent deer's antlers or the Miami clinic of a failed businessman and pseudo-doctor named Anthony Bosch. Published January 30, 2013
FENNO: Ravens hitman Bernard Pollard embodies a league in conflict
Truth can be an inconvenient thing and perhaps no more so than Bernard Pollard's bleak assessment of the NFL's future days before the Super Bowl's glitz is unleashed. Published January 28, 2013
FENNO: Soriano provides a needed storyline
Until last week, the Washington Nationals were set to decamp next month to the master-planned communities and chain restaurants of Viera, Fla., for spring training with a startling absence of dramatics. Enter Rafael Soriano. Published January 23, 2013
FENNO: Manti Te’o’s answers about hoax just raise more questions
Manti Te'o, have you read the transcript of your two-and-a-half hour interview with ESPN last week? Did you see more holes in your story than Alabama poked in the Notre Dame defense you captained in the national championship game earlier this month? Published January 21, 2013
FENNO: Manti Te’o girlfriend story a wild ghost chase
Five minutes tells you a lot about the ghost named Lennay Kekua. There's no official record of her death. No U.S. newspaper printed an obituary or death notice. No female by the last name of "Kekua" has died since 2004. No one by her name registered to vote, or appeared in court records, judgments or bankruptcies. Published January 17, 2013
FENNO: Swept away by Lance Armstrong myth
Why did we buy into Armstrong's myth when so many signs pointed to its fraudulence? The narrative, really, was too perfect to be broken. It blinded logic and common sense and the awkward intrusions of reality that Armstrong and his band of lawyers and publicists slapped down with viciousness that pointed to the dark side of his rise, if we wanted to listen. But we didn't. Published January 15, 2013
FENNO: Playing through pain a time-honored NFL habit
Billy Kilmer once fought through cracks in an ankle and bruised ribs and a busted, bloody nose and, even today, doesn't think much of it. That's life in the NFL. And that's why the ink and angst spilled after quarterback Robert Griffin III remained in last week's wild card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks despite a bum right knee surprised him. Published January 14, 2013
FENNO: For D.C. sports fans, the pleasure comes with pain
From Drew Storen to RG3, the heartbreak of the last three months is the price for relevance. If these games didn't matter, the way they ended, on the field and in the examination room, wouldn't sting so much. Published January 9, 2013
FENNO: RG3 injury a reminder that heroes, hype have limits
The most surprising thing about Robert Griffin III's damaged right knee — aside from the White House not chiming in on the free world's most-debated joint — is that anyone is surprised at all. Published January 7, 2013
RG3’s struggles exacerbated by poor FedEx Field conditions
As Robert Griffin III planted his right foot in pursuit of an errant snap late in the fourth quarter Sunday, what little remained of the Tifway Bermuda grass exploded around him. Published January 6, 2013
Redskins OC Kyle Shanahan interested in interviewing for head coaching job
Kyle Shanahan, the Washington Redskins' offensive coordinator, confirmed his desire Thursday to interview for vacant head coaching jobs when the season ends. Published January 3, 2013
Man jailed in Sean Taylor murder case offers apology in first public comments
Regret hangs in each of Venjah Hunte's neat cursive words spread over two and a half pages of notebook paper. Published January 2, 2013
Hobbling RG3 still provides guiding light for Redskins
The quarterback reclined in a black folding chair and didn't say a word. Published December 31, 2012