Andre Rison: "I'll Start My Own Hall Of Fame"

Former Falcons wide receiver says he was better than Jerry Rice

By EAMONN BRENNAN

Updated 4:33 PM EDT, Tue, Jun 9, 2009

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What do you remember about Andre Rison? Maybe the last name, the way it created its own nickname without having to go through the process of having an actual nickname. Maybe you remember how Rison's house was burned to the ground by TLC member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. Maybe you remember him for his football. Maybe.

What you probably don't remember is Andre Rison being better than Jerry Rice. What you probably don't remember is Andre Rison being the best wide receiver in the history of football. These memories must have escaped you, then. Answering a question about his legacy to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Rison attempts to set the record straight.

“Best receiver to ever play the game," Rison told the AJC. "I can’t show my highlights because I don’t own NFL Films, but all my coaches in college, in high school, in junior college, they all told me I could be the best. But they must’ve lied because that title was already given to Jerry Rice. Just because you have stats doesn’t mean you’re the best. Can’t nobody tell me that Andre Reed isn’t better than Jerry Rice. I’m seeing cornerbacks on the 75th anniversary team that I used to demolish. But I’m coming out with my own hall of fame.”

Andre Rison, everybody! Welcome back, Andre. We didn't know how much we missed you.

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Of course, Rison's claims don't really need to be debunked. Anyone with even a passing interest in football knows that Jerry Rice was the best wide receiver of all-time. Rice wins on both the statistics front -- which of course Rison dismisses, because looking at statistics to evaluate Rison's career would be the rational thing to do -- and the eye test, where Rice's speed, separation and body control were second to none. As his career faded, Rice found ways to maintain his productivity. Andre Rison vanished.

Anyway, here's hoping the Andre Rison Hall of Fame can finally right the injustices against Andre Rison committed by anyone who has ever watched Andre Rison play football. It's about time, isn't it?

Eamonn Brennan is a Chicago-based writer, editor and blogger. You can also read him at Yahoo! Sports, Mouthpiece Sports Blog, and Inside The Hall, or at his personal site, eamonnbrennan.com. Follow him on Twitter.