ESPN The Magazine recently handed the keys over to a number of different athletes and Matt Leinart took the opportunity (as a reporter) to investigate why he slipped to the Cardinals at #10 in last year’s draft.
One of the guys he cornered was Tennessee head coach Jeff Fisher (who really seems like a standup guy, by the way). After some prodding, Fisher told Leinart why the Titans took Vince Young instead.
Matt Leinart: Coach, seriously. Can you tell me what happened? Please.
Jeff Fisher: Matt, do you mind if I go back?
ML: Go back?
JF: Yeah.
ML: Okay.
JF: You see, I had a grandfather who passed away 15 years ago. He lived to be about 90. And right before he died, he gave away a bunch of rare coins. I got a $20 gold piece that I use every year for the draft. It’s brought us a lot of luck over the past few years. Well, last year, we couldn’t make a decision. So I threw this coin in the air. You were heads, Vince was tails — and it came down tails.
ML: So my career was decided on a coin toss?
JF: Matt, I don’t know what else to say.
ML: There’s nothing left to say, Coach.
If true (and I think it is), that’s a pretty amazing story.
