That's how I choose to remember the great John Riggins, though also because he was about as entertaining a player as existed. That includes off-field antics and it is with just a little hesitation that I repeat this interesting tale of recklessness on the part of one of this website's namesakes, as he was an "Honorary Hog".
So the man liked to drink a bit. So what? We believe that those who drink out of glass bottles should not throw the first beercaps.
Per the Post, some batshit crazy sounding UFC Fighter/Ref/Waiter/Brazilian Jujitsu master caught the worst end of a John Riggins binge. In case you weren't familiar with this story, I'll repeat the Redskins related parts here with emphasis added:
In 1991, [crazy sounding UFC Fighter/Ref/Waiter/Brazilian Jujitsu master MARIO YAMASAKI] almost lost his best job to date -- waiting tables at Georgetown's Bistro Francais -- to John Riggins. In the middle of Yamasaki's shift, a co-worker shouted that someone was "moving" Yamasaki's pickup, which was parked perpendicularly behind another truck in the back alley. Yamasaki rushed outside. He says he found Riggins repeatedly T-boning Yamasaki's Nissan with the back of his truck. "He pushed it through the alley," Yamasaki says. The Hall of Fame running back known to Redskins fans as the "Diesel" then lurched off, his truck scraping the sides of buildings as he left, according to Yamasaki.
In a deposition, Riggins would say he only pushed the Nissan to get it out of his way...
Reasonable enough, right?
but he acknowledged he'd been drinking for six hours before the incident. A local garage estimated the damages to Yamasaki's Nissan at almost $3,000. When Yamasaki asked Riggins to fix his ride, Riggins declined. Yamasaki sued. Riggins countersued, claiming Yamasaki was trying to extort money from him.
As you can imagine, this got contentious in a hurry, with Mario, a firm believer that violence solved many problems, none too pleased:
"You know what I wanted?" he growls. "For him to hit me. Then I was gonna take him down and choke him out. Today, we sign papers and fight legally. Why not fight with these?" He holds up his fists.
Who the hell talks like that? If I'm gesticulating like a madman while threatening physical violence, I'm usually the one who has been drinking for six hours rather than the one on the receiving end of said bender. In any event, it worked itself out eventually:
Riggins settled the dispute by paying Yamasaki a few thousand dollars. (Riggins declined to comment for this article.) Yamasaki kept his job, kept working and eventually opened his own business -- a granite and marble fabrication and installation company.
Yea, but how many touchdowns does he have?
Hogs Haven does not support driving drunk, but we still love us some John Riggins. Just one more reason to tune in.
