ESPN's Super Bowl at Sea gets set to sail

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

Global sports broadcasting authority ESPN has assembled an impressive cast of former NFL superstars for this year's Super Bowl at Sea cruise, aboard Royal Caribbean's equally impressive Oasis Class class vessel, Oasis of the Seas.

Besides Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium, the cruise ship will provide the best Super Bowl experience for NFL and cruise fanatics this weekend, as two of the league's most storied franchises, the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, continue their rivalry, four years after the Giants' memorable Super Bowl XLII victory over Sunday's opponents.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl winning running back Verron Haynes, along with former Steelers teammate Mike Logan, another veteran Super Bowl at Sea personality, will be joined this year by three-time Super Bowl champion with the San Francisco 49ers John Taylor, two-time Super Bowl champion with the Oakland Raiders Rod Martin, former Los Angeles Rams and 49er Wendell Tyler, and Gary Jeter, who played for both the New York Giants and the New England Patriots throughout his 13 NFL seasons.

Also secured are nine-year veteran Ovie Mughell, who plays for the Atlanta Falcons and Jermaine Phillips, who won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a rookie in 2002.

In addition to interacting with cruisers and participating in a number of on-board activities, the group will also be providing analysts on the highly anticipated matchup as well as rub shoulders with ESPN's football (soccer) pundits, Tommy Smyth, Shaka Hislop and former Jamaican World Cup 1998 hero Robbie Earle, who will be filming the popular ESPN Soccernet PressPass programme on-board.

Martin, in an exclusive interview with The Gleaner, could hardly contain his excitement, citing that he is most looking forward to reuniting with old friends and foes, while getting close to the fans.

Excited

"I'm looking forward to it, I like to see what fans are excited about, the game, and just to sit back and enjoy the festivities. It's a great time to do it and a great place to do it on the cruise and all," Martin said. "Getting together with my teammates and former players that I played against its great."

Jeter, sporting a lousy attempt at a Jamaican accent, echoed his friend's sentiments.

"Yea, mon, I will be laying back and have a good time with my friends and the fans, have a few drinks and just enjoy myself," he laughed before Tyler chipped in.

"I'm just looking forward to meeting the fans and that's the real point of all of this. A lot of the fans who are going to be on the cruise have never had the opportunity to meet NFL players live and in person, so to be able to get close to them, because we may never see them again and they may never see us again, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be with the fans and the people that supported you while you were playing," Tyler closed.