For the brave of heart, continue the ride along with Jake Plummer on his fateful, contradictory journey across the busy Denver area last month.
By now, most people are familiar with the road-rage interruption that resulted in a summons issued to the Broncos quarterback. What many people outside the Family Tree charity may not have realized, though, is on that fateful evening of April 20, the incident did not cause Plummer to show up late for his charity function.
“He was right on time,” Family Tree president Ruth Ann Russell said.
Plummer’s evening was only beginning when he became engaged in a dispute with Doug Stone. After 911 calls were made, Plummer continued on to the Sheraton Denver West Hotel, $100,000 check in hand, heartfelt speech in head.
Just another 90 minutes in the saga that is Good Jake-Bad Jake.
“We don’t understand how the confusion over this one story is bigger than how helpful he is to us and the kids we help,” Russell said. “We knew he was going to present a check that night, but we didn’t know for how much. When we saw all those zeroes, it just blew us all away. It’s one of the largest checks we’ve ever gotten.”
The donation will benefit the three-pronged crusade against child abuse, domestic violence and homelessness. Russell says Family Tree attends to 25,000 people annually.
When it comes to well-paid athletes and charity, there can be a perception that $100,000 is little more than wadded up bills on the dresser. And Plummer’s $6.5 million in salary and bonuses this year make him better compensated than most athletes. But a percentage-by-percentage comparison would be a $1,000 donation from a $65,000-a-year employee.
Still, what people want to know is, did Plummer reverse his Honda Element (MSRP: $21,725) into the honking truck of Stone, as the police report charged, or did Stone pull forward and bump Plummer, as the quarterback claims?
“That’s the nature of the beast. People are going to want to talk about the negatives, not the positives,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said.
Not that Plummer is some misunderstood martyr in this traffic skirmish. The matter might have been quickly shrugged off as a minor flap had it not trailed Plummer’s backhanded flip at a heckling fan during a home game in 2004 and a profanity-laced voice mail left for a local society columnist in 2005.
The road-rage incident was part III in a lengthening outline of how a celebrity athlete should not react.
“It was a learning experience for me as a young coach coming in because you’re very competitive,” Shanahan said. “You want to fight and you want to compete. Same thing in the stadium. Somebody is calling you names and … you can’t flip somebody off, even though you’d like to. You have to take the high road.”
After Plummer allegedly kicked the truck, he returned to his Element. He presented a check to Family Tree, then told approximately 400 witnesses of his generosity how privileged he feels to have never gone hungry as a child, to have always had a home.
When he sees those who don’t possess such taken-for-granted staples, it moves him.
“He’s really a quiet disciple,” Russell said. “He’s not flamboyant about his charitable work.”
Alleged road rage, followed by a $100,000 donation and keynote address? Apparently, all is possible with Good Jake-Bad Jake.
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
