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Sapp Moving On To The Next Phase

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If one of his new ventures takes him on location to Raymond James Stadium, Sapp will feel right at home.

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By IRA KAUFMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 3, 2008

Updated: 09/03/2008 12:13 am

TAMPA - For 13 dynamic seasons, NFL stadiums served as Warren Sapp's sanctuary.

Those fields represented sacred ground for the former University of Miami standout, who buried quarterbacks while defining the under tackle position as a perennial Pro Bowl performer for the Buccaneers until 2004, when Sapp joined the Raiders as a free agent.

Eight months after announcing his retirement, Sapp is set to embark on a new journey as a football analyst, beginning with his debut Sunday at 10 a.m. on the NFL Network's "GameDay Morning" program with former Pro Bowl running back Marshall Faulk.

"After all those battles we had, to watch Marshall now in the studio - man, he's got it," Sapp said Tuesday. "I'm bringing Warren to the table, what Warren has seen over the years. We're going to have fun. I don't plan on not having fun."

Sapp, 35, will also contribute to "Inside the NFL," a weekly show that has moved from HBO to Showtime.

Later this month, he will team with Australian ballroom dancer Kym Johnson as one of the celebrity couples on a new season of "Dancing With the Stars," wearing 21/2-inch heels and displaying his rare agility for a big man.

"My kids were excited about me dancing, so everyone's on board," he said. "It was a pleasure to be around Kym for a few days."

Sapp will work live on "GameDay" from a studio in Los Angeles, where he plans to wear a suit for his debut instead of his usual Sunday outfit - an NFL jersey and a game-day scowl.

"I don't have to be in L.A. until that 5 o'clock production meeting Saturday afternoon," Sapp said. "Florida's my home, and there's no better football location. To me, football in Florida is like basketball in New York. Florida towns shut down on Friday nights because of high school football."

In nine years with the Bucs, Sapp established himself as a dominant player on a dominating defense.

If Sapp remains retired, he'll be eligible for the Hall of Fame Class of 2013, along with fellow first-time candidates like Michael Strahan and Jonathan Ogden.

"That's out of my control," Sapp said of pro football's shrine to excellence. "It's not like you're looking at a certain number or a particular achievement. I have no control whether a person in San Francisco thinks retired 49ers defensive lineman Bryant Young was better than me. All I know is I played for the admiration of my peers and the people that bought that ticket."

Sapp acknowledges he often projected a gruff persona to the public.

He has been described as rude and boorish, but now that his playing days are over, Sapp is starting to embrace his legacy.

"Now I get to sit back and appreciate the 13 years I played," he said. "When you walk into this league, you harden yourself to what people say about you. You put your ego in a glass case.

"But this summer, I walked into an airport coming back from China and a guy with more bags than me drops his luggage and says he's got to take a picture with me because he's got Warren Sapp pictures and stuff all over his house."

Sapp said one of his goals as an analyst is to take viewers inside the game.

"Everybody watches the pretty people," he said, "but the real game is played down in the trenches."

With the Bucs coming off an NFC South title, Sapp likes their chances of becoming the first team in the division to repeat as champion.

"They should be fine, because they're not in a monster division," Sapp said. "Playing Atlanta twice should give them two wins, and New Orleans could be in a little disarray for the opening game. You know Jon Gruden will have a heck of a plan for the Saints. Who knows about Carolina?"

And if one of his new ventures takes him on location to Raymond James Stadium, Sapp will feel right at home.

"That north end zone is what it's all about," he said. "I used to kick that pylon over and look up to see that pirate ship and all those Buc fans before every game. Man, I get goose bumps just talking about it."

Reporter Ira Kaufman can be reached at (813) 259-7833 or ikaufman@tampatrib.com.

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