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NFL Players Party

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By CURTIS ROSS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 31, 2009

The NFL Players Party is a rarity among Super Bowl happenings – the attendees are mostly football players.

That's right, athletes instead of celebutantes, reality TV stars and gossip rag casualties. No wonder Entertainment Tonight wasn't jockeying for position on the red carpet.

A recorded announcement greeted party guests with the announcement that "the A La Caret Pavilion is a weapons-free facility." Just in case you thought it was going to be THAT kind of party. It was also a media-free facility once you got past the tented red carpet area, as media weren't allowed inside.

Maybe things heated up considerably once behind closed doors, but the red carpet area was mostly subdued, with a stream of past and present gridironers stopping to pose for the cameras. Each was given a business card that allowed them to access the photo later – sort of like when your kid gets a picture with Tigger at Disney World.

The Bucs' Warrick Dunn was among those saying "no thanks" to the photo op.

Non-athletes drawing attention included – and in fact, were pretty well limited too – actor Chris Tucker and Claudia Jordan, prominent briefcase holder on "Deal or No Deal."

Tribune reporter Curtis Ross can be reached at (813) 259-7568

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