Post-Super Bowl Hangover: Party Recap

For some unexplained reason Terrell Owens is using the women’s restroom at the 15th Annual Madden Bowl Party in Tampa Jan. 29. He gets out of the stall and walks right up next to a pack of girls fixing their makeup and the mirror and washes his hands.

He looks around like it’s no big deal and shrugs. Earlier in the day, T.O. hosted a Gentleman Jack, Yardbarker.com & GQ Super Bowl Party and later he was planning to head to Derek Jeter’s bash at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel.

Although the Dallas Cowboys might have missed the playoffs this year, that hasn’t stopped T.O. and other athletes around the league from partying at the Super Bowl and celebrating.

“I want everybody that comes to Tampa, Florida to enjoy our city,” Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks says. “Obviously the Bucs is not playing so the next best thing we can do is make sure everybody else is having a good time.”

From the looks of things, the players are certainly doing that. Donovan McNabb is partying with his brother and a slew of pals at a table in the V.I.P. that has it’s own bouncer—meaning you need to get through two levels to get to McNabb.

The partying is only the start of the player’s plans to enjoy every minute of the off-season.

“There’s a carnival in Trinidad and Tobago and I think I might actually go,” San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates says. “They dress up in costumes and do all this weird stuff.”

Tampa Bay’s Alex Smith also plans to get some vaca time in the tropics by heading to Costa Rica, while Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware hopes to hunt.

“There’s this place called King Ranch in Texas,” Ware says. “That’s a big hunting state. White tail season is over with now but (I like to) dove hunt, quail hunt, things like that.”

As for plans to join avid hunter Brett Favre in the off-season?

“I think he’s hunting in Green Bay,” Ware says. “He doesn’t want to come to Texas.”

One player who hasn’t quite graduated to NFL status yet but is warmly welcomed by the NFL fraternity of players is USC’s Mark Sanchez. Sanchez, who said he had just landed because his flight ran late, looked right at home chatting up his potential future teammates.

As usual, the Super Bowl’s attracted various celebs to the festivities. Lindsay Lohan partied with girlfriend Samantha Ronson and Benji and Joel Madden at ESPN the Magazine’s party Jan. 30, while across town Jenny McCarthy, Kim Kardashian and Carmen Electra hosted the Leather and Laces bash.

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and casino was the place to be late night where hundred of athletes came for some post-party gambling where they joined Paris Hilton, Demi
 Moore, Ashton Kutcher, 
Adam Sandler, Michael Jordan and others who stayed at the hip hotel.

And with all the sexy starlets in town, athletes were on the lookout for their celeb crushes.

“I’m Alicia Keys all the way,” Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew says. “I’ve been pitching her all week and hopefully she comes down and I can meet her. I fell in love with her when I saw her in her first video, Fallin, and that was the only girl for me. There’s no one else.”

Smith, on the other hand, has a thing for another young singer.

“I’ve got a thing for Cassie right now,” he says. “I know she’s probably taken by Diddy or somebody but that’s my crush right now.”

However, in the chance that she becomes available, Smith says he’s ready.

“Those are some tough shoes to fill, but I’d see if I can do it,” Smith says.

Even though the Super Bowl may have been just as fun for athletes not playing in it, that doesn’t mean some aren’t already focusing on next year’s Championship game, which takes place in Florida’s superior social city, Miami.

“We’re going to be in the Super Bowl,” New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush said at the Celeb Beach Bowl Jan. 31. “We’ve got a great team. It’s just about putting those little ingredients together. We just hired a great defensive coordinator and I think it’s going to help us out a lot. So I’m looking forward to the Saints being in the Super Bowl.”

For now, just enjoy the party.