Jerry Rice: Hall of Fame WR Running over Elusive Home Buyers

Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice made a living running precise routes, evading defenders and catching touchdown passes. He was the best in the world at what he did, and he made a lot of money doing it. Now, he is fighting a different battle. And he is doing it in court. 

According to a report on TMZ.com, buyers signed a contract to close on Rice's palatial palace in Atherton, California by July 15, 2011. They failed to do so and now the former San Francisco 49ers receiver is suing them. 

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According to court docs obtained by TMZ ... Rice claims he was all set to unload his massive home in Atherton, CA (which Forbes ranked as the 2nd most expensive ZIP code in the US in 2010) ... when the buyers decided to pull out at the last minute. 

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According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the buyers signed a contract in which they agreed to close the house by July 15, 2011 ... or else forfeit a $330,000 deposit. 

Buuuuuuut .... Rice claims the buyers couldn't seal the deal by the deadline ... and BOOM -- now he's suing so he can keep the money without having to sell them the house.  Sounds like a great deal for Rice. 

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While I can understand Rice's position in this situation, don't you think that his lawyers and the bankers could have done a little bit better job looking into the people that were trying to buy the house?

Considering how the banks and government have cracked down on the housing market in recent years, or at least they tried to, wouldn't it be in the best interest of all parties to conduct a thorough background check of each other?

As a longtime 49ers fan, I would be willing to put in an offer on the house. I just need some generous donor to pay for the cost of the house. If they can find a way to work it out to keep Rice around while I am living there, that would be even better.