Ward and Taylor Supporting Single Mothers

The Pittsburgh Post Gazzette-Reveiw reports:

ARLINGTON, Texas — Hines Ward and Ike Taylor on Tuesday refuted an online report that they headed to a Dallas strip club only hours after landing here for Super Bowl XLV.

Ward, Taylor and a number of other "huge linemen" were seen partying at Dallas Gentlemen's Club on Monday night, Dallas Morning News reporter Gromer Jeffers Jr. wrote on his blog.

"Ward, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, danced with a couple of strippers. At one point, he tossed out dollars while receiving lap dances. Other Steelers joined him," according to the report.

Ward denied being at the club but admitted he went out for "a little bit" and "had a good time." He said he was back at the team hotel by 11:45 p.m.

Jeffers posted the blog entry at 10:50 p.m.

Ward seemed caught off-guard by the questions early during his one-hour session at media day at Cowboys Stadium, especially when a reporter said he heard Ward was at a gentleman's club the night before.

"Who did you hear that from?" Ward said. "I wasn't there."

Ward didn't deny going out, but when asked where he went, he smiled and said, "It's none of your business."

A manager with the strip club declined to comment, saying it's policy not to divulge who their customers are.

According to Taylor, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin sought him out for an explanation.

"I don't even know how my name got into it, but it's cool," Taylor said. "It's Super Bowl week, and they're looking for a story. That's all I'm going to say."

Tomlin did not have a curfew in place for the team Monday but does the rest of the week.

"Coach Tomlin isn't going to put restrictions on grown men," Ward said. "We know what's at stake. All coach Tomlin asks us to do is don't be that guy. Don't get arrested, don't go out there and do anything stupid. We are going to have fun. (Monday) was our first time here, so a lot of guys were going to have fun, but after media day it's about football.

"People are always going to tweet and do stuff," Ward added. "I don't live my life for other people. I know what I am as a person and what I mean to this organization, and I would never do anything to jeopardize my family or do anything stupid."

Strip Club Owner Banking On Bears-Jets Super Bowl

With the NFL set to host its AFC and NFC Championship games on Sunday, football fans are deciding which of the four possible Super Bowl matchups would be the most entertaining. While this is one of those years in which the NFL wins either way (four great football markets with large, rabid fanbases and great storylines), it appears that a Dallas-area strip club operator has his wallet heart set on seeing two particular teams get there.

Eric Langan, CEO of Rick's Cabaret says a Chicago Bears-New York Jets Super Bowl could mean a boost of up to $2 million for his clubs in the DFW area. From Reuters:

"We estimate, worst case, it will be about an additional $1 million in revenue for us," he said in a telephone interview, adding the company did about that much extra during the Super Bowl in Miami last year.

"But if we get a New York-Chicago Bears Super Bowl, then it could be really big," Langan added, citing the size of the cities. "We could be as high as $2 million."

It's no secret that hosting a Super Bowl is a huge financial boost to the local market. Hotels, restaurants, bars, taxi cabs all see a major boost in revenue for the week that the entire American sporting public focuses its beer-goggled gaze at the lucky city. You can add strip clubs to that list as well. But only $1 million last year? In Miami? C'mon, sports fans. You can do better than that. It's even more disappointing when you consider the women of Rick's picked the Saints to win it all.

Then again, Langan knows what he's talking about. According to a 2008 profile in Forbes Magazine, Rick's was (literally) a heartbeat away from setting up shop inside Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas which would have been the first gentlemen's club ever inside of a casino along The Strip. Which, come to think of it, would have been the perfect name for the place.

Forget Bart Scott's "Can't wait!", it appears that Rick's Cabaret has thrown down the gauntlet to you, Packer and Steeler fans. Are you really willing to be outdone by the depravity of New Yorkers and Chicagoans? Are you ready to prove that you can spend thousands of dollars one at a time? We know you can handle snow, but are you willing to make it rain? We await your answer.