Except when he made a charitable appearance, Riggins always obtained a fee - which ranged from $5,000 to $90,000 (!) What really upset him, though, was that his post-football career more or less consisted of selling his name - for products endorsements, at personal appearances, and in the sale of memorabilia. It also advertised the refreshments to be served, including honey baked ham and the “Famous Rice Ring.” When Riggins learned of the flyer he was particularly stung - apparently (if one believes his actual testimony) by the reference to the “famous rice ring,” testifying that he found it “tasteless” and “unsophisticated.” John Riggins” Former Home.” Riggins” name was set forth in very large letters (the largest on the flyer). Besides some of the normal things one might expect, like a small picture of the house and directions how to reach it, it also had a heading that stated, in large letters, “COME SEE. To promote the event, Mary Lou had more than 1,500 flyers printed up announcing the broker”s open. (The house was located in a heavily wooded area of Vienna, Virginia, and one can get a sense of its opulence from its asking price of just under $850,000 – nearly 20 years ago.) To help the sale along, she hosted a “brokers” open” - essentially, a special open house for other real estate professionals so that they would become familiar with the property to show it to prospective buyers. She obtained a real estate license, and in 1992 placed their former family residence up for sale. Riggins” most noteworthy legal venture, however, began after his 1991 divorce from wife Mary Lou. (For her part, O”Connor took the incident in good humor, later wearing a T-shirt to her exercise class that said, “Loosen Up at the Supreme Court.”) An inebriated Riggins told her, “Come on, Sandy baby, loosen up, you”re too tight” - before loosening up himself by passing out and sliding onto the floor. Still, Riggins had several surprising brushes with the judiciary, most notoriously in 1985 when he sat next to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O”Connor at the Washington Press Club. In 1992, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His place in Redskins lore was secured with a 43-yard run in Super Bowl XVII that ensured the Redskins” victory in what had been a close game to that point. Nicknamed “the Diesel,” Riggins” career started with the New York Jets, and he later signed with the Washington Redskins. John Riggins was a powerful running back who dominated professional football during the 1970s and 1980s.
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