FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets aren't steeped in Thanksgiving history. Unfortunately, their most memorable moments on the holiday are the infamous kind. They involve the rear end -- the human and equine varieties.
We're talking about the Butt Fumble and the "horses' asses" speech. In fact, this Thanksgiving is the 20th anniversary of the latter.
The late Leon Hess made it a Thanksgiving tradition to watch practice and say a few words to the team -- one of the few times each year he made it out to the team's old facility on Long Island. He was a hands-off owner, all right.
On Nov. 23, 1995, with the team spiraling toward another disastrous season, Hess made his Thanksgiving visit and addressed the troops. The players gathered around him on a grassy knoll, and the then-81-year-old Hess showed his salty side. The team was 2-9 and was coming off a two-point loss -- a sign it hadn't quit under new coach Rich Kotite.
"Let's go out with dignity," the billionaire oil man growled, "and show 'em we're not a bunch of horses' asses."
Reporters overheard the speech, and Hess' words were plastered across the back pages of the city's tabloids. If Twitter had been in existence, Hess would've been trending.
Shockingly, the Jets traveled to Seattle that weekend and upset the Seahawks. Everybody credited Hess's fiery pep talk. A turnaround for the team? Not exactly.
They proceeded to lose 19 of the next 20 games, and that was the end of Kotite, culminating the darkest period in franchise history.
Seventeen years after the Hess speech, the Jets encountered a different kind of backside.
On Nov. 22, 2012, they found themselves trapped in another disappointing season. They played the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving night, hoping to pull an upset, improve to 5-6 and get back into the playoff race. None of that happened. Everything unraveled in a matter of seconds -- the game, the season and careers.
The Jets allowed three touchdowns in a span of 52 seconds, one wacky play after another -- an 83-yard touchdown pass, a 32-yard fumble return and a 22-yard return on a mid-air fumble on a kickoff.
It was the middle play that became known as the Butt Fumble, when quarterback Mark Sanchez -- on an aborted handoff -- ran into the behind of right guard Brandon Moore. Sanchez was knocked backward with such force that he lost the ball. Steve Gregory, a New York native, made the scoop-and-score for the Patriots.
In 30 years of covering the NFL, it was the most bizarre sequence of events I've ever seen on a field. The Butt Fumble was more than a play, it was a phenomenon. It became an ESPN staple -- 40 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the "Not Top 10" highlights. It also was remembered in song, thanks to Adam Sandler. The play also has its own Wikipedia page.
The downside is that two good people, Moore and Sanchez, will be linked in infamy by the play. Sports can be cruel that way. Maybe, one of these years, the Jets will reverse their Thanksgiving karma.
In the meantime, enjoy the day, your family and the football.