Carolina’s Kris Jenkins says his alcohol abuse was inspired by Warren Sapp (above). If you’ve seen Sapp dance, this makes perfect sense. From the Associated Press (thanks to Jon Solomon) :

The low point came after the Panthers™ Nov. 7 loss to the Oakland Raiders, when Jenkins was forced to watch Warren Sapp, a player he dislikes intensely, celebrate on Carolina™s field.

Jenkins turned to drinking to get him through the long, lonely days.

œWhen we played Oakland and we lost to Sapp, I stopped going to the games then, Jenkins said Thursday. œI was going to the games up to that point. I couldn™t go to the games anymore. After that, that™s when … I™ve never been an alcoholic, but I upped my consistency of it.

œIt was something where I did a lot more sitting around the house, and I would come in and get treatment, and that was it. I wouldn™t do anything. If I had my son, I™d take care of him but if I didn™t, I wouldn™t do anything.

As hard as it is to believe that one rival player could send Jenkins into such a funk, he said that all his problems escalated after that game.

œI hate him. Everybody says I™m supposed to be polite when I talk to you all, but I hate him, Jenkins said. œ He talks too much, he doesn™t make sense, he™s fat, he™s sloppy, he acts like he™s the best thing since sliced bread. He™s ugly, he stinks, his mouth stinks, his breath stinks, and basically his soul stinks, too.

œNot too many people have personalities like that and survive in life. I don™t know how he does it.

Messages left with the Raiders were not immediately returned.

œNot to speak for Warren, but I wouldn™t even waste his time bringing this to his attention, said Drew Rosenhaus, Sapp™s agent.