The origin of the rationale behind the missing "H" in newly elected Hall of Famer Cris Carter's name was a Graduel process Sunday night.
The 16-year NFL veteran, who spent 12 of those years with the Minnesota Vikings, was in attendance at the Dallas Cowboys-Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame Game on Sunday night when NBC sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya caught up with him for an interview.
It was then that Carter suffered a "Kramer" moment out of the sitcom series, "Seinfeld." NBC found out Carter's first name. And no, it wasn't "Cosmo" as Kramer's name turned out to be.
During the interview, Tafoya asked Carter why he spells his first name without the normal "H" in "Chris."
In what should've been a touching homage to former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver and now NFL analyst Cris Collinsworth, Carter's explanation was overshadowed by NBC's airing of Carter's actual birth certificate that showed his entire name:
"Graduel Christopher Darin Carter."
USA Today then posted reaction from Twitter.
From #RN, the tweet simply read, "Graduel?"
Clinton Yates tweeted, "How do you even pronounce 'Graduel?' "
What most people missed was that Carter indeed dropped the "H" in tribute to Collinsworth. According to CBSSports.com, Carter grew up in Southwest Ohio and was a fan of the Bengals. Carter was in high school when Collinsworth was a rookie with Cincinnati in 1981, the year the Bengals advanced all the way to Super Bowl XVI before losing to the San Francisco 49ers.
Tafoya never asked Carter to explain how he acquired such an unusual first name or why he didn't go by his first name.
To the second part, maybe she didn't have to ask.
Carter had 1,101 career receptions for 13,899 yards with 130 touchdowns during his NFL career. His best year was in 1995 when he recorded 122 receptions for 1,371 yards and 17 TDs with the Vikings. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler.
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