Whicker: Despite its wounded image, is football beginning to heal itself?

ATLANTA — The cultural needle, wielded by Saturday Night Live, pointed squarely at football last March.
The bit was an interview with sporting champions. Charles Barkley and Alex Rodriguez were joined by cast member Kenan Thompson, playing D.C. Timmons, “the hardest-hitting man in football” as a Pittsburgh linebacker.
Barkley and Rodriguez were suave and funny. Timmons was a one-car pileup. He kept calling his fellow guests “Greg.” He talked about how tough football