Dante Culpepper is taking a lot of flack as an indian giver.

Daunte Culpepper showed off his scrambling ability Wednesday -- in a crowded convention center ballroom.

The Minnesota Vikings quarterback presented a paralyzed high school football player two diamond necklaces worth about $75,000 during an NFL awards ceremony, but then awkwardly asked for them back after it was finished.

Sounds damning. But the devil is in the details.

The confusion began at the FedEx ground and air player of the year honors, where finalists Culpepper, Peyton Manning, Shaun Alexander and Curtis Martin were on stage for the announcement.

When the master of ceremonies opened the floor for questions, Jerry Townsend spoke up from his wheelchair in the front row.

"Hey Daunte, can I get some of that ice?" he said in a low voice, referring to the two sparkling necklaces hanging around Culpepper's neck.

Culpepper jumped up, pulled them off and brought them over to Townsend, a senior defensive back at Jacksonville Episcopal High School who was paralyzed from the neck down while making a tackle in October.

You can't really blame Culpepper. Jerry Townsend put him in a losing situation. He could have flatly refused or played it off, but he would have looked stupid. Now he's stuck with looking stingy or foolish by asking for them back.

Dante probably could have handled it better, but I'm reacting to a blindsiding question like that while you're on-stage would be difficult for even the most honed public speakers. In his defense, Culpepper did take the guys address down and promise to send him something nice.