• Linebacker Jonathan Vilma of the Saints is suspended without pay for the 2012 NFL season, effective immediately per league policy for season-long suspensions.
• Linebacker Scott Fujita (now with the Cleveland Browns) is suspended without pay for the first three games.
• Defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove (now with the Green Bay Packers) is suspended without pay for the first eight games.
• Will Smith of the Saints is suspended without pay for the first four games.
All of the above players have filed an appeal, and are crying to anyone that will listen. What are they crying about? Lets examine all the details.
For one, I hear the term 'everyone does it' being thrown around several times a day, by the players involved and the media, and retired players in the media.
Here you are, in your car, pulling up to a four way stop. There are several cars in front of you, and they all roll through without stopping. You follow the examples set before you, and roll through when you get to the intersection. Just then you notice the police car behind you, now with lights flashing, a few seconds too late.
Go ahead, say it. Tell him 'everyone does it'. You'll find out that isn't a logical point to be made in a debate, it's an excuse. It's an excuse people use when they know they have done something wrong, and they got caught. The simple fact is that the excuse 'everyone does it' never made anything ok, or legal.
Recently, now ESPN analyst and once wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings has been saying he once used bounties to protect himself. He also has used an argument that I hear on a common basis - that 'NFL players only have a limited amount of time to make money', and that the 'suspensions to the players are more harsh than those issued to the coaches involved'.
Well, Chris, looks like you are doing well for yourself after football. The fact is that any NFL player has many opportunities to make money, simply because they play in the NFL, from endorsements to private opportunities the public will never know about. I am also sure that the idea that any NFL player, once they are out of the game, will never make money again, is absolutely false.
Now, ask Greg Williams, who was suspended indefinitely, if the suspensions to the players are more harsh than his. I never hear his name brought up when I hear that argument. I can also add that Williams will not have the same opportunities to make money after football that many NFL players do because of their fame. I am not defending Williams, just pointing out the falsehoods that are being spread in the media. He got what he had coming.
What is being forgotten here? The league looked into this bounty program in 2009, and the Saints covered it up for three years, lying the whole time. Now we hear reports of players saying they were told to lie about the program.
I might also add that NFL players paying each other sums of money in the thousands under the table is illegal, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if the IRS looks at this soon.
On the other side of the field, we hear about lawsuits against the NFL for concussions sustained during their playing careers.
One lawsuit, involving over 1,500 players, states that the NFL failed "to take reasonable steps necessary to protect players from devastating head injuries. Moreover, the NFL has downplayed and misrepresented the issues and misled players concerning the risks associated with concussions."
Yep, 'everyone does it'. Play hard, then sue the NFL after you are done playing. The facts are in, the NFL is trying to take steps to clean up the game. The players involved are crying about it. 'Everyone does it'.
This all started in 2011, when seven former players filed suit against the NFL in Philadelphia over the league's handling of concussion-related injuries, the first potential class-action lawsuit of its kind.
From ESPN:
The players accuse the league of training players to hit with their heads, failing to properly treat them for concussions and trying to conceal for decades any links between football and brain injuries.
The plaintiffs include two-time Super Bowl champion Jim McMahon, who has said he played through five concussions but now frequently walks around "in a daze" and forgets why he entered a room.
Then there are always stories like the one we heard about Dave Duerson earlier this year.
Maybe the players that were suspended should ask family and friends of Duerson if their penalties are too harsh.
Don't get me wrong, I like big hits and defensive football. I don't think that players deliberately injure other players, or illegal hits to the head, have a place in the game.
I guess the moral of this article that I wanted to come out with is that the players can't have their cake and eat it too. Something has to give with the concussion issues and the lawsuits filed against the NFL. The league and Roger Goodell needed to set an example, and they have set that example.
No comments:
Post a Comment
HTML tags can be used for style. Anyone can comment using 'anonymous' from the drop down, so join the conversation!