I love football. None
of that namby-pamby college stuff for me. I really love professional
football.
Or I used to. Now I’m highly conflicted. I still love the
game, but the league has lost me.
Growing up, The New York Giants were practically a religion in
my house. When I was very small I believed that YA Tittle was either a god or
the devil incarnate, a changeling who morphed from Sunday to Sunday depending upon
how he played. It was a little confusing.
Moving to California has tested my fandom. Unless I shell
out for the Sunday Ticket package, which is beyond my disposal income, it’s pretty
hard to see the Giants play every Sunday.
‘Course the way this season has been going, that could be
seen as a blessing. They have been so bad that my man Victor Cruz tweeted an
apology last Sunday and promised they’d do better. Yikes.
But the NFL is making it really hard to be a fan these days.
It’s very difficult to justify following a sport that not only doesn’t care about its
players (see: the ongoing concussion crisis), but doesn’t give a damn about its
fans either.
I don’t really think anyone realistically believes that
sports figures are superhuman anymore. If anything, players are far, far too subject
to human foibles. Arrogance for one thing. A lot of players seem to believe
that just because they can -throw, dribble or hit- a ball, they are somehow no
longer subject to the same rules as the rest of the civilized world.
This doesn’t only apply to sports stars by the way, but to many
of the zillion new ‘celebrities’ crowned daily.
But we’re talking sports here.
Sadly, these days news of NFL players being arrested is
barely news. With horrifying regularity players are hauled in for DUIs, bar
brawls, drugs and even murder. Thank you
Aaron Hernandez.
But the rash of domestic violence cases in the NFL has
shaken a lot of us to the core. Primarily because of the flat footed way the
league has dealt with it. Which is mostly to ignore the problem. Denial as a
policy is not the best response. That’s PR 101. Ask anyone. Really, go ahead.
The San Diego Union
Tribune keeps a database of players who have been arrested for domestic
violence. Yes, there are so many incidents that there is a hefty database needed
to keep track. Obviously the most scandalous is the recent Ray Rice incident.
Not because it’s the worst situation (that
honor goes to Jovan Belcher, who killed his pregnant girlfriend and then
himself), but because there is video of the incident.
You know that line ‘you have to see it to
believe it?’ Well the NFL saw it. And didn’t.
The NFL’s reaction to the first video, the one of Rice
hauling his unconscious girlfriend out of an elevator and dumping her on the
floor like a piece of trash, was to
suspend Rice for two games. Two games! They nailed Brown’s player Josh Gordon
with a full year’s suspension for smoking pot!
Think about that, all you ladies who the NFL has been
courting as fans: the NFL believes that assault on a woman is a less serious
offense than smoking a substance which
is legal in 23 states.
As everyone knows, the situation got worse for the NFL. When
that bastion of news integrity TMZ, released a second video of Rice cold-cocking
his now -wife Janay Palmer in that elevator, Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell
denied seeing it. That seems unlikely
since there since there is audio confirmation of its receipt at the NFL back in
March. Word out of the NFL offices is
that they are investigating.
Oh goody. That’ll make it all better. The only thing female fans
like more than being lied to, is hearing about a new investigation.
What’s not being investigated is why Greg Hardy of the
Carolina Panthers, who was convicted of domestic abuse – and is appealing – is still
playing football. He was never suspended at all. Not a single game.
In response to all this, today Commissioner Goodell created a
panel of consultants to “help lead and shape the NFL’s response to domestic
violence.” They are an experienced
group. Lisa Freil is the former head of the
Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit in New York County’s District Attorney’s office. She is joined by Jane Randel and Rita Smith
who also have a wealth of experience with domestic violence. They will report to Anna Isaacson in the
newly created position of vice president of social responsibility. Isaacson
previously headed the NFL’s community
affairs and philanthropy division. Which I guess gives her insider experience in
dealing with the NFL. Or something.
It’s a nice PR move, but it doesn’t really mean
anything other than the NFL will have another group of folk weighing in with
opinions and no power to effect change. But maybe it will harder for the league
to be tone deaf when the criticism is coming from inside. Time will tell.
On second thought, maybe it is a good time to be a NY Giants fan. While they suck on the field,
they seem to be an okay group of guys off of it.
.
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