The Image of The NFL Is Like Fecal Matter On The Sole Of One’s Shoe You Simply Want To Wipe It Away Because The Stench Is Vile
Roger Goodell has no head for business nor does he have a sense of moral obligation as to the image of the league. All he ever prefers to do is to make the most inane of sound bytes and then readily make excuses for the behavior of the players within the NFL .Not to be left out of this at all is the apparent lack of action by the NFLPA under the leadership of Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and union President Kevin Mawae. The latter have yet to comment on the apparent behavior of their members during their tenure.
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Once again another player readily steps behind the wheel of vehicle inebriated, a danger to himself and others who are on the road. If it’s not enough to know that we also have players running afoul of the law for various misdemeanors and in some cases felony charges ranging from sexual assault , sexual battery , theft to the possession of illicit narcotics and opiates. This time around New York Jets’ wide receiver Braylon Edwards saw fit to get behind the wheel of his vehicle and drive. Then having been stopped by the police the player failed a field sobriety test and then recorded a .166 in his BAC (blood alcohol content) level which is over twice the legal limit within the state of New York. And given the player’s previous troubles in Cleveland with the Cleveland Browns is there any wonder why it is that the player has never been a calming influence wherever his NFL career has taken him ? Now we have Jets’ owner Woody Johnson stating that until all of the legal avenues have been dealt with no internal action will be taken.
Courtesy of Bloomberg.com
Jets Coach Ryan Says Team’s Embarrassments Must End After Edwards Arrest
By Eric Matuszewski
New York Jets coach Rex Ryan said he held a team meeting and told players he’s tired of dealing with off-field embarrassments, a day after receiver Braylon Edwards was charged with driving while intoxicated.
Edwards’s blood-alcohol level was almost twice the legal level in New York when he was stopped by police early yesterday morning in Manhattan.
The arrest came four days after the National Football League issued a statement saying Jets coaches and players exhibited “unprofessional conduct” toward a female television reporter.
“I’m tired dealing with some of these issues,” Ryan said during a news conference today at the team’s training facility in Florham Park, New Jersey. “I’m tired of the embarrassment to our owner and this organization. I said, ‘Let’s just end it.’ We don’t need to be that team. This team works too hard at everything else to be looked at in this light.”
The Jets said yesterday that Edwards, 27, won’t start their Sept. 26 game against the Miami Dolphins.
Ryan said today that he hasn’t decided how much playing time Edwards will get this week. Edwards caught five passes for 45 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 28-14 victory against the New England Patriots.
“None of us know the facts 100 percent,” Ryan said. “I’m not going to tell you that Braylon is going to miss X amount of the game because I’m not ready to do that now. When it’s the right time, I’ll make that decision.”
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On the league’s part no action has been yet taken but given the fact that the league has it within their right to suspend the player ______ the commissioner does have it within his right to suspend a player for “conduct detrimental” to the image of the NFL . Now while one has the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The fact of the matter is that Edwards’ conduct here is questionable from the start . What idiot gets behind the wheel of a vehicle having drank excessively and where their bac is found to be twice the legal limit ? Isn’t enough that we’ve seen the idiocy with the behavior of Leonard Little , Ben Roethlisberger and Donte’ Stallworth ? In each case alcohol played a part in the problems in the instance where their legal problems and the aftermath in what transpired. Time and time again I’ve heard it said that the players’ concerns isn’t that of the fans. I beg to differ , because when the fan is going out there and spending their hard earned cash to purchase tickets to attend games or memorabilia . And think about it in doing so this adds to the players’ pockets in terms of their wealth by way of residuals garnered by way of the sales of NFL licensed merchandise.
Explain to me what it is that these players simply don’t understand ? Had Edwards killed a pedestrian would he have offered the atypical statement apologizing to the victim’s family ? Or would there be a lawyer representing the player and stating that this was nothing more than a tragic accident ? I’m sick and tired of the fucking excuses made by asinine fans out there continuing to placate these players for their excesses and behavior ! It’s almost as if there’s no intelligent thought coming from these individuals whatsoever . It’s bad enough that many of them can’t well think for themselves when they have to fall into place like sheep and believe the bullshit that’s foisted upon them by the idiotic political pundits on air. Which of them have you known them to actually come out with any common sense on any topic that is of grave consequence to the country ? In the same way we have the league and in particular the union, owners and league hierarchy dealing with this particular issue with “kid gloves”.
Goodell and his predecessor Paul Tagliabue have been a complete joke and it’s the same with press and how they deal with this matter. No doubt the very opinionated Jason Whitlock will jump unto his charge and make the most inane of statements stating that this is just another player being victimized because he’s an African American who’s fallen afoul of the law. Has there ever been a time when Whitlock has come out and berated these players for their actions ? I can’t think of an incident where he has but if I’m wrong then so be it. His body of work to my mind merits about as much notice as that of Paris Hilton’s escapades in public when they’re covered by the paparazzi. It’s not a page turner but the print used to place it there is merely a waste of time.
And speaking of waste how is it that at the start of the season there seems to be a dearth of teams whose quarterbacks are showing about as much presence as a headless chicken on its last legs before its death ? The performances of Kevin Kolb , Jason Campbell ,__ Jake Delhomme and David Garrard have been utterly pitiful ! And for those still of the belief that Tony Romo has what it takes to lead the Dallas Cowboys to the promise land then simply take a look at the quarterback’s play and his leadership of this team ? Not to be left out of this melange’ of mediocrity has to be Brett Favre ….. a ‘one trick pony’ that’d be better off being sent to the glue factory! Sorry to say this but Favre is now looking his age as he’s beginning to make the members of a geriatric home seem all too athletic. OK so Brett’s legacy has been the records attained and the fact that he’s thought of as a deity within the annals of the game. Granted, he’s been a great ambassador for the game but of late he’s been like a petulant crying because he seemingly can’t get his own way. He may well be respected by his teammates but I for once sincerely doubt that he’s as liked as some within that locker room claim that he is. If you shovel enough shit on top of more shit you can’t make it smell like a rose garden and that’s the image that the Minnesota Vikings are trying to create . There’s said to be no internal turmoil at present within the locker room. But who amongst you really believe that ?
The Vikings are at present are 0-2 within their division (NFC North)and are looking up at the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. This upcoming Sunday their task on paper may well seem easier as they face the Detroit Lions in a divisional home game that will go a long way in determining their season . A loss or an unbalanced performance and questions will once again be raised as to whether or not Favre and in particular Brad Childress has this team going in the right direction. This much I do believe, the Vikings are a good team but they’re not a great team. Their body of work thus far with Favre at the helm proves nothing. Simply because they made it to last season’s NFC championship game where Favre’s performance at best was average. But the fault doesn’t just lie with the fact that he had a poor game by his own lofty standards but it was a collective effort that led to the team’s demise against the New Orleans Saints. The idiocy of those analysts with their post-game gripe that the better team had lost was like stating that the Germans shouldn’t have lost World War II because they were ill equipped in the dying days of the war. Well excuses can’t hide the fact that this team was …….. still is vastly overrated and will continue to be . I liken this premise as to the fact that Jerry Jones anointed the …Dallas Cowboys are America’s team. I beg to differ because what have the Cowboys achieved over the last decade ?
Big money players, a lackluster effort and an owner whose narcissistic behavior borders on hegemony. Sooner or later Jones’ antics will catch up with him in more ways than one. Head coach Wade Phillips and his offensive coordinator Jason Garrett had better keep a watchful eye as the owner hovers around like a vulture looking to pick at the carcass of a dead animal. In this case he won’t just be picking at their carcass should the team’s season go awry but he could well choose to show them the door.
It’s still early yet in the season and there’s still a long way to go but at midpoint we could well know a great deal about how a number of teams will fare. Chances are the pretenders will have fallen out of contention and the real contenders will start to forge their way to the top of the pile. As they say cream always rises to the top and within the NFL it’s no different.
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Picture gallery for your perusal .
Do you believe that how Goodell has dealt with players’ conduct has been appropriate ? Or do you feel that he ought to be far more tougher when dealing with these issues of player misconduct ? And what thoughts if any do you have concerning the apparent merry-go-round that appears to happening with regard to the quarterbacks mentioned within this piece ? Chime in with a comment as you see fit
NB: Woody Johnson had instigated a policy for the team wherein any player could simply call upon a limousine service to ferry them home from a private function at the club’s expense. It is something that has been adopted by several teams around the NFL in order to stave off such incidents where a player drives under the influence.
Alan aka tophatal 🙂 _ 🙂
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Actress Freida Pinto co-star of the Oscar winning hit movie “Slumdog Millionaire”.
