If you want to get serious about character issues, then get serious, or shut up about it already
by Kirkendall
on May 8, 2008 11:09 AM EDT
You know that the league is in a state of confusion. When Chancellor Goodell released his plan to crack down on character in the league, we immediately wondered how that would help. The problem will never be solved by punishing the players more. The problem is allowing teams to acquire these players that come with significant baggage and flags. It's telling when five-time arrested wide receiver, Chris Henry, was allowed out of house arrest to, get this, find employment with a new team (interested in Saints and Cowboys... New Orleans is his home and Dallas trades -- TRADES! -- for Pacman Jones -- how would Henry not be welcome there?).
Perhaps he was being targeted?
"It's been kind of rough for me," he said. "You know, just the fact that these little incidents in Cincinnati have been kind of negative things for me, dealing with cops and things like that.
I'll just leave that excuse for your own commentary. As long as teams have "winning" as their bottom line, most will pick up the players that help them win no matter the PR cost. The Bengals used that philosophy and it worked for them going from 2-12 to 11-5 in three seasons. Punishing teams for picking up character risks or for something that a player did, is foolish. When billions change hands, and the bottom line is making money, making the teams responsible for a player's own actions opens a can of beans. Perhaps we should have benchmarks. If three players are arrested in a year, you're ineligible for the post-season and the first day of draft picks the following season. Then again, what if three players are arrested that had no priors? Should the team be responsible then?
You want a solution? Ban players that commit felonies, suspend those that commit misdemeanors for a full season (you choose the punishment based on degree) and, for the love of god, quit making added generalizations of character risks -- like player missed History 201 three days in a row, might have focusing problems. Be tough. Don't do it half-ass or at all.
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Do Suspended Players Count Against the Cap?
Teams should definitely be forced to take a cap hit if they sign players like Chris Henry or Pacman Jones and the players do something to get suspended again. I’d do the same thing with players who have failed drug tests.
by LooseCannon on
May 8, 2008 2:29 PM EDT
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I am sick of the whole character thing
There are a lot of issues here. In general, employers have the right to discipline employees with regards to behavior that directly effects their job-. But, if you get a DUI or community service for some misdeamemor-is it acceptable for employers to discipline you at work (suspend you, not pay you?) I don’t know the legalities of it, but ethically I wonder. I suppose you could argue that the behavior hurts the image of the brand, but it is a bit of stretch.
A second question, when did sports fans get it in their heads that pro athletes are supposed to be upstanding and virtuous citizens? Didn’t Doc Ellis throw a no hitter on acid? How much coke do you think was done by athletes of every sport in the 70s? Ty Cobb supposedly killed somebody and the 50s Yankees were all shameless playboys and partyers. (I realize these are mostly baseball examples, but you get the picture.) Many of these things were public knowledge but nobody cared. Drop a half million in my lap and give me 4 months a year off—you might catch me at a strip club or two.
I don’t know if you read David Zirin, but he made a good point in one his articles—what if Hollywood dismissed actors for slugging reporters, doing drugs, hitting strip clubs, and sleeping around? There wouldn’t be any actors.
I guess I think this whole “character” thing is getting over blown. Obviously if players break the law they should pay the price—to the legal authorities. And if a player can’t play because of legal problems, well then release him. But, I can’t imagine a remotely fair system of discipling teams and players that would actually work.
by goffchile on
May 8, 2008 4:01 PM EDT
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Nail on the head, right there.
If I get nailed for a DUI, so long as I can still get to work, I still have a job to go to. Now, it may be a little different if you’re, say, Bob Huggins, who’s in charge of young people or even if you’re a professional athlete and a role model whether you like it or not. Charles Barkley had it right when he said he wasn’t your damn parents. Or, perhaps, you have some sort of morals clause in your contract, some kind of penalty for turpitude and whatnot. I suppose if you’re offense is one of stupidity and essentially victimless- see Odell, and your punishment does not prohibit you from meeting the requirements of your job, then it shouldn’t be anybody’s business but your own. Though, a pattern of behavior might lead a team to demand some sort of counseling. If you hurt someone, that’s a different story- though I’ve been in a couple bar fights and never lost my job as a result. It does seem kind of hypocritical to hire these guys for the express purpose of being violent on the field and then crying foul when it bubbles up off the field.
Still, so long as the rules are what they are, a team like Dallas that picks up players like Jones or Henry, players kicked off their previous squads for disciplinary reasons, players suspended by the commissioners office, should be penalized in some way. Speaking of which, I think the Patriots should have lost their first overall pick this year- regardless of whether it originated in San Francisco. Losing #31 was no punishment at all when they had #7. But I digress.
Goodell should wait for both Pacman and Henry to be signed, then immediately suspend them both for the upcoming year. That and count whatever they signed for against the cap even though it won’t be paid to them.
by IgnatiusJReilly on
May 8, 2008 4:58 PM EDT
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On the patriots thing
I agree…if the NFL was serious about punishing transgressions, the could have done a lot worse. Make them forfeit a game or two, prohibit them from post-season play—they’ll get the message. A little money and a 31st draft picks….meaningless.
by goffchile on
May 8, 2008 5:57 PM EDT
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You hear they were penalized their “first round draft pick”, and that says to me the first draft pick. Hell, they should have just penalized them for the whole first round, both picks. I mean, I’m not even commenting on the nature of their offense because I’m not entirely sure just how serious it was in realistic terms- the Pats could have beaten the Jets with all back-ups playing D or with their defensive coordinator tied to a chair in the locker room. I just don’t know what, if any, advantage they hoped to gain- or felt they needed. But punishment is punishment. If it’s at the whim of the Commish to, say, extend Odell’s suspension another whole freaking year without any explanation, then surely the spirit of the Patriots’ sentence demanded that #7 pick- which turned into #10(Jerod Mayo) and #78(Shawn Crable). That doesn’t feel like any sort of hardship to me.
by IgnatiusJReilly on
May 8, 2008 6:56 PM EDT
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Meanwhile
The Bengals apparently were impressed enough with his tryout to ink Maurice Purify to a two year free agent deal. From NFL Draft Countdown:
Strengths:
Excellent size and great bulk with a solid frame…Has long arms and big hands…Is strong and physical…Very aggressive with great ball skills and body control…Can make the spectacular catch…Decent athleticism…Knows how to use his size to his advantage…A fantastic leaper…Can be a terror in the redzone…Pretty productive.
Weaknesses:
Not very explosive and lacks a burst…Will struggle to separate..Is not real elusive and won’t do much after the catch…Does not have reliable hands…Is not a great route runner…Not nearly as good of a blocker as he should be…Only two years of DI experience…He won’t stretch the field vertically…Has some character concerns.
Notes:
Highly-touted JUCO transfer from San Francisco City College..His nephew is former Colorado tailback Bobby Purify…Was arrested in ‘06 on two counts of assault and one count of resisting arrest and then just five weeks later he was arrested again for suspicion of drunken driving…Ironically he was a criminal justice major…He has some physical tools to work with but will need to keep his nose clean off the field.
by IgnatiusJReilly on
May 8, 2008 7:02 PM EDT
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yeehah!
There’s some Latin legal phrase for case in point- like sui generis or res ipso loquitur or something. But Maurice Purify is like Exhibit A. Thanks to the Bengals for providing us with a fine example of character issues.
by IgnatiusJReilly on
May 9, 2008 12:00 AM EDT
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