I have no problem with professional sports personalities claiming they are role models for young boys and girls when it comes to how they train and play a sport.
When you see players like Derek Jeter, Tim Duncan, Patrice Bergeron or an Anthony Calvillo go through a career and not have a huge scandal associated with them, well that is impressive.
Yes, you will get some athletes who mess things up for themselves and pay a price but rarely is the price anywhere near what the crime was.
Case in point – Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens beats his wife into an unconscious state and drags her from an elevator.
He gets a two-game paid vacation and a stern talking to by the NFL commish who says, presumably with a straight face, his behavior is not consistent with the league’s policies and bylaws.
Uh, Mr. Commisioner, you need to take a closer look at your league. When people mockingly describe the NFL as the National Felon League, they may be closer to the mark than they realize.
Two games for domestic violence is the going rate in the NFL? It is most certainly a head scratcher but it does fall in line with other American sports decisions of late.
An ESPN announcer got silenced for a week after he essentially claimed Rice’s wife provoked the incident and should shoulder some of the blame. Yeah, digest that one for awhile.
But you get a senior owner of a pro franchise allow his inner caveman escape and the league takes away your franchise.
Now what this owner said was so very wrong but if placed beside what Ray Rice did well you just have to wonder what colour the sky is in the sports world south of the border.
If the NFL really wants to send a message about an issue, any issue, then take a stance and forget about how much money you might lose when a high profile player shoots himself in the foot.
Of course, that actually happened and even though the player missed his foot with his gun he paid a price handed down by the law and not the league. They just hitched a ride with the time off from the game.
Take the gloves off and stop cultivating the culture of entitlement the NFL has hanging around its neck.
This latest incident is proof the league has no intention of cleaning up its backyard and now the litter is right on the front lawn.
Pathetic.
sports@reddeerexpress.com
