After watching the reactions to the sanctions and the statue removal at Penn State University, I have come up with some ideas that might better serve everyone instead of the action taken. I am problem solving!!
Statue
Positions PSU people think it should be there, victim advocates think it should be removed
Solution: Return statue to rightful place in front of stadium. Paterno made that Stadium what it is. The football players who used to be behind him, they represent the football program and thus they should follow the coach and return to their place,but elevated a foot of the ground. This should make PSU people happy. Now, under the feet of the "football program" behind Paterno we should put statues of screaming children being trampled by the football program. Move Paternos hands over his ears to avoid hearing them scream. BAM Victims advocates happy. Everyone Happy Happy!!!
Football Program
Positions PSU people think sanctions unfairly hurt current staff and players when most of people who covered up are gone OR they think the evidence of thousands of documents and hundreds of interviews
done by the police and THEIR OWN independent Investigator was not enough to warrant action. Victims advocates believe the program needs to be severly hurt to stop this from happening again. Many believe death penalty for multiple years should have happened.
Solution Remove all scholarship sanctions as they only hurt current and future players. Allow them to play in Bowls and for Big Ten Title but have ALL proceeds go to the same charity as the fine is going to. Keep them on probation and stick with the fine. Both are needed. Do allow any players to transfer without penalty, many had no idea what the program allowed to happen. This should allow the football program to remain relevant and make extra money for school and for charities that stop child sexual abuse. PSU people should be happy. Now, all PSU football players may not wear pads or athletic cups during practices or games. I assume PSU people wont mind this since protecting young people isn't as important as playing football games. Victim advocates happy. Everyone Happy Happy!!!
Paterno Family
Problem They want desperately to restore the legacy of Joe Paterno. However, everything they say just makes people more upset.
Solution Hire me to do your PR. Only let me talk for you. First statement "We are deeply saddened by the actions of Jerry Sandusky and we know that until the day Joe died, he always felt partly responsible for even hiring such a monster. We plan to use our power, money, and influence to help victims of abuse and advocate groups to identify and stop abuse of children in sports. We hope that truth comes out in its entirety and all guilty parties are dealt with accordingly. Right now this is all about helping the victims heal and working to stop others from being victimized." See Paterno family, anything else is going to only tarnish JoePa, the image more. Do the right thing and be part of the solution and if there is really truth that is hidden, try to unearth it quietly while publicly making it about being part of the solution. If you do this, the Paterno name will at least restore dignity for finally doing what is right.
Past Players and Games Forfitted
Problem They won a bunch of games and now they feel those games are not considered wins.
Solution I stand behind vacating the wins because while a team scored more points on the field, the program was a failure. Think of it this way. A prowler walks into your house to steal money. You wake up and apprehend him, call the police and he goes to jail. However, in the struggle your dog is injured and dies. In the end, you kept your money and apprehended the criminal!!!! Woohoo. However, in doing so you sacrificed your dog.... do you feel like a winner? My message to the players is that the touchdowns they scored are still scored. The wins they remember still happened. However, the victory was nobody's. Children were hurt to make sure you could win the game. The games are still won, the memories and scars are still there, and I don't want you to forget them. You WERE NOT the guilty party. The University though were losers those days and thus the record book doesn't represent YOUR failures or victories, but those of your school.
Everyone happy happy?!?!?!?
(Thanks to Duck Dynasty the TV show for the "Happy Happy", I like it a lot.)
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Saints and Rooney Rule and Trayvon
I was asked why I thought it was extreme to institute the Rooney rule for the Saints in hiring an interim head coach. Here is my rationale:
1. I don't like the Rooney rule in the first place. I do NOT believe it levels the playing field and I do NOT believe it is good for African American coaches to be looked at as a requirement. It would shock me if even a single coach was hired because of it and if not, it just wastes their time.
2. They have less than a week to find a head coach for only 1 season. The list of coaches who could fill in for just 1 year and know the system well enough to do it is VERY small. Asking the Saints to bring in guys for an INTERIM job would then suggest teams in the middle of the season might have to do the same, which would be a massive problem.
3. This interim job is a true temp job. No chance of keeping it.
It is time African American coaches stand on their own two feet FOR THEIR SAKE. When my kids were old enough to walk, I let them walk. Not because I didn't want them to make it, but because I thought it was better for them to make it themselves. I just think that the culture in the NFL has changed enough that the Rooney rule is actually counter-productive to the hiring of minority coaches. If teams don't interview them, players and coaches will know and I bet the team finds it harder to attract some players and coaches who care about this issue. I have a great respect for Mr Rooney and the spirit of the Rooney rule, but I just think that it should no longer be needed. In this case, with such limited time and such a limited group of coaches who could do the job, it seems extreme.
I was also asked about the Trayvon Martin case. This issue is quite simple. Decisions were made that had grave consequences:
Martin chooses hoodie: Seriously? We (Geraldo Rivera=we) are suggesting this kid died in ANY part because he was wearing a hoodie? Come on folks. Kids at the school I work at wear hoodies all the time and they would never be considered suspicious because of it. This choice had ZERO effect on the outcome. ZERO! This happened because he was African American, not because he was wearing a hoodie. Otherwise, Bill Belichick can't walk down the street now? Please?!
Zimmerman racially profiles Martin: This was an ignorant act on his part. He saw an African American young man walking and made him to be suspicious for no other reason than walking at night while black. This is sad but also not criminal. Remember folks, Zimmerman is not a police officer, security guard, or anyone with any authority to serve or protect. Because of this, this particular act was not criminal but reprehensible.
Zimmerman calls police: This was the only thing he did correct. If you (mistakenly or otherwise) think a suspicious person is in your neighborhood, you call the police. He did the right thing here. He sadly stopped at 1 good decision.
Zimmerman defies police order to stay away: The Police told him not to follow Mr Martin. He defied that order and someone died. Why is it a federal offense to defy the command of a stewardess in flight but not even a crime to defy the orders of the police? In this case a person died directly because of this choice. At the very least, since he made a choice against the orders of the authorities, why isn't it at the least involuntary manslaughter? He shot an unarmed man that HE FOLLOWED!!!
Martin allegedly instigates altercation: This is a joke, right? While he may have been a physical aggressor, the person who followed and got close enough to engage a man he thought was a potential criminal has to be considered the instigator since he was the one who followed a man he thought was a potential criminal, WITH A GUN. I don't know what happened but it seems like at the worst Trayvon saw he was being followed by a man who was looking at him as an enemy and might have thought Zimmerman was coming to attack him. Any aggression on his part would be justified and true self defense. How is it justified legally to be self defense for Zimmerman when you have the ONLY deadly weapon and you follow the person. He could have easily removed any threat to him by NOT following Martin.
Bottom line is that the criminal part was Zimmerman stalking Martin and then pulling a gun on him. Period! The sad part was that an African American kid cant walk down a street without being looked at as a criminal. I just know that I wont ever understand what it feels like to know this could happen to you for just walking down the street.
1. I don't like the Rooney rule in the first place. I do NOT believe it levels the playing field and I do NOT believe it is good for African American coaches to be looked at as a requirement. It would shock me if even a single coach was hired because of it and if not, it just wastes their time.
2. They have less than a week to find a head coach for only 1 season. The list of coaches who could fill in for just 1 year and know the system well enough to do it is VERY small. Asking the Saints to bring in guys for an INTERIM job would then suggest teams in the middle of the season might have to do the same, which would be a massive problem.
3. This interim job is a true temp job. No chance of keeping it.
It is time African American coaches stand on their own two feet FOR THEIR SAKE. When my kids were old enough to walk, I let them walk. Not because I didn't want them to make it, but because I thought it was better for them to make it themselves. I just think that the culture in the NFL has changed enough that the Rooney rule is actually counter-productive to the hiring of minority coaches. If teams don't interview them, players and coaches will know and I bet the team finds it harder to attract some players and coaches who care about this issue. I have a great respect for Mr Rooney and the spirit of the Rooney rule, but I just think that it should no longer be needed. In this case, with such limited time and such a limited group of coaches who could do the job, it seems extreme.
I was also asked about the Trayvon Martin case. This issue is quite simple. Decisions were made that had grave consequences:
Martin chooses hoodie: Seriously? We (Geraldo Rivera=we) are suggesting this kid died in ANY part because he was wearing a hoodie? Come on folks. Kids at the school I work at wear hoodies all the time and they would never be considered suspicious because of it. This choice had ZERO effect on the outcome. ZERO! This happened because he was African American, not because he was wearing a hoodie. Otherwise, Bill Belichick can't walk down the street now? Please?!
Zimmerman racially profiles Martin: This was an ignorant act on his part. He saw an African American young man walking and made him to be suspicious for no other reason than walking at night while black. This is sad but also not criminal. Remember folks, Zimmerman is not a police officer, security guard, or anyone with any authority to serve or protect. Because of this, this particular act was not criminal but reprehensible.
Zimmerman calls police: This was the only thing he did correct. If you (mistakenly or otherwise) think a suspicious person is in your neighborhood, you call the police. He did the right thing here. He sadly stopped at 1 good decision.
Zimmerman defies police order to stay away: The Police told him not to follow Mr Martin. He defied that order and someone died. Why is it a federal offense to defy the command of a stewardess in flight but not even a crime to defy the orders of the police? In this case a person died directly because of this choice. At the very least, since he made a choice against the orders of the authorities, why isn't it at the least involuntary manslaughter? He shot an unarmed man that HE FOLLOWED!!!
Martin allegedly instigates altercation: This is a joke, right? While he may have been a physical aggressor, the person who followed and got close enough to engage a man he thought was a potential criminal has to be considered the instigator since he was the one who followed a man he thought was a potential criminal, WITH A GUN. I don't know what happened but it seems like at the worst Trayvon saw he was being followed by a man who was looking at him as an enemy and might have thought Zimmerman was coming to attack him. Any aggression on his part would be justified and true self defense. How is it justified legally to be self defense for Zimmerman when you have the ONLY deadly weapon and you follow the person. He could have easily removed any threat to him by NOT following Martin.
Bottom line is that the criminal part was Zimmerman stalking Martin and then pulling a gun on him. Period! The sad part was that an African American kid cant walk down a street without being looked at as a criminal. I just know that I wont ever understand what it feels like to know this could happen to you for just walking down the street.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Sports Rant Ahead, Yield If desired
The last two days of sports headlines have got my juices flowing. Tim Tebow debates started the flow and he dam broke when Warren Sapp went journalist for a moment. I will tackle a ton of thoughts on these matters in this blog entry. Let's start with Tebow.
I am white, I am a Jewish Christian, and I love Tim Tebow. It isn't idolatry, it isn't hero worship. It is a deep respect for an individual who maintains who he is despite a vocation that is not conducive to his lifestyle. I want him to succeed. Now that I have full disclosure, this trade to the Jets has me completely split.
As a Tebow fan, this is a HORRIFYING development. New York City is the single worst place for anyone with class or morals to play in the first place. The fans don't respect people nor do they respect a lifestyle that is clean cut. Look, I respect and follow tons of athletes with different beliefs and lifestyles. I don't care what you choose to do in your life, that is between you and God. So why do people so hate what Tebow does in his life? The bottom line is that Tebow wins games. This is not up for debate. He won in college. He won in regular season. He won a playoff game. WINNER. So, as a Tebow fan, I hate this for him. As a Patriots fan, I am laughing hysterically. There is almost no chance the Jets will actually use him correctly. All he will do is bring a divide into the locker room by just being there. He will give the fans a way to get onto Sanchez on every bad throw. He will continue to add to the circus that is the Jets (have you followed their offseason?...lol).
There was a debate on ESPN with @RealSkipBayless and @stephenasmith about whether race was a factor in the Tim Tebow situation. In this case, I say emphatically, NO. This isn't about race. This is so eerily similar to Slash Stewart that I do think race can be discounted. This is about Christianity. Tebow has an extremely loyal following because of his religious beliefs and the way he respects God. Many people are rooting for him to succeed and spread His (His=God , his=Tebow. Huge difference) message.Many people are rooting for him to fail because they detest everything about evangelical Christians. Before we get into sports passions, we already have a very emotional group of supporters and detractors. This is simply what it is about. Otherwise, we would have a Kordell Stewart situation again and most likely a similar career path. This folks tells you a lot about the climate in our country today. Many people who are not Christians, despise us. They think Christians are elitist and arrogant hypocrites. For this reason, many people are emotionally volitile against Tebow and all things Christian. If you know me, you will know that I blame this situation on ourselves. As Christians we have not done enough to spread the word of God's love to those who don't know Him. Many times we think we are being loving but come off as hateful or hypocritical. Anyway, I do think it is important for us all to take stock of what is important and focus on that. I don't wish to make this blog into a religious or political blog, so I will end this section now!
Now, as for the New Orleans Saints. If you have talked sports with me, you should be aware that I do not like violence in sports. I do love a good solid hit that causes a fumble or an earth shattering hit where the person gets right up in the face of the hitter and says "that didn't hurt!". I love that stuff, I just abhor useless violence. (NHL is best example of senseless and useless violence that takes a great SPORT and morphs it into an almost unwatchable "sports entertainment" package.....where does that sound familiar from?) Anyway, I am sickened that the bounty system was in place. Pay for forced fumbles or broken plays or scoring plays..... but pay to INJURE or knock players out of the game? That isn't sports, that's cowardice. Dear Saints involved: Where you really unable to win with your best available vs their best available that you need to get to their bench to have a chance to win? Are you so sure you cant win playing vs their best that you need to injure someone? Aaron Curry reminded me that the NFL was barbaric. I disagree. Good NFL games are VIOLENT but not barbaric. Players are human beings, not animals. What (many other teams and) the Saints have done with this needs to be removed from NFL. Had the Saints told the truth about this and not lied to the commissioner, I would be a proponent of a lot smaller of a penalty. The fact they lied and lied and lied makes it imperative that the league drops a bomb on them and they have.
With this said, Warren Sapp decided it was time for him to break a news story. He decided to out the "snitch". The @QBKILLA decided he needed to make sure everyone knew who the person was to blame for this. The person players can't trust in the locker room. The player everyone should hate. SO using the word snitch and the power of Twitter (happy 6th birthday Twitter), he outted fellow Hurricaine Jeremy Shockey. First, let me tell you that anyone who has followed Warren Sapp knows that he often passes along "news" on twitter that he himself grabbed off of other people's tweets. He has been dead wrong on at least one occasion because he read an incorrect tweet. This alone makes him an awful person to trust when he breaks news. Robert Littal (@BlkSportsOnline) and others seem to be fairly sure that Shockey is not the main source in this case and from my experience, these people are more reliable twitter feeds for information. Anyone, including NFL Network who ran Sapp's allegations better have made sure they have backup on this or Mr. Shockey will have a legit reason to sue both Sapp and the NFL Network.
I am begging players and ex-players and ex-coaches to stop defending the bounty system. I think we all know this USED TO be the norm. Bounties USED TO be part of most teams. However, the NFL (with my full support) is trying to make player safety a focus. This allows fans to see more games of their favorite players, a better product since best players remain on field, AND it protects players from becoming the next early obituary.
Finally, I don't care who the snitch/honest person is. The person who TOLD THE TRUTH is not the villian. The person who TOLD THE TRUTH should not be blackballed (as he will be). The person WHO HAD INTEGRITY should be praised for helping remove a part of the game which is barbaric, immoral, and criminal (not to mention a flagrant breaking of the rules). I do not buy the assertion that NFL players are out there to satisfy our blood-lust and that them getting "impaled" is a form of entertainment. I used to love hockey fights when I was younger, so I understand that many people love violence, but as I have matured, I want to see sports and the game played, not blood and broken bones and broken lives. Stop with the Thin Blue Line rhetoric and the idea that what (illegal things) in the locker-room stay in the lockerroom. When it comes to snitching, the rule should be to respect those WHO TELL THE TRUTH not those that hide it to protect criminals and rule breakers. PERIOD
I am doing the Muscular Dystrophy fundraiser. Please help me reach a very modest goal of $500. The link is below, you can donate online, and you will be helping a wonderful cause. Please take a moment to donate!!!
http://www2.mda.org/site/TR/Lock-Up/77-F2-679-SpringfieldMoDistrict?px=1156039&pg=personal&fr_id=2239
I am white, I am a Jewish Christian, and I love Tim Tebow. It isn't idolatry, it isn't hero worship. It is a deep respect for an individual who maintains who he is despite a vocation that is not conducive to his lifestyle. I want him to succeed. Now that I have full disclosure, this trade to the Jets has me completely split.
As a Tebow fan, this is a HORRIFYING development. New York City is the single worst place for anyone with class or morals to play in the first place. The fans don't respect people nor do they respect a lifestyle that is clean cut. Look, I respect and follow tons of athletes with different beliefs and lifestyles. I don't care what you choose to do in your life, that is between you and God. So why do people so hate what Tebow does in his life? The bottom line is that Tebow wins games. This is not up for debate. He won in college. He won in regular season. He won a playoff game. WINNER. So, as a Tebow fan, I hate this for him. As a Patriots fan, I am laughing hysterically. There is almost no chance the Jets will actually use him correctly. All he will do is bring a divide into the locker room by just being there. He will give the fans a way to get onto Sanchez on every bad throw. He will continue to add to the circus that is the Jets (have you followed their offseason?...lol).
There was a debate on ESPN with @RealSkipBayless and @stephenasmith about whether race was a factor in the Tim Tebow situation. In this case, I say emphatically, NO. This isn't about race. This is so eerily similar to Slash Stewart that I do think race can be discounted. This is about Christianity. Tebow has an extremely loyal following because of his religious beliefs and the way he respects God. Many people are rooting for him to succeed and spread His (His=God , his=Tebow. Huge difference) message.Many people are rooting for him to fail because they detest everything about evangelical Christians. Before we get into sports passions, we already have a very emotional group of supporters and detractors. This is simply what it is about. Otherwise, we would have a Kordell Stewart situation again and most likely a similar career path. This folks tells you a lot about the climate in our country today. Many people who are not Christians, despise us. They think Christians are elitist and arrogant hypocrites. For this reason, many people are emotionally volitile against Tebow and all things Christian. If you know me, you will know that I blame this situation on ourselves. As Christians we have not done enough to spread the word of God's love to those who don't know Him. Many times we think we are being loving but come off as hateful or hypocritical. Anyway, I do think it is important for us all to take stock of what is important and focus on that. I don't wish to make this blog into a religious or political blog, so I will end this section now!
Now, as for the New Orleans Saints. If you have talked sports with me, you should be aware that I do not like violence in sports. I do love a good solid hit that causes a fumble or an earth shattering hit where the person gets right up in the face of the hitter and says "that didn't hurt!". I love that stuff, I just abhor useless violence. (NHL is best example of senseless and useless violence that takes a great SPORT and morphs it into an almost unwatchable "sports entertainment" package.....where does that sound familiar from?) Anyway, I am sickened that the bounty system was in place. Pay for forced fumbles or broken plays or scoring plays..... but pay to INJURE or knock players out of the game? That isn't sports, that's cowardice. Dear Saints involved: Where you really unable to win with your best available vs their best available that you need to get to their bench to have a chance to win? Are you so sure you cant win playing vs their best that you need to injure someone? Aaron Curry reminded me that the NFL was barbaric. I disagree. Good NFL games are VIOLENT but not barbaric. Players are human beings, not animals. What (many other teams and) the Saints have done with this needs to be removed from NFL. Had the Saints told the truth about this and not lied to the commissioner, I would be a proponent of a lot smaller of a penalty. The fact they lied and lied and lied makes it imperative that the league drops a bomb on them and they have.
With this said, Warren Sapp decided it was time for him to break a news story. He decided to out the "snitch". The @QBKILLA decided he needed to make sure everyone knew who the person was to blame for this. The person players can't trust in the locker room. The player everyone should hate. SO using the word snitch and the power of Twitter (happy 6th birthday Twitter), he outted fellow Hurricaine Jeremy Shockey. First, let me tell you that anyone who has followed Warren Sapp knows that he often passes along "news" on twitter that he himself grabbed off of other people's tweets. He has been dead wrong on at least one occasion because he read an incorrect tweet. This alone makes him an awful person to trust when he breaks news. Robert Littal (@BlkSportsOnline) and others seem to be fairly sure that Shockey is not the main source in this case and from my experience, these people are more reliable twitter feeds for information. Anyone, including NFL Network who ran Sapp's allegations better have made sure they have backup on this or Mr. Shockey will have a legit reason to sue both Sapp and the NFL Network.
I am begging players and ex-players and ex-coaches to stop defending the bounty system. I think we all know this USED TO be the norm. Bounties USED TO be part of most teams. However, the NFL (with my full support) is trying to make player safety a focus. This allows fans to see more games of their favorite players, a better product since best players remain on field, AND it protects players from becoming the next early obituary.
Finally, I don't care who the snitch/honest person is. The person who TOLD THE TRUTH is not the villian. The person who TOLD THE TRUTH should not be blackballed (as he will be). The person WHO HAD INTEGRITY should be praised for helping remove a part of the game which is barbaric, immoral, and criminal (not to mention a flagrant breaking of the rules). I do not buy the assertion that NFL players are out there to satisfy our blood-lust and that them getting "impaled" is a form of entertainment. I used to love hockey fights when I was younger, so I understand that many people love violence, but as I have matured, I want to see sports and the game played, not blood and broken bones and broken lives. Stop with the Thin Blue Line rhetoric and the idea that what (illegal things) in the locker-room stay in the lockerroom. When it comes to snitching, the rule should be to respect those WHO TELL THE TRUTH not those that hide it to protect criminals and rule breakers. PERIOD
I am doing the Muscular Dystrophy fundraiser. Please help me reach a very modest goal of $500. The link is below, you can donate online, and you will be helping a wonderful cause. Please take a moment to donate!!!
http://www2.mda.org/site/TR/Lock-Up/77-F2-679-SpringfieldMoDistrict?px=1156039&pg=personal&fr_id=2239
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