NFL can’t exactly preach from a high moral ground

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/01/2015 (3938 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PHOENIX, Az. — The NFL, from its former players to its media horde to its Park Avenue suits, has been reduced to a passel of snitches and gossips. Call it the Desperate League of Shoulder Pads.

From Hall of Fame quarterback turned broadcaster Troy Aikman wagging his finger at New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh and his claims of deception and “unfair advantages.”

The NFL purports itself to be the ultimate big boy league. American football is supposedly about character and will and strength of heart and mind.

Now we’re hearing talk of the integrity of the game from such frauds as Ray Lewis. The NFL houses felons, until very recently treated domestic violence as something to frown upon but not really, and treats its former players, damaged and broken and destitute, like refuse.

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, one of the best in his field and a top source for NFL news, tweeted this on Monday afternoon.

“Breaking news: sources tell @FOXSports the NFL has zeroed in on a locker-room attendant with Patriots who allegedly took balls from officials locker-room to another area on way to field. Sources say they have interviewed him and additionally have video. Still gauging if any wrongdoing occurred with him but he is strong person of interest.”

Person of interest? Really? Some $30K-a-year equipment room assistant is going to get hung out for this and is being given the O.J. treatment. Person of interest?

Cheating is a way of life in the NFL, and the sanctimonious preaching coming from retired players and coaches as well as current opposition is laughable.

How many players in the NFL today are breaking the rules through some form of performance- enhancing drug? A number on every team is a certainty.

Ever wonder why NFL coaches cover their mouths when reading a play into their headset? It’s because they’re afraid the other side has a lip-reader with a set of binoculars trying to figure out what play is being sent into action.

Cheating, whether it be premeditated or spontaneous is part of the fabric and fibre of the NFL. Deal with it.

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All-star is a no star: 17-12. No hitting, no backchecking and no juice. The NHL’s all-star game is supposed to be a celebration of hockey. It’s a mockery.

Put a pin in it. You might as well collect the NHL’s best players and ask them to play badminton on national TV.

I found nothing about the weekend entertaining. Not the players drinking whatever they were drinking on stage from Solo cups during the contrived draft event, not the skills competition and certainly not the game.

The players deserve and in-season break. So do the fans. Give them one. Shoot this dog and put everyone out of their misery.

 

Drive-by shootings: If the Jets reach the post-season, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will get votes for GM of the Year, says one senior executive. “He’s shown immense patience with his roster and he’s being rewarded for it right now. The coaching change he executed has had the largest effect of any this year. He’s well thought of by his colleagues. Lots can happen between now and the end of the season but if the Jets get in, he’ll have to get consideration.” GM of the Year is voted on by all 30 league GMs, five senior executives and five media members… Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are going into the Hall of Fame and with no asterisks, and any other talk is just noise… U.S. media mogul Stephen A. Smith joined the Hustler and Lawless radio show on Monday and lit it up. He was genuine and soft-spoken off air but once the lights went up and we began rolling tape, he was brilliant, engaged and overflowing with energy… Sounds like the Patriots are going to overload the box to try and stop Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch from controlling the game on the ground. If it’s an effective strategy, quarterback Russell Wilson will have to challenge the Patriots downfield. Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner will play a big role in this game… Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was an infamous cheater during his time at USC and has been smart enough to stay out of Deflate-gate talk… Expect the Bombers to announce the hiring of former McMaster University defensive co-ordinator Greg Knox as a defensive assistant. His official title is unknown.

 

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @garylawless