Quote:
Originally Posted by Exhibitman
This is about respecting your employer and your job. If doing publicity comes with the job and you take the job you owe it to your employer to do your freakin' job properly. I mean, when I was employed by a law firm if I went to court for a hearing and said "I'm just here so I don't get my pay docked" instead of actually doing what I was sent there for, I'd be fired in no time, and justifiably so. The biggest stars in Hollywood do their publicity junkets as their contracts require but this dingleberry thinks he's above it? Puh-leeze...
|
I personally have no problem with Marshawn...actually I like it. To the point above, I think much of this is driven by the fact the many, if not most of the players don't respect their employer. When I say employer, I mean the NFL, as opposed to the Seattle Seahawks. I'm pretty sure Marshawn respects Pete Carroll, and probably loves most of his teammates... And you can't deny he definitely does to the job he's hired to do, which is carry the football with a fierceness very few if any can match. I think the obligation to speak is sort of silly if a guy really doesn't want to do it. Why didn't the commissioner have to speak for weeks/mths following the Ray Rice and AP incidents? He basically disappeared until things blew over.
Other Seahawks players seem to be fully on board as well. All players defend Marshawn, and Sherman's comments earlier this week I think had less to do with any concern about deflate gate, and much more intended as a direct jab at the commish. None of the other major US sports have as contentious a relationship between league office and the players. When the Ray Rice story hit its low point, players jumped got in line to destroy Goodell.. My favorite was James Harrison who'd been fined many times, tweating- "ain't no fun when the rabbit's got a gun". After years of handing out player conduct suspensions which may often justified, but for which durations seem totally arbitrary... And years of imposing rules changes which show strong favoritism toward protecting super stars, QBs, while dismissing and/or even increasing risk of injury for less important players, the players are fed up (even a punter Chris Kluwe went on an on line revolt against the league a couple years back).
Many players in the league are well payed yes, but most are not rich, nor will they ever be rich. The league/teams use these guys up for what they're worth and spit them out. I love it when guys like Ricky Williams or Tiki Barber can choose to walk away from the game whole, and fans and teams may attack them for being selfish.. However, if/when a guy blows out his knee in OTAs, a team will often make sure cut him before a deadline so they won't be obligated to pay his contract while on IR, and that just "the business". Bill Parcells once cut a guy in the preseason who'd been diagnosed with a sudden life threatening ailment. He could have stuck him on IR, assuring the guy would have a paycheck, and benefits, but he cut him. Apparently only players ever checked in with him in the hospital.
I think the "brotherhood" amongst all players has never been stronger, and I think it's in large part because many view the league office as a common enemy. Crazy enough, I think Kraft's presser, which I saw as a jab aimed directly at Goodell (a guy he'd been key in hiring and protecting through scandal) was IMO maybe in part influenced by the way he's seen players acting out towards the commish. If they don't treat him with respect, why should he?