The NFL finds itself in a precarious position where it could do the right thing and take a progressive approach to removing a problem from their game. Plagued by a workforce that is dying early, by their own hand at times, and a younger workforce that seems to have consensus that their children will not be following in their dad’s footsteps into football. The game has never been this popular, however the future of the game is uncertain. Like other professional sports, issues exist under the surface and away from the public eye, only coming above the surface from time to time in what we understand to be momentary lapses in judgment from the athletes.
The issue that the NFL is in a position to do something about is the racism that exists within its game. While they cannot control what their athletes think or do in their private time, they can do something about what’s happening on the field of play.
The NBA in recent years has taken a progressive approach in dealing with homophobia that exists within the game. Most famously was Kobe Bryant, who was fined $100,000 for uttering a gay slur on the court directed at a referee. The NFL can mask this issue a little easier with the playing field being a little more removed from their paying customers. But it has never been more obvious that it exists.
In about half a season this year we had two instances of white athletes using the n-word towards African-Americans (Riley Cooper and Richie Incognito), in one instance it was towards his own teammate. The latter was defended by many within the game saying that it is a part of the culture. Throughout the Richie Incognito fiasco it has become clear that this sort of language is commonplace between the lines. In the aftermath of this stain on the league, there have been claims that the league needs to enforce this with warnings to athletes who direct such slurs at other players, possible 15-yard penalties or even ejections from the game. It’s been a notion that has seemed to attract very little traction from the league or the players association.
Why is there such a collaborative effort to protect a culture of hate and ignorance?
In a third instance this season, veteran official Roy Ellison was suspended for one game by the league for using abusive language towards a player. It is believed that Ellison cursed at Trent Williams, an offensive lineman for the Washington Redskins. Why did a veteran official curse at a player? Well, it is alleged that Williams used a racial slur at Ellison, who is African-American. The league justified the suspension of their official by saying that refs are held to a higher standard. Again, I reiterate that when Kobe Bryant offered a homophobic slur towards an official, he was fined $100,000. The NFL? Yeah, they suspended the ref, and did nothing towards the player. I’m not defending Ellison here, we all know that two wrongs don’t make a right, and while his punishment was justified, that doesn’t mean Williams should have been allowed to walk away from the incident scot-free either.
What standard are the players being held to?
The league likely recognizes how common various racial slurs, including the n-word, are on the playing field each Sunday and the idea of throwing a flag for a 15-yard penalty on each instance of it would be an embarrassment to the league. And maybe it would, for a weekend. Maybe only a half. Once teams understood that this is being enforced, the behavior would be quick to change, and at the very least be less prevalent and less accepted.
The NFL is clearly allowing their culture to trump their policy.
Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1(b) of the NFL’s rules states:
Section 3 Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Article 1: Prohibited Acts. There shall be no unsportsmanlike conduct. This applies to any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship. Such acts specifically include, among others:
(b) Using abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures to opponents, teammates, officials, or representatives of the League.
The league does not need to come up with new rules to cover this ongoing issue, they merely need to enforce what they currently have.
This is the same league though that did need to legislate its teams to interview at least one African-American coach when filling a vacancy. The so called “Rooney Rule” that has led to the hiring of some of the best coaches in the league.
The idea of issuing a 15-yard penalty for infractions of the abusive language rule, covering the racial epithets that players are using towards one another and the on-field officials, it is a start. Every other league seems to be doing their part in taking a progressive approach in trying to remove problems that they can control, except the NFL.
As a fan of the game, if one weekend out of the many is spent watching flags fly every time it happens, I would reserve my frustration to the players and the coaching staff of the teams for not controlling themselves. The embarrassment in all of this is the continued dragging of their feet, pretending that this is not as pervasive as it is.
They are simply being asked to behave in a way that they would be expected in any other setting in society. They’re authorized to physically destroy one another, inflicting a level of violence towards their opponents not absorbed in any other sport. I think we can feel comfortable in asking for this one, very necessary, concession on their end in monitoring hate speech.
It is amazing to me that if the league were to hand out medals for racist behaviors this season that Riley Cooper would barely grace the podium. I’d say Christmas cards are in the mail out of Philadelphia this holiday season, with one going to Miami and one to the nation’s capital.
The league has been granted some leniency on head injuries lately, as they’ve created the perception that they are trying to do something. With the ongoing racism, they can’t seem to get out of their own way.
If what has transpired this season is not enough to call for change, the event that is enough looks like what exactly? How far will things go before the league takes a stance on the issue?
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