Courtesy: NY Daily News
Preparing this article had me both upset and annoyed! Not that it takes much to rile me up lately with all the stupidity surrounding sports today, but because society’s leverage has begun to infiltrate the four major sports leagues. Sports has always been the one safe haven where athletes can escape the pressures of everyday life and breath. When society starts to sink its claws into the one area that was once deemed sacred, there has to be a line drawn in the sand!
If the NBA allows a fan to be unruly against one of its employees(players), what’s next on the list? At the time of the Palace brawl in Detroit, a fan saw it fit to dump a beer onto then Pacers forward Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace) as he lay across the table on Press Row. When Artest retaliates and handles the fan along with several of his Pacer teammates, he’s labeled a thug and subsequently suspended for the remainder of the season and lost $7.3 million in game pay! I know many of you reading this agree with what the NBA did, but I certainly didn’t and don’t still to this day.
I’m from New York City (Brooklyn) just as Metta is and we simply don’t play that! The great Charles Barkley said it best, “I’m a man first and Charles Barkley the basketball player second!” Sir Charles was simply saying that there are certain things that men will let slide and certain things that just cannot be tolerated. For Barkley it was an individual disrespecting him, while he was having dinner with his wife and teammates. For Metta it was an unruly fan dumping a cup of beer on him while he lay on a table during a game.
I gave those two examples because the NBA acted as if these guys were accused of murder or better yet committed one. A simple fine would’ve been sufficient, but once again then Commissioner David Stern looked to push his weight around and appease the public. Now Roger Goddell has taken a page out of Stern’s book with his latest actions against Miami Dolphins DB Don Jones.
Jones has been fined an undisclosed amount following comments he posted to Twitter, with regards to the drafting of Missouri Defensive End Michael Sam. Jones did not degrade Sam in any way nor did he comment on his sexual orientation. Just as I witnessed Sam’s terrible showing at the NFL Combine, Jones was just echoing sentiments around the league regarding Sam. If the guy stunk it up at the Combine, why is his draft status such a big story? If he and everyone associated with him wants the focus to be based solely on his skills as a football player, why did he reveal his sexual preference weeks before the Combine?
For those of you who are not familiar with Freedom of Speech, I will gladly educate you with a small excerpt.
Under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Act and under the ICCPR, it states that everyone shall have the right to hold an opinion without interference, and everyone shall have the right to freedom of speech.
Courtesy: ESPN
Don Jones sent a simple tweet; OMG! This is terrible! #St. Louis Rams. Now what part of that tweet spoke to Michael Sam’s religion, race, or sexual orientation? NO PART!!!
He’s simply echoing what most of the football world was thinking. The guy absolutely STUNK at the Combine! It had nothing to do with his personal life. His football life was on display and he did nothing to help his case by having one of the slowest times in the 40 yard dash, and being one of the weakest in Indianapolis.
So while everyone was being PHONY and patting Michael Sam on the back, Don Jones had the guts to stand up and speak the truth. There was nothing derogatory or hateful about his remarks. What justification does Commissioner Roger Goddell has for levying a fine on Jones? He didn’t display behavior that was detrimental to the NFL. He wasn’t arrested. He didn’t end up in a sex scandal. The man simply made an honest statement and was punished for it. In this instance, I wish Jones would follow the example set by Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, who recently made comments about women in San Antonio, Texas and didn’t apologize. What is the apology for? For speaking your mind? For being honest? There is a very thin line between inappropriate behavior and abusive power, and Roger Goddell is toeing that line with reckless abandon.
The world of sports is in jeopardy of becoming political and isolated. At this point there might as well be a gag order placed on all athletes in every sport, as freedom of speech no longer exists.
