Reactions

Pro football was all over the sports headlines this week. For all the wrong reasons. Which is befitting of a sports loving nation whose heroes don’t live up to expectations. 

I could talk about Thursday night’s game between Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Or I could start with the Colin Kaepernick tryout on Saturday. Neither one was a shining moment of the 100th season of the National Football League.

Since I am a fan of Kaepernick’s civil rights, I find this situation to be fraught with problems. Here is a man who stood for principle and was excoriated and blackballed. He settled the lawsuit against the NFL with, of course, a non-disclosure agreement in place. One of the plaintiffs, Eric Reid, found employment in the league to be easy. 

Not so for Colin Kaepernick. Not a sniff for his talents, which have probably dipped from his heights with the 49’ers. Meanwhile, so many retreaded QB’s have filled openings on team rosters, whose talent never matched that of Kaepernick. That’s how you knew that the NFL treated him as a pariah. 

Out of the blue came this “generous offer” from the NFL for Kaepernick to showcase his talents to whomever wants to observe. Usually, NFL teams work out players on Tuesdays, which is an off day in the weekly in-season routine. 

Not so with Colin Kepernick. The NFL picked a Saturday, the day when most teams are traveling to their away games. Take it or leave it, said the NFL.

What choice did he have? With little time to prepare for the showing, and a flight for himself to Atlanta, where the tryout would be conducted by Hue Jackson, a former NFL coach chosen by the league, Kaepernick was left with very little flexibility.

Moreover, he would not be allowed to know how many franchises were coming to this showcase. It seemed like 13-15, from what the media had reported. (The NFL claimed 22) Others would have the video available to them for their review. 

So Kaepernick and his advisers called an audible. They shifted the workout site and left the NFL hanging. He wanted to do it on his own terms, with transparency, and not with a disagreement on terms which would have seriously diminished his free agency.

Of course, this left the unanswered question—what is his stance now about kneeling before the National Anthem? How can a team fairly evaluate the now 32 year old former player on where his morality stands? Would a team pay him a representative amount for his playing, or would they seek to low ball him, as another sign he might not be welcome in the NFL?

I agreed with many talking heads that this had all the trappings of a sham. Will this just be a big ploy to get rid of Kaepernick by concluding his talent has eroded too far below NFL standards? Is there really any fairness here? The NFL is in control and their spin is quite different from what a fan like me would want to see happen. Things didn’t get any better with this spur of the moment change.

I truly hope Colin Kaepernick blew away the personnel who opted to see him throw. That his performance is so great that he must be let back into the league. Except that I truly doubt that will happen and this could well be the last we hear of Colin Kaepernick on a football field. 

Then there is the current black eye that the NFL swiftly set out punish. Having watched the video a couple of times, it is apparent that Cleveland’s Myles Garrett tackled Steelers QB very hard to end the contest. In the scrum which ensued, Randolph slightly retaliated by pushing Garrett’s helmet. 

Garrett’s reaction was the focal point of this wild scene. He ripped off Randolph’s helmet, which led to the Pittsburgh QB to go after him. That’s when Garrett exploded and struck Randolph in his head with the helmet.

At that point, we went from a normal fight to an assault. By viciously swinging the helmet and striking Randolph, who earlier this season was in the concussion protocol, far greater injury could have occurred. This was the use of a weapon against a defenseless individual. 

This was way beyond a standard football fight. When I practiced law, I dealt with enough juveniles who committed less heinous offenses and received time in a juvenile facility. 

This aggravated assault was committed with felonious intent by an individual who had received over $60,000 in fines this season for hits to a QB, one which ended New York Jets QB Trevor Siemien’s season. For the action alone, it warranted the punishment meted out to Garrett by Commissioner Roger Goodell. Given his history, the indefinite suspension for Garrett was fully justified. So was the 3 game suspension given to Steelers lineman Maurkice Pouncey, who pummeled and kicked Garrett while he was on the ground, and one game for Browns’ defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi for pushing Rudolph to the ground. Both teams were fined $250,000. This game was replete with unsportsmanlike, injurious play, sending a number of players to the sidelines with head and other injuries. 

Garrett issued an apology and Rudolph, who will receive some monetary punishment, said he will not file a criminal complaint against his tormentor. Small measure of responsibility in a bigger picture.

The NFL is a violent league. Football at that level, with men so quick and strong, cannot be anything else. We reveled at the slogan “Kill, Bubba, Kill,” which followed the otherwise genial Bubba Smith, a large defensive lineman, from Michigan State to the Baltimore Colts. Historically, there have been hits on players which have had catastrophic results—witness the Oakland Raiders’ Jack Tatum striking New England WR Darryl Stingley so aggressively that Stingley was permanently paralyzed. Helmet to helmet hits are the subject of penalties, as are targeting tackles, given the plethora of men who have suffered injuries in the game which either shortened their careers or led to shorter lives. And this came after years of denial by the NFL that CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) existed. I need not go on.

Here is a culture that has unfortunately adopted sickening, violent behavior as a norm, even when employed by law enforcement. Many attend hockey games for the fights and hard mid-ice collisions. NASCAR—is it the tight races in high speed vehicles or the crashes which too often result in death that the fans pay big money for? Then there is MMA, the new sports phenomenon, which is almost barbaric and is sold to the populace via TV and Pay-per-view. And of course, the highly choreographed drama and action of the WWE, which utilizes steroidal, big men and women to fight in a ring, using props such as chairs and illegal substances, to “entertain” the masses who flock to their events.

Which parallels society’s behavior in its lust to protect the assault rifles used by too many for ill intent on children and adults, almost to the exclusion of sane, rational thought. How many kids are brought up on almost sadistic video games and their gratuitous acts?

Have we suspended laws to the point where aberrant behavior is acceptable? Many would have you believe that. 

I believe that the NFL acted tough here because it had to. Alas, they are selective in their enforcement of bans—was Garrett’s malicious act worse than what Ray Rice did to his then-girlfriend in that elevator in Atlantic City? Rice was effectively banned for his actions, while many others who have had domestic violence in their histories continue to play in the league with that same evilness. 

The NFL applies justice on a case-by-case basis. Condemnation of Garrett has been far-reaching by the players and those who played the game. 

I feel that if the NFL wants to make a statement about the unnecessary wanton conduct displayed by Myles Garrett, then he should receive the same treatment accorded Ray Rice. There should be no place for this kind of craziness in a league too prone to legitimizing so-called “controlled violence.”

These teams meet again shortly. All eyes will be on their conduct. I hope for everyone’s sake that the game is played on a competitive level without detouring to a contentious, non-football place. 

In the battle for Met Life Stadium/New Jersey supremacy, the Jets thwarted the Giants in a sloppy contest. Adam Gase was informed by team owner Christoper Johnson that his job is safe for next season, to the gratitude of his players but the disappointment of loyal Jets fans. Meanwhile, Giants head man Pat Schumer is now squarely on the hot seat. 

The Jets travel to meet the 1-8 Redskins outside of D.C. Washington leads the all-time series 8-3. New York won the last time they played in Maryland in 2011; can the Jets actually have a winning streak this season?

The slumping Giants have the week off. They come out of the bye with a game in Chicago against the Bears. 

Other things happened this week. Jacob deGrom won his second straight NL Cy Young Award. His numbers for 2019 were spectacular, even if his won-loss record was not, playing for the light-hitting Mets. Is he a Hall of Fame pitcher like Justin Verlander, his AL counterpart who won his second Cy Young Award? If based on wins and losses, no. If based on his immeasurable talent, then perhaps. And just a footnote here—I thought former Astros teammate and current free agent Gerrit Cole merited the AL Cy Young Award.

Peter Alonso of the Mets and Yordan Alvarez of Houston were the NL and AL Rookies of the Year. Alvarez was the unanimous winner, while Alonso, who reset the rookie record for home runs and was a solid player and perhaps the soul of the Mets, was one vote short of unanimity. What the hell was that voter thinking in not voting for Alonso?

I have no issue with Clay Bellinger as NL M.V.P. The Dodgers outfielder was spectacular. However, the voting might have been a lot tighter if Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich hadn’t disabled himself when he fouled a ball off of his knee cap.

In the AL, Mike Trout of the Angels won his third M.V.P. crown. Sure he is he best player in baseball. I am angry because DJ LeMahieu didn’t even get nominated. The Yankees, without a full squad for much of the season, would have not made the playoffs without him.

Which leads me to the lack of recognition that Aaron Boone received for managing the Yankees to such gaudy results despite the obvious handicaps and becoming the first manager to have his team win 100 games in the manager’s first two seasons. Rocco Baldelli did a fine job with the Twins, but Boone was more deserving.  

In college basketball, I was happy for the unheralded Evansville Aces with their very unexpected win at #1 Kentucky. Teamwork over talent can be successful. 

Seton Hall was severely punished for recruiting violations by Shaheen Holloway, a former Pirate standout, who made 234 inappropriate telephone calls to a recruit’s family. Holloway, now the head man at St.Peter’s University, is sitting out 4 games, while Kevin Willard, a disciple of the notorious Rick Pitino and his shenanigans, has sat out 2 games. Scholarship and recruiting limitations have been imposed as well. What were they thinking?

Will the real Rutgers team show up? Is it the one which struggled with the likes of Bryant and Drexel, or the one that manhandled Niagara? There is talent on the floor. I don’t necessarily see very many blowouts like the Scarlet Knights triumph over the Purple Eagles. I still cannot distinguish what Rutgers is going do over the course of a season, especially after its loss to a winless St. Bonavernture squad in Toronto on Saturday night. But the team has to do better against the mid-majors than have nail biters at home.

F&M played its first game last night, defeating Lancaster Bible at home. The Diplomats opener against York was postponed after students swarmed the court last Friday in protest of basketball and soccer players inappropriately dressed and acting out for Halloween. The administration and students have engaged in what the President, Barbara Altmann, has described as productive dialogue which will continue regarding sensitivity to others.

The legendary Bill Russell , Boston Celtics icon, belatedly accepted his Basketball Hall of Fame ring 44 years later. Russell felt that he should not have been the first man of color to enter the Hall. When pioneer Chuck Cooper was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame, Russell relented and accepted his ring in a private ceremony. Surrounded by fellow Hall of Fame inductees Ann Meyers, Alonzo Mourning and Bill Walton, along with his wife and others, it showed that his answer to a perceived slight was to wait for justice to be done.

Dartmouth continued its quest to win the Ivy League outright when Cornell invaded intimate Memorial Stadium. A win against the Big Red in their 103rd engagement and then next week at Brown would have give the Big Green and Head Coach Buddy Teevens the outright title in his 14th season in Hanover. The Big Red derailed Dartmouth, to the chagrin of the home fans. Now tied with Yale, Dartmouth faces no easy task in Providence when they visit Brown, a big winner at Columbia this afternoon. Dartmouth must also hope that Harvard has enough firepower and upsets Yale to let Teevens’ team win the crown. 

Who knew that Dartmouth’s all-time winning record is 643-422-46? Or that Harvard and Dartmouth have met 123 times?  Only Ivies Princeton-Yale, Harvard-Yale, Cornell-Penn have met more times than Harvard and Dartmouth. Princeton-Penn and  Columbia-Cornell have met over 100 times.

In reviewing the most played rivalries, after Lafayette-Lehigh and Yale versus Princeton and Harvard, there is William and Mary and Richmond getting together to decide who wins the Capital Cup. A total of 14 rivalries exceed Army and Navy as they await game #120. And I never knew the Iowa State and Kansas State is the 8th longest continuous rivalry and is surprisingly called Farmageddon, a nod to the agricultural, land-grant schools they are.

I did not know that New Hampshire and Maine play the Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket. Or that North Dakota and North Dakota State have the Nickel Trophy on the line when they meet. Baylor and TCU play in The Revivalry. Curiously, Montana and Montana State each seek The Great Divide Trophy, in the game dubbed “The Brawl of The Wild.” 

  Gettysburg-F&M is a trophy game to end the football season. The squads squared off for the Lincoln Trophy, emblematic of the Lincoln Highway, or Route 30, which each team ceremoniously travels every other year when they meet. The game had consequences for F&M, as if they won and Moravian lost to #5 Muhlenberg in Allentown or Ursinus downed Dickinson in Carlisle, F&M could receive a berth in the Centennial-MAC Bowl series, with #19 Susquehanna expected to join the Mules in the NCAA playoffs barring an upset. F&M defeated Lycoming 21-20 last year.  F&M routed the Bullets 55-7, while Moravian and Dickinson both lost. 

Lafayette hosted Colgate as it continued its improbable rise from mediocrity to contend for the Patriot League crown. Still at 3-7 as the team began play, Lafayette was tied for first place with Holy Cross, who the Leopards defeated on the road. A win today meant that next week’s rivalry match at Lehigh would be for the title, since Lehigh played a non-conference foe in Sacred Heart. Colgate shut out the Leopards, who now fall to 3-2 in the conference and must hope that Holy Cross loses to Georgetown in Worcester in addition to defeating the Mountain Hawks.

I depart with this thought. Reaction is critical thinking gone bonkers in certain circumstances. But it shouldn’t be. Reaction can be positive much more than negative. Our dwelling on the negative in this social media, outraged world we live in, fueled by irrational thoughts and unrealistic and twisted facts, must be tempered. The rule of law is there for a reason. There are consequences for intemperate actions. 

Whether it be the NFL or in the societies we inhabit around the globe, rational thought must prevail if allowed the opportunity. America was founded upon a rebellious escape from the tyrannical rule of a British king. We must be cognizant of our wrongs and held accountable in the appropriate places, not necessarily in the imposing adjudication of Facebook or Twitter. 

Sports is a barometer of our ways of life. It is competition that is supposed to be healthy. Once it gets out of hand, there are consequences. Brawls like those that occurred in Cleveland on Thursday night, placing a national audience into a frenzy of disbelief, are too commonplace in society overall. 

Maybe the reaction of the NFL will deter those similarly inclined. If this kind of enforcement becomes unified, then we will advance. If the Colin Kaepernicks of the world are permitted to make a non-violent statement in a violent fish bowl, then we can head towards a better way of life. 

I have hope. At the same time, I am too wary of politics disregarding the self-evident truths we ascribe to. It will take time.

Kaepernick’s tryout and Garrett’s suspension should be happening. Perhaps they should have happened earlier. For the best defense it is said is a a good offense.

That is how I have reacted to the events of this week. At least there was some normalcy—Syracuse beat Colgate in men’s basketball for the 59th straight time.