NFL Investigates Labor Controversy: Miami Dolphins,Incognito, and Martin
“The NFL is like jail with money. There’s a culture of intimidation, humiliation and violence. That makes you, they try to keep you in control because they know you want to do it. The thing is the moment the NFL doesn’t have control over you anymore is when you realize, ‘I can walk away!’.”
Terry Crews, former NFL Defensive end/Linebacker in an interview on the Arsenio Hall Show
We believe Terry Crews is right. He's shown great courage in expressing the life he encountered in the NFL. He does, afterall have the experience. Terry Crews was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL in the 11th round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He carved out a career spanning seven years, including time with the San Diego Chargers, the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles.
We also concur with his opinion about Jonathan Martin. We believe the young man did the intelligent thing, the smart thing, to leave the team when he realized he had a choice. He's capable of more than football. As crews stated, "There's more to life than football."
There are four teams we've heard of where hazing is not permitted. The Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, and the Detroit Lions. There may be others. We do not know.
Joe Philbin, current coach of the beleaguered NFL team, the Miami Dolphins, has a ring from the year the Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl XLV February 6, 2011, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the first time the Super Bowl was played in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Surely Philbin, in his role as offensive coordinator for the Packers, is familiar with what it takes to intelligently develop a championship football team. We're pretty sure hazing, abuse and intimidation isn't part of the formula.
There was a time when the game was more mental strategy than physical brute force. There's a frightening trend in the United States; everyone acts like stupid is gold and everyone wants some of it. See reality show stars. All of whom meet the criteria of owning some of that low intellect as gold others desire to have!
Then there is the matter of the players having respect for themselves. Conducting themselves in a respectful manner in order to command the respect they desire is an issue for many of these college educated men.
Shannon Sharpe, an NFL Hall of Fame member, with three Super Bowl Championships to his name, who is now a CBS Sports commentator, speaks about the controversy:
This weekend as you watch your favorite professional football teams, or your favorite college team participate in their various contests consider the training these men receive. Take into account the locker room environment ; it's a place where civility is alien. It's an unknown commodity. The typical NFL locker room, certainly the locker room of the Miami Dolphins , is a place where pejorative terms, the language of disrespect, where mental and physical abuse abound. It happens so frequently many of the players are immune. Of course we have to consider this story is another about bad behavior by humans and it does come out of Florida the land of up is down. The land time forgot. And as Crews explained most NFL players are mentally unstable.
Ask yourself these questions: Do you really admire what these men do? Do you really want to play in the NFL? Do you enjoy being a spectator? Isn't it about time the NFL Plantation instituted some significant reforms?