On Sanctimony And The Character Of Young Men
by Ted Bartlett on Apr 29, 2009 6:30 AM MDT
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PrintI'm not really a contrarian. In fact, I think people who are contrary just to be contrary are typically worthless to an intelligent discussion. Incessant devil's advocacy just gets in the way of progress. Actually, if you ask some people who've begun frequenting this site recently, I am a big homer, and all I do is write happy, sunshiny stuff about how the Broncos can do no wrong. Of course, that doesn't take into account the fact that I was the first person to criticize Josh McDaniels and Brian Xanders for misplaying the initial Cassel trade discussions, but that's neither here nor there, I suppose.
I wanted to write about character, because I have about had it with all the sanctimony surrounding the topic. Character. It's like it's become an unchangeable physiological attribute, like stiff hips, or thin legs, or small hands. It's evidently so clear-cut that a grinning, know-nothing jackass like Trey Wingo can casually say that Percy Harvin has character issues on national television. It's tawdry, like a soap opera. "Can they possibly take him with his character issues?"
I believe that the United States has a draconian cultural approach to crime and punishment. Every culture agrees that its members shouldn't steal from, kill, or injure its other members. In the U.S., we go crazy about some other stuff too, particularly criminalizing the use and possession of drugs. There are more people incarcerated in the U.S. right now for drug offenses than there are incarcerated in the entire European Union for all crimes combined. You have to remember that the E.U. has 100 million more people than the United States. That shocked me when I first heard that, and it still makes no sense to me, to this day.
There is also very little sentiment in the U.S. calling for the humane treatment of prisoners, or any substantive improvement to prison education, counseling, or other rehabilitative services. How many times have you heard a friend say "I hope that guy gets raped every day in prison." How many times have you said or thought something similar yourself? Think about what that's saying.
When we speak of the Department of Corrections, we're basically lying to ourselves. Inherently, it seems that we view the true purposes of incarceration to be punishment, and segregation from law-abiding society, rather than modification of future behavior. It's a lazy-father attitude, one which says that if a person can't "learn his lesson" just from being in prison, then there's no helping him. It's like sending a kid to his room, so you don't have to take the time, or expend the effort, to actively teach him how and why to behave better.
In this country, the attitude seems to be that if a person commits a crime, then he should forever be known as a criminal. There should be no credence given to the idea that a person can change, or that the past transgressions of a changed person should be forgiven.
You can probably tell what my value judgment is on thinking like this, but the purpose of this is not to explicitly announce that value judgment, or to try to sway anybody to see things my way, or, frankly, to even invite any discussion of it. I think what I think about penology and sociology, and everybody else is free to think what they think. I encourage everybody to debate the merits on Daily Kos, Red State, or wherever else such heavy public-policy discussion may be more appropriate.
The purpose of talking about these topics is simply to set a backdrop for a discussion of the character of football players. There must be an examination of our own attitudes if we're to understand the world in a more enlightened way. Frankly, I am showing a great deal of faith in this community, to invest the large amount of time it will take me to write this. I think that this group is mature enough to disagree with me on some or all background points, but still to consider what I have to say relating to football.
So, on to football. Percy Harvin is my example today, because he's exceptionally dangerous with a football in his hands, yet he went 22nd in this weekend's Draft. I'm a Florida Gators football fan. One thing I know is that Urban Meyer is not a coddler of players. He's actually a lot like his friend Bill Belichick, in that he expects players to act like men, and that he rarely hands out compliments very easily. The Gators stomped Knowshon Moreno's Georgia Bulldogs this past season, 49-10, and Meyer found fault with the second-string defense allowing that late TD. Meyer brings in a ton of talent every year, and there's always a replacement if somebody needs to be shown the door. There was absolutely no indication of any trouble with Percy Harvin during his three years at Florida. He had some minor trouble in high school, and he failed a marijuana test at the Combine, which was really foolish of him. But in a structured environment like the one at Florida, there was not a peep.
Remember, Meyer kicked his best player, our own Marcus Thomas, off the team in 2006 for violating the terms of a behavior agreement with the coaching staff. He went to Disney World with some friends, and he had agreed not to leave campus at all. Good-bye, best player on the team. That team, of course, went on to win a National Championship that season by stomping the bejesus out of Ohio State. I have to speculate that respecting the coach for his decision to stick to his guns played a factor. Harvin was a freshman on that team, and scored a TD in that game.
I was watching the NFL Network on Saturday a few hours before the Draft started, and the discussion turned to Harvin. How could he be dumb enough to fail a drug test? Deion Sanders said the most useful thing I've ever heard him say.
"I know the NFL is writing our paychecks, but 30% of the League is smoking." Of course it is. When I was in the Navy, 30% of the guys on my ship were smoking, but I'll get to that later.
Here's an important question, in my mind. Do we have a moral objection to a player smoking weed, or getting in a fight as a freshman, or getting arrested for public drunkenness as a junior, or is the concern that the guy is going to mess up again, and get suspended, and cause the team to lose games by his absence? If it's the second choice, then you're not really worried about character, you're worried about risk management vis-à-vis potential suspensions. I can get behind that thinking. I don't want a player to be getting suspended, and I will factor the increased likelihood of it into an evaluation. I won't say the guy has bad character though, because I don't know him.
What is character, really? Is it an unchanging attribute? Are you born with a certain one, and it is what is? Is it dependent upon the past circumstances in your life, and can it be affected by future circumstances? I believe that a person's character changes all the time. I don't want to get into the theories of Sigmund Freud or Erich Fromm very much, because it's very complex stuff, and I'm not as conversant in it as somebody who studied a lot of psychology. It would be like somebody who only knows a little bit about the X's and O's of defense trying to get really technical, when that's best left to a person like HT.
I will instead offer myself as an example. When I was 22 years old, I would have definitely had a character red flag. My circumstances made my character what it was. When I was about 13, my parents' always-unhealthy marriage devolved further, and they stopped talking to each other, but continued to live in the same house with us. They finally got divorced when I was 16, after not really speaking for 3 years. Rather than having been encouraged to achieve to my personal potential (by going to Columbia, or Yale, or Harvard, like some of my intellectually-comparable high school classmates did), I got lost in the shuffle. In a family that's falling apart, everybody just tries to survive the carnage for themselves, and that included both of my parents. I was on my own, like everybody else.
I got angry and started doing stupid and self-destructive things. I was arrested six times between the ages of 16 and 18, for a variety of minor offenses. (I have no criminal record, and I was never convicted of anything, thanks to some good luck, and one Prosecutor whose son was my father's Sunday School student.) I was drinking excessively, and taking some illegal substances here and there, and chasing a lot of easy women. Angry stuff, running the streets, and not really caring about anything very much.
I frequented Keene State College for a year, which is a party school in southwestern New Hampshire. I had time to do everything except go to class. From there, I landed in the Navy's prestigious Nuclear Power training program, with my best friend from Keene. My father was a nuclear engineer in the Navy, and it seemed like a great way to redeem myself. Alas, I failed out of the program, because I still couldn't bring myself to do the right things. My best friend, Jason Lake, got kicked out of the Navy while still in the Nuke program, over some drug stuff. (Jason subsequently died in a perfectly innocent car accident in 1997, at the age of 20, and I still miss him and think about him to this day.)
I ended up in the Deck division on the USS Spruance (DD-963,) in the Jacksonville area. As a guy who was always a Smart Kid, I initially resented being sent to do work which required a fairly small amount of thinking, and a large amount of manual labor. (It turned out great for me, actually, because I learned a lot of common sense stuff that Smart Kids who fly straight never get to learn.)
In August of 1997, I smoked some hashish out of a soda can on a beach in Theoule-Sur-Mer, France. Somebody smelled it on me and a friend, and he turned us in. Eventually, 8 more guys got caught up in it, because the guy who sold us the hash gave up a bunch of names to keep himself out of federal prison on an international smuggling charge.
The Captain went out on a limb, and didn't kick six of us out of the Navy, even though he was supposed to under the Navy's zero-tolerance policy. We were in the middle of a deployment, and he would have had a serious staffing problem in the Deck division. Those of us who were retained became known as The Cartel. We all got otherwise hammered to the fullest extent of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, though. We were confined to the ship for 45 days, we had to do 45 days extra duty, we got busted back a pay-grade, and had our incomes reduced to practically nothing for 2 months. We also had to show up 5 times a day (8 AM, 11 AM, 4 PM, 6 PM, and 9:30 PM,) just to be counted, even if it was during our scheduled sleep time, which is just ruthless. For all intents and purposes, we were incarcerated for a month and a half. We were also told that if we got in trouble again, for anything at all, we'd be separated from the Navy with Other-Than-Honorable Discharges.
Five of the six of us eventually met their demise in that way, one for something as minor as having his tongue pierced. The other four got busted for smoking pot again. I kept smoking it too, and just never got caught for it a second time. I got in some other trouble twice more, and got saved by some Chiefs who liked me the first time, and the Executive Officer (second in command on the ship) the second time. Being a generally likable and engaging guy was my salvation, I guess.
When I got clear of the 3rd offense, I was 21, about to turn 22. I was just entering my fourth year in the Navy, and my job performance in the first three was mediocre at best. I had spent a lot of time sneaking off to take naps in aft steering. In the Navy, out of sight is often out of mind. I had to reconcile my mediocre performance with the fact that I didn't consider myself to be a mediocre person. It had to be one thing or another. I made a key decision at that time, which has affected the rest of my life since then.
I decided that I was going to work hard, and finally apply myself. I quit smoking weed, and focused on getting qualified to take on new responsibilities and get promoted. People didn't believe it at first. I was the guy who never gave a crap, and at the flip of a switch, I turned into a hard charger. They started calling me S**t-hot Ted, derisively at first, because they were sure I was running a con.
It was no con though. I became the youngest and lowest-ranking person in ship history to get qualified as a Rig Captain for underway refueling. See video here, if you're interested. The person in yellow is the Rig Captain, and is in charge of the rig, as the name would indicate. It's a very complex and dangerous evolution, and if you're not careful and decisive, you can easily have somebody get killed. I got promoted to E-4 by scoring in the 99th percentile on the Navy-wide test, and I finished my Surface Warfare Specialist qualification (which is a huge deal) seven weeks before I got out of the Navy. The aforementioned nickname, which was originally meant in a derogatory way, came to be said only with respect. I went out with an Honorable discharge, on a very strong note in April of 2000, at the age of 22.
So imagine that story, only with me as a football player. I was a very talented guy coming out of high school, but I'd had some minor legal trouble, bad grades, and inconsistency on the field. An FBS (formerly Division 1-A) school took a flier on me, on talent, but I red-shirted, and kept getting in trouble and had bad grades there. They asked me to leave after one year, because they don't need guys who won't fly straight. I re-materialized at an FCS (formerly Division 1-AA) school, and had 3 mediocre seasons, with average grades, but some more trouble, including one fairly major drug-related incident, which drew a team suspension. In my senior year, I stopped getting in any trouble at all, did really well in school, played at an All-American level on the field, and graduated.
Do I get drafted, or am I more trouble than I am worth? Do I have character issues? I guarantee that everybody with a voice or a keyboard would have said that I did have serious character issues. Mel Kiper would have hated me, and called me a one-year wonder. Adam Schein, who is my Future Crow-Eater of the Day (for giving the Broncos an unequivocal F in the 2009 Draft), would have hollered in his inimitable North Jersey voice that I was unworthy of being drafted, as if he knew something about anything.
That was April of 2000 for me. Now, switching back to my real life, I've graduated from college twice with Bachelors degrees, and quickly advanced in my career as a corporate finance professional. I'm recognized as a young leader in my company. I've never been in any legal trouble or done any drugs since those wayward Navy days. I grew up to be a social drinker who knows his limits, and a good all-around citizen and person. I write quality stuff on this website, for no compensation, because I want to add value to a terrific community of Broncos fans.
To switch back to the football analogy, I've been a very good player for nine years now, and I've rewarded the team which gave me a chance many times over. Unless I tell people, nobody would guess that I used to be so troubled. I've always been a good person, but my character is different at age 31 than it was at 16, 18, 22, 25, or 28. Like anybody, I've grown, and developed, and learned new things, and had new experiences.
You don't know the character of any of these football players, and neither do I. You only know their stats and their rap sheets. Those are indicators of what may happen in the future, but our futures are mostly what we choose to make them. Some of these red-flagged guys turn out to be good people, like Marcus Thomas, who was recognized by the FBI last year for his great work with the National ID program. Some turn out to be intransigent like Lawrence Phillips or Maurice Clarett, and become guests of the state. You can make an educated guess who's who, but you never really know.
Most teams put a lot of resources into trying to determine who's worth the risk, and how much risk they're worth. Those evaluations occur on an individual basis. Some teams, most notably the Patriots, aren't very averse to so-called character risks, because they figure that their program and team culture keeps players on the straight and narrow. They're happy to buy low. It has worked out well for them with many players. The teams (seemingly other than Cincinnati and Oakland) know more than we do, and should be trusted.
I'll leave with maybe the key question of all of this. How fair is it for you, given your own personal situation, to expect kids from very different situations than yours, to have never made a mistake? It seems to me that when we say somebody has good character, that's another way of saying that he behaves in the same way that we do. We're therefore making ourselves the model for good behavior and moral uprightness, and is any of us really that? Kids screw up, and it's not fair for me to criticize mistakes when I made the same ones, just because it's been a decade since I made them. I believe those who did make mistakes can stop making them, because I'm a person who did.
So, remember that, and reconcile it with some player you don't know, the next time you feel the instinct to say that he has bad character. That was me in 2000, and you have an idea, nine years later, of how I turned out. Most people aren't irredeemable. Every day can be a new day, and when we give a person the chance to pleasantly surprise us, and the encouragement and support to keep doing the right things, we can be rewarded in amazing ways.
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Great article TB! it takes a man to share his own hard times as an example for others....
2 things stick out to me here:
1/ Your football analogy/ example reads exactly like Chris Baker’s from Hampton. The same Chris Baker that we just picked up as a CFA. I hope we all give the kid a chance.
2/ I think a lot of us confuse CHARACTER with CHARACTERISTICS. The character (or worth of a person) changes, as evidenced by your own example, over time and with maturity. Characteristics generally dont, and are part of a persons make up. For example, I generally lose concentration pretty easily. I did as a kid, and i do now. The only difference is that now, with experience and growth of my character, I have picked up ways to help me concentrate more, but I also have the maturity to walk away from a situation if my concentration is off.
Character of a person helps them them to react to situations in their life, and, to me, is a totally evolving process. Coaching kids into high level athletes, as I do 12 months for the past 10 years of my life, you see this first hand, as the kids evolve and grow into 1st class adults.
I have sent kids home from camps overseas for smoking pott and drinking, as it was clearly against our code of conduct. Did i give up on these kids? Hardly….some of them are my favorite kids I have ever coached, all going onto university, one attending Harvard and another Colorado College.
Anyway, great post my friend and totally recommended!
Those that cant coach, compete!
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
All I want is 53 Rod Smiths. Is that asking too much????
Awesome TB & rec'd
I think you’ve hit the topic dead on.
I run a program for emotionally disturbed students in a public junior high school. Most of these kids are ones that their home schools have given up on. “They’re uncontrollable” is the mantra.
Strangely enough, once they’ve enter the program, the behaviors that got them there, rarely (if ever) appear again. I believe that it’s because they’ve come to a place where they feel like no matter what happens, no-one will give up on them.
I’m not trying sound my own horn here, but rather support a point you made above: “so you don’t have to spend the time, or expend the effort, to actively teach him how and why to behave better.”
Time and effort are vital to changing anything. So are 2nd chances. I’m guessing there’s not one of us out there who’ve never been given a 2nd chance over something we did wrong.
Hmmmmm, might this apply not only to college football players with checkered pasts, but to football headcoaches who are just starting out? ;-p
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and hope you come down somewhere between the two.
by Brian Shrout on Apr 29, 2009 7:08 AM MDT reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd and Buzzed, Ted
Exceptionally-written story. Thank you for sharing your redeeming story. I hope we can all take away something (if not several things) positive from reading it; I know I have.
Redemption is a critical component of our culture
Thank you for highlighitng this aspect of player development. There probably needs to be more bridging between player evaluation and player development. Most HCs have enough self confidence that they feel that they can help troubled players overcome their developmental issues.
While I want to see young players advance in thier professional and personal lives, I am also sympathetic to the needs of management. Their employees are in high visibility positions in the community and their behavior must reflect favorably on the organization and even the community they represent. Players with repeated offenses that do not make any attempt to reform or genuinely exhibit any expressions of regret or acceptance of responsibility for their transgressions are high maintenance. It is often better for the organization to replace them or not even hire them in the first place.
Overall, redemption vs. risk management is a complex process. Like most situations that involve human behavior and the multiple variables, many of which are difficult to identify and measure, there are not any “one size fits all” solutions. Every individual needs to be evaluated and developed based on their strengths and weaknesses. Hopefully Mr. Bowlen’s organization will continue to be successful with personnel evaluation and personnel development for their players and all of the staff.
I agree, Larsen shouldn’t get any bigger. I am getting tired of his bone crushing hits knocking the pixels off my TV, once they fall to the floor they are very hard to find.
Great post!
This is my first post here. I’ve been lurking a while, but felt compelled to speak up after reading this.
I agree that redemption is an important of our culture, but one that is too often pushed aside by people who choose to judge rather than help people. From my perspective, though, character is a lot more than a rap sheet summary. There are traits that a person exhibits that are desirable, and those that are not. The character makeup of some of the Broncos (most?) draft picks this year is outstanding — they are hard working, students of football that are willing to work hard day in and day out to make the team better. This type of attitude can be learned, but it must be wanted by the learner.
What’s important to keep in mind when looking at these prospects is evidence of improvement. I think I fall into your category of wanting to minimize negative impact on the team when drafting guys who may make significant mistakes in the future. Therefore, if a guy has put his past behind him, I’m much more willing to be happy with his selection high in the draft than a guy who got caught smoking pot before the biggest job interview in his life. To me, that shows a lack of respect and a lack of seriousness that Harvin needs to get beyond. How can I trust him to come to practice or meetings every day with his best effort if he couldn’t come to the combine after abstaining for marijuana for a month? An excellent example of what I’m talking about is our own Robert Ayers. He made some mistakes in his early college career that he learned from and grew from, and didn’t repeat. I’m happy to have him on the team, and look forward to seeing him suit up in Orange. If Harvin had made his decision to strive to be the best he can be earlier and had used this offseason to prove that he was serious about his career in football, I’d have no problem with the idea of drafting him, either. He did not do this, and will need to take the next few months or so to prove that he can be a man about his new profession.
Chris Baker is another guy with past transgressions that I’m happy about. He’s begun to show that he can turn a corner and put his immature and thuggish behavior behind him. He might be a great addition to our team.
Thanks for giving such a personal insight into this topic, Ted. I enjoy your posts immensely. Keep it up!
Great first post BB and awesome points. Welcome to MHR!
Those that cant coach, compete!
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
All I want is 53 Rod Smiths. Is that asking too much????
Bassist, welcome aboard!
I agree, Larsen shouldn’t get any bigger. I am getting tired of his bone crushing hits knocking the pixels off my TV, once they fall to the floor they are very hard to find.
by Arctic Bronco on Apr 29, 2009 8:09 AM MDT up reply actions
Hey Bassist!
Great note. Welcome aboard. I love me some bass guitar — is that your angle, or do you do the concert standing bass thing?
"They need a hero to tell them that the impossible can become possible..... WHEN... YOU'RE... AWESOMMMME!" -- Rhino the Hamster
by broncosmontana on Apr 29, 2009 9:17 AM MDT up reply actions
thanks!
Thanks to all of you. I’m definitely referring to bass guitar — I’m not man enough to play upright bass. :D As I’ve said elsewhere (not on MHR), calling myself a bassist is kind of a stretch. I’ve got a real day gig and a young family to fend for. Just a hobby, like keeping up with our Broncos!
by BroncosBassist on Apr 29, 2009 10:02 AM MDT up reply actions
Ted what I like about you is...
… that you refuse to relent to false modestly. You have faith in your own abilities and you don’t shy away from referring to them. I think recognising your strengths is as important as recognising your weaknesses.
Which brings me to this article. You mix the two of these facets of self analysis beautifully in using your own life as an example for others to refer to when analysing other people characters. Something that we’re all often guilty of based on some fonts they’ve read on a computer screen.
Thank you Ted for your frankness and for opening my mind to it’s ability to look beyond someones past and to look at their potential instead.
"Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space."
"It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes" Douglas Adams
by orange&blue_aussie on Apr 29, 2009 7:29 AM MDT reply actions
You are right TB
It is often easy to forget that we were once kids too, and subject to the same circumstances that all young people must face throughout life. We only have our own lives to reflect upon,but that should not cloud our judgement of others. I think that boydy is right, characteristics and character are being confused. Also, that DOES kinda sound like Chris Bakers’ bio. I agree that if a person who has made mistakes(as we all have), and has learned from them, he should be given every chance to fail again. One thing that life is all about is Choices.
Ted,You DO write quality stuff and I appreciate your candor. Well stated.
Bshrout, you make an excellent point, I myself was never really given the benefit of the doubt that I would grow up to be a decent human being, and that affected my behavior, attitude and choices. I did find solace with older men who became Mentors to me because they understood that, so I respected them. I believe that made a difference in my makeup.
To Arctic, not just player development, human development. I think that this is one of the fundamentals that MOST coaches(at least the more successful ones) teach.
BroncosBassist, you make a valid point. Welcome to the community
My Dad told me about the 4 seasons:
Pre-season
Regular-season
Post-season
Off-season
by KaptainKirk on Apr 29, 2009 7:30 AM MDT reply actions 1 recs
Good Stroy
I think it is a well written expose on “character”….personally I care less than anyone would care to admit when it comes to pro sports. Romanowski ring a bell anyone? We were willing to turn the blind eye as long as he was “our” psycho….but once he became a Raider?….
Personally, the biggest thing I got out of this is…..I sure wish Urban Meyer was our coach.
Great story Ted
I try not to be too judgemental on these kids coming out of college. I know what I was like in the 16 to about 25 age range, and I know what I am like now, and I can tell you they are very, very different. Like you I have always considered myself a “decent” person at heart, but man did I have some wayward times in those years, and like you I think they helped to shape me into the person that I am now.
Character
I really appreciated your article, but I’m not in total agreement with the premise. My background is remarkably similar to yours, and I appreciate your frankness. However, I don’t think the issue really is character, I think we hear the term from many of the sports broadcasters, but consider the source. Many, maybe even most of them, seem to think they get paid by the word and consequently often have their mouths in motion before their brains are in gear. So what do I think the issue is? Judgment, as in the ability to weigh the possible outcomes and make a wise decision.
I think the issue, and the Percy Harvin example is totally appropriate, is that Percy demonstrated very poor judgment at a critical time in his life. He knew he would be performing on a stage with all of the pro evaluators looking on, and that if he smoked pot he might very likely get caught, and if he got caught there would be consequences. He chose foolishly, and he paid the price. If poor decisions don’t have consequences, there isn’t incentive to exercise better judgment in the future. This really isn’t any different than any of us professionals that are preparing for a job interview, which almost always include a drug screening. If we choose to smoke pot the week before the interview, we very likely won’t get the job.
Percy Harvin hasn’t been permanently ostracized for his poor decision, but he did indeed pay a premium. He did get a job doing what he wants to do, although with a salary reduced from what he otherwise might have had. If he is a responsible trainable adult, he has learned something from this experience and will perhaps make better decisions in the future. One can only hope. Character is defined by the reaction to opportunities to learn. There are some in professional sports who have demonstrated repeatedly they are going to do things their way and don’t apparently care about the consequences. I think it’s valid to make an observation about their character. Likewise there are others who have take full advantage of second opportunities to demonstrate their true character. Only time will tell which outcome Mr. Harvin will demonstrate.
great point.
even a criminal can have good judgement, a self preservation, an awareness of where to be where not to be. who to be with, who not to be with…
"I want this team to be tough, smart and prepared to play well under pressure...Everybody here in this organization is going to be held accountable to do their job — their piece of the puzzle to make this team a competitor for a championship every season." J-Mac
by Jay Fin Anderson on Apr 29, 2009 9:29 AM MDT up reply actions
Yeah but it's still a lot of money...
I liked your story. Thanks for sharing such personal information.
If I were in a position to consider drafting someone with a similar story I’d want to know about their background. I’d want to know, “Why the sudden turn around?” Is this kid just looking for a pay-day from the NFL so he get’s in line for a year?
Imagine you’re a coach whose job is on the line and you have to justify giving ‘some pot-head kid’ 5 or 10 million dollars?
If I’m betting my livelihood on it, I’m going to go with the eagle scout over the kid who just needs a chance. At least with a first round pick anyway. I mean really, what that Harvin kid did was just stupid. He may have cost himself literally millions of dollars by smoking weed. I’m not saying smoking weed is a bad thing in itself, but smoking it just before a drug test that may cost you big time like that is just dumb.
All that being said, I do tend to agree with you. I heard the same things about B.J. Raji after he was falsely reported to have smoked. “Character issues”. Meanwhile, I’ve never heard of a hard drinking partier as being characterized in the same way. Jay Cutler has diabetes but he’s out there getting drunk in Chicago but the GM shrugged it off saying something to the effect of, “Yeah, we know he does that…”
That brings me to the press… I think the press does a terrible job telling stories. Why don’t they research a person and make a story out of it and explain what the ‘character issues’ actually are? Why not simply report what the player did or did not do and leave it at that or do the research and find out about the player’s actual character?
The Denver Post just kills me the way they follow such poor journalistic practices which is actually what brought me to this site which I really enjoy. I remember reading an article from Jim Armstrong recently where he says the other Broncos players envy Jay Cutler and are on his side because he was able to stick it to the man. He doesn’t site a single player that he’s talked to or even pretend that he tried. He just imagines that’s the way the entire locker room feels about it. Every player comment I’ve read tells an entirely different story and while there probably is some sentiment like that among some percentage of the locker room it’s just bad lazy reporting that’s behind most of these sports writers stories. I really appreciate the work the people on this site put into their stories and it’s a nice change from the troll-mongering of the Post. The Fan radio takes it to such an extent they even have a ’whiner’s line’ where they encourage people to call in and complain. Of course there is no line for people who have anything positive to say. I guess negative gossip is easier to sell than analytical reporting or positive fan-ship.
Whiner LIne
I keep wanting to call and whine about the whiners.
Great post.
I appreciate you sharing your story TB. Well done. I’ve had my challenges and failures as well…
I don’t go nuts, though, when people use the term “character”. I use it myself and I think it’s a relevant consideration in these high-stakes decision. Where I do get upset is when people believe it is a fixed thing, or are too willing to define a man’s character that they don’t even know.
For instance, I’m really rooting for Chris Baker (and for that matter, Percy Harvin) to make good decisions and to maximize their God-given talent. I think they can and I hope they will.
I’ve even gone so far recently, as a rabid dog-lover, to reconsider my stance on Michael Vick. That dude has paid a steep price and seems genuinely repentant. I want to believe in him. I hope he gets another chance in the league and redeems himself in the nation’s (and his own) eyes.
Few things yank at my heart like repemption…
I think we're all pretty much on this page.
I can’t blame NFL teams for being skittish about character red flags, though. It’s not their business to oversee rehabilitation (in some cases) or to play babysitter (in other cases) or even to be the drama stage that shows how well somebody has turned their life around (in yet other cases). Their business is to make money by winning football games, and the profit line can be inhibited if a player get suspended or kicked out of the league.
No, we can’t know for certain whether Harvin will have any problems and it’s only fair to give him a chance. But if he ends up missing games this year by failing a drug test, I’m certain the Minnesota fans will be the least forgiving of their team’s decision to spend a 1st-round pick on him.
But yes, we’ve all been less than perfect in our own lives and it’s good to remember that in many cases, the only difference is that our life story isn’t being broadcast all over TV and the internet.
by David Hooper on Apr 29, 2009 8:49 AM MDT up reply actions
Beautiful post, Ted
Rec’d.
Curious -have you read Foucault’s Discipline and Punish?
"From the get-go, we targeted a certain type of player: tough, smart, competitive, versatile, a good person that loves football and wants to win." -Coach McDaniels
by Colorado_Kitten on Apr 29, 2009 9:10 AM MDT reply actions
Foucault
Yikes, I am impressed. You never know who you will meet on a Bronco chat board! I do better with Searle, but it is nice to see a fellow philosopher.
by Baltimore Bronco on Apr 29, 2009 9:21 AM MDT up reply actions
I think there are many of us here
There is no army so powerful as an idea whose time has come.
by Jeremy Bolander on Apr 29, 2009 11:40 AM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'm not as surprised on this particular Bronco board
Now, if this were the DP forums…
I don’t know that I’d call myself a philosopher but I have been fortunate to have a few good books cross my desk. :)
"From the get-go, we targeted a certain type of player: tough, smart, competitive, versatile, a good person that loves football and wants to win." -Coach McDaniels
by Colorado_Kitten on Apr 29, 2009 10:56 PM MDT up reply actions
sigh
going to have to get out of the habit of using dashes on here.
Sorry about that.
blushes
"From the get-go, we targeted a certain type of player: tough, smart, competitive, versatile, a good person that loves football and wants to win." -Coach McDaniels
by Colorado_Kitten on Apr 29, 2009 10:57 PM MDT up reply actions
I don't know about Foucault...
…but I did watch this one episode of Night Court as a kid, where Bull…
…oh, nevermind. :o)
"Don't feed the trolls. Remember to be polite. And please show self-restraint in comment length!" -Me, to myself, because I need constant reminding.
I've never read any Foucault....
Do you recommend it?
"I am not one of those who think that coming in second or third is winning." -- Robert F. Kennedy
by Ted Bartlett on Apr 29, 2009 8:05 PM MDT up reply actions
A great work of philosophy and history
Outlining the evolution and reforms of the penal institution, Foucault also concerns himself with the effects of the power structures (the mechanisms of discipline) of our society and how they actually refine and encourage criminal activity.
"From the get-go, we targeted a certain type of player: tough, smart, competitive, versatile, a good person that loves football and wants to win." -Coach McDaniels
by Colorado_Kitten on Apr 29, 2009 10:41 PM MDT up reply actions
Is MHR a PCP site?
Philosophy Collection Sites are great places to find indepth analyses of human endeavors. I really enjoy the philosophical perspectives that the MHR philosophers bring to the site. Sorry for the acronym but I’m in the military and I am plagued with TMA (Too Many Acronyms).
I agree, Larsen shouldn’t get any bigger. I am getting tired of his bone crushing hits knocking the pixels off my TV, once they fall to the floor they are very hard to find.
by Arctic Bronco on Apr 30, 2009 8:15 AM MDT up reply actions
TMA!
I work for an FFRDC for the DOD, so I am right there with you. :-)
"From the get-go, we targeted a certain type of player: tough, smart, competitive, versatile, a good person that loves football and wants to win." -Coach McDaniels
by Colorado_Kitten on Apr 30, 2009 3:49 PM MDT up reply actions
FFRDC - Federally Funded Research Development Contractor?
I agree, Larsen shouldn’t get any bigger. I am getting tired of his bone crushing hits knocking the pixels off my TV, once they fall to the floor they are very hard to find.
by Arctic Bronco on Apr 30, 2009 11:06 PM MDT up reply actions
C = Center
"From the get-go, we targeted a certain type of player: tough, smart, competitive, versatile, a good person that loves football and wants to win." -Coach McDaniels
by Colorado_Kitten on May 1, 2009 11:05 AM MDT up reply actions
Change
Wonderful article. People can grow. I have seen very sick people who did awful things change and become productive members of society.
Mike Shanahan gave many guys chances. Some took advantage of him, some rewarded his trust and support. I’ll bet he would not change things if he had do-overs.
I respect people more who admit they aren’t perfect than those who pretend they know everything. The really good people are often very humble. One of the most gracious self-effacing people I ever met was the great QB John Unitas. Within 5 minutes of talking with him, he had you talking about your own life, not his. What a man.
by Baltimore Bronco on Apr 29, 2009 9:19 AM MDT reply actions
Epic.
"Talking tough is easy when it's other people's evil and you're judging what they do or don't believe. It seems to me you'd have to have a hole you're own to point a finger at somebody else's sheet" -- Mike Cooley
First time poster!
Great post. It reminded me of a saying that goes something like “when it is me, I want mercy, when it somebody else, I want justice.”
I remember my college days. (oh God, I’m glad there were no phone cameras then) Many of us would not want any kind of microscope placed on us for what we did in college. That being said, I understand the lengths a team goes to to find “quality character” guys, but give a man a chance. We all deserve that.
So true MODAVE
we are sometimes so eager to point a finger in ones direction, not realizing there are three pointed right back at us…
Welcome to MHR!
I agree, Larsen shouldn’t get any bigger. I am getting tired of his bone crushing hits knocking the pixels off my TV, once they fall to the floor they are very hard to find.
by Arctic Bronco on Apr 30, 2009 8:16 AM MDT up reply actions
Great post Ted
makes this more than a football site, allows football to be a launchpad for the whole of life. thanks for the insight and perspective.
although i do disagree with this
It seems to me that when we say somebody has good character, that’s another way of saying that he behaves in the same way that we do. We’re therefore making ourselves the model for good behavior and moral uprightness, and is any of us really that?
in that some people do form character judgements from outside their own individual actions, and in fact i dont think anyone forms a character judgement without gaining from the world around them.
but maybe that is the point too. in an example where we compare the two possible extremes, yes, some have had every example and opportunity to do right while some have had every example and opportunity to do wrong.
i guess the key is that people can change ESPECIALLY at certain ages, with certain life changes.
"I want this team to be tough, smart and prepared to play well under pressure...Everybody here in this organization is going to be held accountable to do their job — their piece of the puzzle to make this team a competitor for a championship every season." J-Mac
by Jay Fin Anderson on Apr 29, 2009 9:24 AM MDT reply actions
Highest rec I can possibly give
Wish I could give two. Takes a stone pair to share that level of detail about yourself. You really put it on the line with this one, Ted, and you make a tremendous point. We are all changing all the time.
When I think back to some of the crap I did when I was a wild young man now through the eyes of a responsible father and member of a team of professionals, I shudder a bit. Sure, there are a few humorous anecdotes that stand the test of time, but some folks laugh easily about their “glory days” — I’m not quite to a point where I can do that quite yet, and that was 10-15 years ago.
Maturation is a process we all must go through in one way or another. Personally, I think the opportunities given to athletes who come from very diverse and often disadvantaged backgrounds is one of the most inspiring aspects of the NFL. The all too rare story of overcoming great adversity (TD, for example!) to become an elite persona, or even just a servicable player, seems to happen all the time in the NFL.
That’s one of the reasons I root so damned hard every Sunday. And yet, as fans, we too easily deride those who cannot manage the miracle. Deride them as players, if you will, but let’s remember that they are men just like we are who face challenges that may be like our own, or not. You bet I’ll be rooting for Chris Baker, and B Marsh. Anyone who shows be they give a crap about the game and is willing to work hard and do their job has character in my book. The personal stuff that can sabotage some guys, well, that’s up to them.
"They need a hero to tell them that the impossible can become possible..... WHEN... YOU'RE... AWESOMMMME!" -- Rhino the Hamster
Character vs Character Issues
Good story somewhat related to the topic.
Last year Denver drafted Eddie Royal over DeSean Jackson, mainly because of their perceived character. I have a buddy who loves the Eagles so immediately after the draft we made a bet on who would be better year over year (playoffs included), Royal or Jackson.
Neither of us imagined how well the players would work out and I won the bet, for last year anyway, even with PHI making the playoffs. Funny that the reason was that DeSean would have tied Royal for total TDs (which includes kick returns), except for the fact that DeSean couldn’t wait to go all MeSean and celebrate a TD vs Dallas. He drops the ball at the one, and when the season ends Royal wins the TD race 5-4.
Character – 1, Character Issues – 0
Excellent points in some of these posts
Here is another example of what I was trying to say above. I don’t think that DeSean Jackson has a history of any kind of illegal activities, but his attitude is absolutely destructive to his team. This is just another facet of his character. I’d take the hard working, blue-collar guy with above average talent over the me-first guy who is a superstar any day. It just so happens that we got a blue collar superstar in Royal, and I couldn’t be happier.
by BroncosBassist on Apr 29, 2009 10:09 AM MDT up reply actions
I always enjoy reading your articles Ted, it seems you put a little of yourself in each and every post. To me
thats the true strength of great writers. Charactor is partly learned by emulating those for whom we admire.
I see you ( as well as others ) reaching out to many young and up incoming football stars at all levels.
Thanks Ted
Rec’d
Real Power, comes with the realization that One cannot change the Moment;
only ones perception of it: Atitude! JQM
Recced.
Really meaningful discussion. Makes you think a little deeper about these players as people. When you relate their situations to your own life its a lot easier to realize we can’t expect them to have perfect lives. I think a lot of times we have higher expectations because these athletes are in the public eye, when in reality they are college age young men with a lot of attention and money thrust upon them, coming from many different backgrounds. The stress this places on them makes me agree with McDaniels that “character” is extremely important so that your players don’t slip up under the increased scutiny, but this post also makes me think twice about judging those with “issues” when in reality they are just the issues most normal people have. It’s unrealistic to expect that these men wouldn’t.
by orangeandblueblood7 on Apr 29, 2009 10:45 AM MDT reply actions
Thanks for the article! I appreciate your honesty and openness. Thing is, even as you said, you were “always a good person” even when you were messed up and messing up; but that’s different from being a former 3rd round selection from Ohio State who shall remain nameless or a former Tennessee Titans free agent signee who has sired more progeny than J.S. Bach! Character is important. Even though you have turned out to be successful and useful to the society in which you live, you weren’t always that way. I hope Darryl Gardner and other character duds from Broncos past come to find a way to live meaningful and productive lives; but I want the Broncos present team to be filled with men who are trustworthy as well as talented and good team-mates. Character isn’t just about cash-register honesty, it’s about a willingness to work when nobody’s looking. I think we got just that in this most recent draft. God willing, Percy Harvin will have a long and successful NFL career; but I’m glad we took Knowshon Moreno.
Fantastic read and rec'd
I feel, as a college student myself, that too often those looking at these players, especially in the media, forget that they’re still in the growth, maturing and learning stage of their life. I love listening to all these people lambaste some poor kid simply because he parties, smoked some pot or got in a fight with someone at college. I often find myself wondering if they even went to college & if they did how horribly boring their experience must have been.
Makes me wonder what would happen if everyone had to go through a similar pre-Draft process before entering their career. I would love to find out how my use of pot would affect me*. I wonder this simply because 99% of the people I meet never even guess that I use. My own bosses at the law firm I work at once told me “no drug user could do the job I do.” ;-)
I just wonder what would happen if everyone’s life was examined under the same microscope immediately after their college experience. How many normal members of society would have “character issues”. I know a large number of the lawyer group would be in trouble.
Great read though.
*Short explanation: I have migraines 3-5 times a week and it’s the only thing that really helps, but I also don’t like the way alcohol, a scientifically proven more addictive, inhibiting and gateway drug, makes me feel. But I also admit casual use.
"You can make mistakes, but you are not a failure until you blame others for those mistakes." -John Wooden
Randall, my sister learned that her migraines were from food allergies
for many years she had debilitating migraines that caused her to miss work and earn less. She finally learned that they were caused by food based allergies, now she works 45-50 hours a week. I highly recommend visiting an allergy specialist, my sister’s allergy specialist helped me mitigate some very annoying allergies.
I agree, Larsen shouldn’t get any bigger. I am getting tired of his bone crushing hits knocking the pixels off my TV, once they fall to the floor they are very hard to find.
by Arctic Bronco on Apr 30, 2009 8:29 AM MDT up reply actions
great advice arctic
I had a friend who relied on vitamin E as his one defense against migraines, with limited results, but a complete change in diet on advice from an allergist has him suffering much less frequently from debilitating migraines.
There is no army so powerful as an idea whose time has come.
by Jeremy Bolander on Apr 30, 2009 11:16 AM MDT up reply actions
Great Post
You are absolutely right about our disconnect when it comes to dept of corrections. Our justice system is based on the idea people can change, but we have stopped giving them that chance to a large degree. I would be in the minimizing risk of suspention camp from a cold hearted statistical perspective, but some of the things that players get ‘red flagged’ for seem to be pretty minor missteps that are blown way out of proportion. I am all for giving guys as individuals an opportunity to devolop both their talent and selves. I think that the College FA is a great way to do that.
"My job description is to win football games. I'm a hard worker. I'm not flashy by any means, but my job is to play football and win and I plan to do that." Kyle Orton
How about Brandon Marshall's character?
Given Brandon’s history of being physical with women I’m curious how you all think of how that relates to his character? Is that truly a ‘character’ issue or is his behavior a product of his upbringing or maybe just his youth that he’s still working through? If it’s not a character issue, would you be surprised if at some time Brandon ran into trouble again with his fiance or another woman?
Is there such a thing as a character issue?
Rod Smith had similar issues
and rose above it. Based on my own past I would say it’s a maturity issue as well as cultural. Be willing to bet that BM has seen way too much of that growing up. It colors a persons view of normal.
by SlowWhiteGuy on Apr 29, 2009 12:27 PM MDT up reply actions
Not recommended
I stopped reading your post after the following two paragraphs after the break.
1) The EU has their own problems. The British at one time cut off hands of theives. Other countries kill people caught with drugs rather than play nice like the US. Immigrents fled Europe because of things that they were doing and came to America. The US may have problems but it is better than many options out there.
2) I have never heard one of my friends say “I hope that guy gets raped every day in prison.” I do not like that way of thinking. I accept the right of your friends to choose to think that way.
Perhaps the rest of your article is better. Just not willing to wade through the post to find out.
I believe that the United States has a draconian cultural approach to crime and punishment. Every culture agrees that its members shouldn’t steal from, kill, or injure its other members. In the U.S., we go crazy about some other stuff too, particularly criminalizing the use and possession of drugs. There are more people incarcerated in the U.S. right now for drug offenses than there are incarcerated in the entire European Union for all crimes combined. You have to remember that the E.U. has 100 million more people than the United States. That shocked me when I first heard that, and it still makes no sense to me, to this day.
There is also very little sentiment in the U.S. calling for the humane treatment of prisoners, or any substantive improvement to prison education, counseling, or other rehabilitative services. How many times have you heard a friend say “I hope that guy gets raped every day in prison.” How many times have you said or thought something similar yourself? Think about what that’s saying.
Victor Frankl:
What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.
It’s too bad you stopped reading, because it was definitely worth finishing.
Though I agree with the sentiment about draconian American attitudes about crime and punishment, I thought it was a bit off-topic in an otherwise excellent post.
I found it interesting that you got hung up on a tangent in the original post, and proceeded to go off on one of your own. The point is that we’re way too hung up about marijuana in this country. That has nothing to do with ancient British customs.
Yes, Europe does have problems of its own, but one of them is not, “Where do we put all of these minor marijuana offenders?”
I concur
wyoeng, PLEASE read the whole article! I think you will find more in agreement than you think!
"Don't feed the trolls. Remember to be polite. And please show self-restraint in comment length!" -Me, to myself, because I need constant reminding.
OK, I went ahead and read the entire article
Nice personal story. I am glad that you turned your life around.
I still do not agree with some of your view points. I do hope that the wayward players / people out there get out of the situations they are in.
Thanks for the post.
Victor Frankl:
What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.
you've inspired me Ted
I don’t yet know what I am going to say, or when I will say it, but I HAVE to comment in depth on this….
Thanks for the jumpstart.
There is no army so powerful as an idea whose time has come.
by Jeremy Bolander on Apr 29, 2009 11:49 AM MDT reply actions
Ted your life mirrors mine in sort of an identical way.
I too came from a broken home, I joined the Navy, went to Grouton, Conn. to sub school, failed out, transferred to a ship (Oklahoma City CLG-5) spent time in the missle division (FTM), and ultimately ended up on the deck force. If it wasn’t for an understanding chief (BMC) Goodwin on my second ship (H.B.Wilson DLG-7), I probably would have been kicked out of the Navy. I changed my thinking, took the BM-3 test and passed it. I became the rig captain of the forward refueling station. Is that wild or what? I was discharged from the Navy in April of ‘74, and 10 days later I went to work for the government as a federal fire fighter. I know what you are tell about Ted, and alot of very talented kids become disillusioned with life in general and give up. The more fortunate one’s usually have someone who was willing to spend a little time on them and not give up. Great Post Ted…13-3 Baby!!!
bf2b, Thank you for being a firefighter
I was a volunteer firefighter before I got my new job in the big city, but when I can afford to go back to a small town I will be a responder again. My son has been a wildlands firefighter and he just finished his Associates in Emergency Services, he hopes to get a wildlands job this season but he hasn’t found any openings yet.
I agree, Larsen shouldn’t get any bigger. I am getting tired of his bone crushing hits knocking the pixels off my TV, once they fall to the floor they are very hard to find.
by Arctic Bronco on Apr 30, 2009 8:35 AM MDT up reply actions
Courageous
Your story is one of strength and conviction (or appears that way)
However, there is the other side. These comments are not directed to you, more to your premise of salvation.
I bring 2 perspectives that makes me very passionate about this topic.
1. I have a big brother whose story is similar to yours, in that he kept getting into trouble. Unfortunately, his started a little later in life, and his salvation was only temporary. His story is like many, out of school, poor choices, even more marginal friends and addiction. He recovers, recaptures part of his glory, part of his life. Only when time turn difficult (an unruly, extraordinarily difficult daughter), he turns to his old hidey-hole. His ending is death by drug overdose. Great guy, full of life, but incapable of facing life’s challenges on his own merits.
2. During college, I worked in a liquor store for 3 years. The parade of people to came to celebrate, enjoy life, and many to create their own personal hidey-hole. The last group constituted probably 40% to 50% of our customers. I can not explain how life changing it was watching experienced drinkers throw their lives away in the bottle, but even worse, see the drinkers in training. Even some where my friends.
I give you this history for this point, character is so very important. It in many cases is the tool that keeps the majority of us not being one of my examples above.
A great many who choose this path never get out, or fully out of this life style. Yes, many can partake casually, but many can not. The result for those who can’t is devastating, not just to them, but their loved ones also.
Back to your story – BULLY for you. My heart goes to you, and your strength and courage for putting that in your past. For many people however, the salvation’s are short and temporary. Your own story of The Cadre, exemplifies that. Only 1 of 6 survived their job. Some may say, it’s only Military service or the folly of youth. While that might be true, for many is just the beginning of a long journey to hell.
Back to football – I understand fully the concern of the teams, they are gambling large sums of money on potential problems. For every victory, there probably are 5 similar defeats (as in your own story).
People who go in the hidey-hole to avoid their troubles, are likely to always do that. The real question is – can they maintain normalcy in doing so, or do they give up all or most of their potential.
Sorry for the long comment – but as I say, I am passionate about this, and my family has suffered mightily because of it.
Wow, some excellent comments, to go along with an excellent well concieved article!!!
I really wish that my ( good) decisions had been made earlier in life, unfortunately, I continued down a badly rutted road far too long!!! I’m still working to become the man that I will be! As said in the Good Book,“Let he who is without sin,(& mine are many), throw the first stone”.! GREAT post & comments! Rec’d & Buzzed! Thanks again Ted!!!
Enviroment can be a big influence character
Look at the Bengals, their team has lacked leadership and an enviroment to foster good choices. This has lead to multiple arrests and problems in the orginization.
The same players on a broncos or New England team might not have had the same issues or would have been cut. Look at Randy Moss, after Oakland everyone was questioning his character and heart. He goes to a team with good leadership and has the best year of his career.
We’ve had some players that have had issues , as all teams will (players are humans too just with incredible speed and talent). We’ve also had a coaching staff and team leaders to help guide players. I doubt Marshall would still be on the team if it weren’t for Smith and Champ and others mentoring him through his lapses in judgement. And while he’s had numerous incidents, if someone looks closely they’ve become less serious and less frequent. Many times incidents like that tend to escalate. (clarett anyone?)
Hopefully Dawkins will step up and be the same type of leader he was in Philly and the younger players will continue learn and grow.
A study on teens
About ten years ago a study came out that showed, based on MRI’s (or Cat scans, I forget), that the connectors in the brain that govern the “ooh, better be careful, watch out…” response don’t get connected until the early 20’s or so. It explains why teenagers take so many risks, and sometimes get themselves killed or at least into trouble in their day to day lives.
Growing older is not for sissies. Jack Palance
Bravo, Ted
I’ve never been comfortable with the way that athletes’ character is assessed, and that’s mostly due to the (to my ears) racialized usage of the term. Jeremy Shockey’s a jerk and an egotist, offensive linemen with multiple DUIs are just good old boys, and young African-American men with similar issues are deemend to have something mysterious and unspecifiably wrong with the character. The way these types are coded plays out pretty harmoniously with your complaints (shared here, of course, although I hope never again to mention my politics on MHR) about the criminal justice system.
I will never shake the feeling that the “boys will be boys” standard is applied selectively. That’s a big part of why I’ve been uncomfortable with Goodell’s crackdowns on what he styles bad behavior. The crackdowns certainly seem to have been condocuted with an eye to reassuring the well-to-do types who fill the luxury boxes (and whose feelings on these issues aren’t difficult to discern).
Hope I haven’t got up on my soap box too much for anyone here. Thanks again, Ted, for giving measured voice to something that has long bothered me.
Honestly, I don’t think marijuana in and of itself is a big deal. There are some people I highly respect that smoke pot. I think the issue with Harvin was that he knew that he would be tested and he got high anyway.
I’ve heard it quoted before that it’s not a drug test, it’s an intelligence test. Work ethic is closely related to the ability to delay gratification. Thus, a positive drug test in the combine should be a big red flag with respect to critical-thinking and decision making skills, not because of naughtiness.
You bring up so many great points.
1) I disagree vehemently with just about every poitical sentiment in your story, from the war on drugs to corrections to, well just about everything! But you know, that’s why I love our MHR family. Race, religion, political views, sexual orientation…. it just doesn’t matter. You and I are miles apart on the issue outside of football, but we come together as friends for a common cause. Would that every one could do that.
2) When I read about the leadership and level headeness of our new guys I get stoked. Men of character working as a team can overcome almost anything.
3) You’ve knocked another one out of the ball park. Very, very rec’d my friend.
"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe
Thank for the post. I appreciate and admire your personal experience. There are few people who believe in redemption more than I do, however, as with anything, there is a balance. I’m making the assumption from this post and others you have made, that you and I are coming from completely different political beliefs. With that said, reasonable people can discuss things and come up with agreements. Let me chime in on a few things you said.
1. Coming from someone who has a first-hand look at the criminal justice system, I would hardly call our criminal justice system “draconian.” Child rapists being sentenced to probation for raping a child is not draconian. I don’t give a rat’s ass about people rotting away in prison who deserve it. I could give less than a rat’s ass about what Europe is doing. As far as I am concerned, they are not the shining continent on a hill we should emulate.
2. Yes, the term “corrections” is a misnomer. Oh well. When you find out how to “rehabilitate” a dirtbag, let me know.
3. Doesn’t society have an interest in knowing who the “criminals” are for the sake of promoting awareness, public safety etc? I feel, as a citizen, I have a right to know if there is a perv living down the street.
4. If I have the choice of investing millions of dollars in two players of equal talent, shouldn’t I choose the one who didn’t violate the law in the days or weeks prior to the combine?
5. With all that said, I believe, in most cases, in giving people second chances. However, I don’t necessarily believe in fourth, fifth, six, or seventh chances.
P.S. when I read “DailyKos,” I had to quickly avoid vomiting. At least you and I can agree on several football topics!
A clarification...
I am not saying that a team shouldn’t weigh a player’s personal history in its risk management calculus. They definitely should. My point, which I hope didn’t get lost, is that the media and fans should stop claiming to know the character of these players. They don’t, and we don’t.
"I am not one of those who think that coming in second or third is winning." -- Robert F. Kennedy
Buzzed and recomended!
Exaustingly accurate! I resembled that article in so many ways, although it was the MC (Dept. of the Navy) and back in the late 60’s early 70’s.
There was absolutely Zero tollerence back then, for any drug related “Crime”, so don’t get caught rolling your own!
I have long held your point of view on this subject, having gone through a similar time in life, and have always tempered my “point of view” regarding players starting out on thier first job, THE NFL!
Good grief man. How old are these guys anyway?
It is better to keep silent, and appear to be wise, then to ramble on and remove all doubt! The Wisest Man, Solomon.
Character
Coach Dungy’s new book has a great chapter on character (about 5-7 pages). I think it’s chapter two.
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