- NFL players are encouraged but not required to not abuse legal substances off the field on their own time. Alcohol abuse is not actionable.
- Players can go on playing in spite of indictments (accusations) brought for sexual or domestic abuse, dog-fighting, gambling.
- The NFL honors that a hallmark of our nation’s legal system is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
- Players will not face sanctions for making a defiant statement on the field such as grabbing one’s own crotch, or cursing.
- NFL players are encouraged but not required to not engage in embarrassing activities. Conduct detrimental to the team off the field is not actionable. Bad publicity for the NFL is a matter of personal choice, a protected free speech right that the NFL always chooses to ignore even if they disagree with it.
Of course the bullet point statements above are false. NFL policy is just the opposite on all of them. Players face sanctions, fines or other internal discipline for abuse of legal substances off the field on their own time. NFL players are suspended from game play (with pay) if an indictment is brought for sexual or domestic abuse, dog-fighting, or gambling, and essentially have their careers ended if convicted for such activity outside of football. No indictment is necessary for cursing and grabbing their crotch on the field. The NFL is empowered to sanction such behavior not merely because it disagrees with it but because it is a private organization that can create standards to, in its discretion, protect its good name and the marketability of its enterprise.
That is why the NFL response to Colin Kaepernick ‘s dissing of the country that has brought him unimaginable riches is so weak ( also see our previous post) and this HotAir article . By the way, the Hot Air article also suggests an effort by Kaepernick to try to inoculate himself from poor performance, i.e. the race card.
Anything to the rumors he has or is converting to Mohammedanism?
Colin Kaepernick may have or is in the process of converting to the Muslim faith according to a bunch of chatter that has come out on the Internet. Some of it predated “the incident” The interest about that extends from his grand-not-standing for the National Anthem at a National Football League pre-season game a couple of days ago. His statement afterwords was defiant, reflecting a real FU America attitude. He considers himself morally and monetarily judgement proof for his act. The latter is true, but morally he is one screwed up individual as far as his opinion of America now or at any time previously. His Instagram posts indicate a degree of infatuation with black radicals Malcolm X and others.
He also seems to have a deep seated inner conflict or resentment toward his birth mother who gave him life and did for him the best she could. That part is sad, reflects immaturity but is no excuse for his ignorance about the country’s history or current affairs.
R Mall
