The National Football League has a Problem

 

The National Football League has a Problem

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Professional football players have put themselves in a bad position.

Pictured above is Drew Brees, future Hall of Fame Quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, with a name tape on his helmet reading “Jacob Blake”. Most people know the story of Jacob Blake by now. We imagine most folks hate any situation that results in death or near-death, regardless of what led to the incident. There is certainly a place for detailed reflection about the role of Police and how to hold them accountable for their actions (both good and bad). But that’s not the purpose of this article. Our purpose is to warn the players of a sport we love to be careful not to not waste their platform, because that is exactly what they are doing.

According to USA Today, there have been 12 NFL players accused of either domestic or sexual violence in the past two years (excluding Odell’s erroneous charge in the LSU locker room). Many of those cases are still under investigation, and we owe the players the benefit of due process. Regardless of the outcome of those cases, it is very alarming how often a football player faces charges for such heinous acts. We will assume that false allegations occur (slightly) more often among celebrities and athletes than the average population due to financial implications, but even if a few of those cases stemmed from lies that still leaves a troubling number. And let’s face it- one is too many.

So with a negative trend like that in the league we would think twice before taping the name of an accused domestic AND sexual offender on our helmets. The argument then turns to “well that’s not what it’s about. It’s about Police brutality!” For many of the players it may be about that, and again, there is a needed discussion. But just because that’s what their intentions may be, imagine what the victims of domestic violence think when the NFL honors their abusers.

This is the same argument against the Confederate flag. Our team at Odin all grew up in the South. We remember the idea that the rebel flag didn’t represent slavery, and instead stood for states’ rights and limited federal government. When the states decided to remove the stars and bars from the various state flags and public buildings, we all began to research, question, and understand how the symbol represented the worst part of America’s history. So even though people may not THINK it stands for slavery, it certainly does to a lot of Americans and because of that it is worth removing from society completely. Lots of Americans still believe in the concept of limited federal government, and rightfully so, but fighting for that concept does not justify tolerance for slavery. We can only imagine the horror to have ancestors as slaves and see that flag waved proudly. Besides, it is the flag of a losing team.

If we translate that thought process to the Jacob Blake case, we hope folks will see that fighting for Police accountability should not include tolerance for domestic violence. And that’s the predicament the Saints have now put themselves in. Although we doubt it is intentional, by taping that name to their helmets the Saints are tolerating domestic and sexual abuse, and this is not the only example- many other times we see popular figures revered despite DUIs, adultery, drug abuse, and many other unacceptable actions. In addition to the Saints tolerating violence, the rest of the league is guilty by association for a failure to hold their fellow athletes accountable. Isn’t that what we want from the Police too? Funny how that works out.

We have read a lot in social media that athletes should shut up and play their sport. We do not agree with that at all. Professional and collegiate athletes have an incredible platform. So many young men and women look up to athletes, and when these athletes speak people listen. The problem is knowledge. If the athlete, who lives in a very isolated environment, fails to examine the big picture of a situation, their words mean infinitely less. They might even send the wrong message, like we are seeing from New Orleans. So while we encourage athletes and all those with substantial platforms to use their influence for positive growth, they better do some research before making statements.

We are firm believers of the concept “Confront-Don’t Complain”. This concept means that when you see something wrong, do something to fix it rather than whine about it. So part of our CONFRONT action was to develop a company that educates and funnels the positive traits of sports into leadership and character development. Our team created Odin Development LLC, and built a curriculum that allows coaches to enhance the lives of their student-athletes, both on and off the field. Our lessons allow young men and women to identify standards they want to live by, recognize ways they can set examples for their team and community, and enforce quality standards to those around them. In addition to our curriculum, we work to inform young people about the positive influences of sports. This is done through our “Odin Development Sports Show” and through the sharing of articles and quotes that we find informative and enlightening. It may be a small impact, but we strive to help as many young student-athletes as possible to achieve exceptional citizenship and compassion. That is one way we are confronting problems- what’s yours?