It’s Dangerous to Judge all NFL Players Based on Adrian Peterson and Others
By Joe Morrone
Jan 29, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; A view of the NFL shield during media day in preparation for Super Bowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Before I get too far into this, let me make one thing very clear. The charges against Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson are deplorable. The same goes for the actions of Ray Rice, Greg Hardy and Ray McDonald. They all deserve whatever is coming their way.
I also understand why this is a big story and it absolutely should be covered and it should be the lead story in the NFL for now. What concerns me though is this, every other player in the league is being thrown under the bus that is being driven by the four players listed above.
Not everyone believes that, of course, but that sentiment is out there and it’s not fair. Counting the 10 player practice squads for every team, there are over 2,000 players in the NFL and the focus is on four of them. As I said, that’s where the focus should be today but it’s also important to remember that there are far more players doing things the right way as opposed to the four players in the news today.
I’ve heard the following from numerous people over the last few days, “The NFL is a bunch of thugs and criminals.” Sorry but I cannot just sit by and let that pass without saying something. It’s wholly unfair to judge 2,000 players based on the actions of a few. Whether people want to believe it or not, there are many great people in the NFL doing some great things in their communities.
Denver Broncos tight-end Julius Thomas spent last Saturday afternoon at a book drive for under privileged kids. DeMarcus Ware is one of the great guys in the league who has done an unbelievable amount of charity work in Dallas, and now in Denver.
New Orleans Saints quarterback, Drew Brees was a big part of the rebuilding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The most dominant defensive player in the NFL, JJ Watt is heavily involved in charities and is a player who just gets it. Then there’s Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning whose track record for giving back to the community is well known.
Manning basically built a hospital in Indianapolis, responds to letters from fans on a daily basis and has been known to make a phone call from time to time to someone who is having a rough time with an illness.
It would be impossible to list every player who is giving back and going about their business the right way, but there are far more of those players than the knuckleheads we are talking about today. I like to play this game with people who say the NFL or sports in general is filled with bad guys. For every player they can name who is a knucklehead, I can name 10 who are doing things that anyone would be proud of.
There are also people who have decided that because of the issues involving Peterson, Rice and others that they are done with the NFL. That’s the right of anyone to make that decision and I respect that. However I still love the game, I love Sundays in the fall, I love the pregame shows, I love the Red Zone channel and I love the drama that football provides. I refuse to let the actions of a few take that enjoyment away from me.
For me, it’s about separating the two. I can’t stand what these four players are accused of and I think the NFL handling of all of this has been as complete joke. I can feel that and still look forward to the games on Sunday. Some people can’t or won’t separate the two and therefore have decided to quit watching the games. That’s a perfectly reasonable position but so is the one I’ve decided to take.
Going back to the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell, there’s no way to defend the way any of this has been handled by the league or the teams involved. It’s all been reactionary and whatever criticism directed their way is well deserved. Once again though, I can despise how the league handled all of this and still be excited for a Super Bowl rematch on Sunday.
The atmosphere in the NFL right now is extremely explosive and it’s probably not going to die down anytime soon, but please be careful when judging an entire league on the actions of a few. It doesn’t seem like it today but there are a lot of great people in the NFL.