Hines Ward Blasts NFL Hypocrisy (1 Viewer)

[Mello]

Ward's right, the NFL is hypocritical. They only care about player safety and gambling as far as PR goes. They care about making money more. Everyone that pays attention already knew that though.

 

[Wilbur Wood]

While I don't agree with everything Ward says, there is considerable merit in his message.

Fines/suspensions/flags are being enforced with considerable variability.

I can see a ref making an error on a roughing the QB call as he doesn't get a 2nd look, but the Harrison/FitzPatrick fine was silly as I have seen similar plays countless times every weekend.

There is certainly a shared perspective that Manning/Brady get special treatment with flags/rules. Brady's knee and Manning's WR (tightened up the illegal contact rule), not to mention each of these guys get a roughing flag if you so much as breath on them too hard.

The Andre Johnson non-suspension is wildly inconsistent with Roger "the tough sheriff" Goodell's otherwise tougher stance on thuggery and thuggish acts. AJ may otherwise be a choirboy but this is a blatant double standard and reinforces the view that different rules/punishments are doled out with "bias" and the players are noticing this differentiation.

Texans on the NFL Network smells a lot like the NCAA 24 hour reinstatement of Cam Newton, all in the interest of the short term $$$$$$$.

 

[The Doctor]

i wonder what he will be fined

 

[fatness]

Ward's right, the NFL is hypocritical. They only care about player safety and gambling as far as PR goes. They care about making money more. Everyone that pays attention already knew that though.

You're right. Too bad more players don't say something about it, but I guess they'd get fined "for the good of the game".

 

[Gigantomachia]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/foot...l#ixzz16uIKTtvP

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward lashed out Wednesday at the NFL for what he calls its hypocritical stance on player safety, arguing the league recently toughened its stance only because it wants to expand to an 18-game season.

Ward said there is considerable confusion among players about which hits are legal and which aren't since the league stepped up its policing of dangerous hits. Steelers linebacker James Harrison has been fined $125,000 for four separate hits since mid-October, two of which weren't penalized.

"They league doesn't care about us anyway," said Ward, a 13-year veteran and the leading receiver in Steelers history. "They don't care about the safety of the game. If the league was so concerned about the safety, why are you adding two more games on? You talk about you don't want players to drink ... and all you see is beer commercials. You don't want us to gamble, but then there are (NFL-endorsed lottery scratch-off games)."

He's right.

He can wipe his tears with his stack of hundred dollar bills.

There is no crying in football.

 

[Mello]

Ward's right, the NFL is hypocritical. They only care about player safety and gambling as far as PR goes. They care about making money more. Everyone that pays attention already knew that though.

You're right. Too bad more players don't say something about it, but I guess they'd get fined "for the good of the game".

I'd go the opposite direction than most though. I think the NFL should stop worrying about putting on this show about player safety. The game of football is what it is and players are well compensated for putting their long term health at risk. They should focus on investing in safer equipment to show that they are taking steps to make the game safer. On gambling, the NFL should embrace it. If I just accept that the stances they've taken on these issues is a given, then I'd run the NFL the same way though. It makes them more money and most people have no problem accepting hypocrisy.

 

[Class Dismissed]

He is basically saying what Mark Schlereth was saying about a month ago. Interestingly, a few weeks after Schlereth's initial rant about it, it was alluded to on television that he got a phone call about it, probably from his bosses telling him to tone it down (probably because the NFL and ESPN are in bed together), and Schlereth's comment was, "Call me again, I don't care." And from the times I have watched ESPN since, he hasn't been seen as much, so I wonder if ESPN is pissed at him for hammering the NFL for their hypocrisy like he did, and decided to shut him up or tone him down for a while. Wouldn't surprise me.

Yep.Trent the other day just stated something like "cant really talk about it anymore", when he wanted to blast the NFLs policy.

I'm surprised more people are not disgusted by this.Basically, if your network broadcasts NFL Games, you will report on the league, the way the league wants you to report on it. Or Else.

 

[renesauz]

A quick point or two:

Some have argued that there are more dangerous jobs. There aren't. There are jobs with a higher risk of death, but NONE with anywhere close to as high a risk of injury. A cop is more likely to get killed, but he's far less likely to miss 3 weeks with a high ankle sprain, or a year to an ACL. Differentiate deadly and dangerous.

I believe that the longer season, when coupled with an extra bye, will have little effect on injuries. There will be a few more injuries league-wide, but players will, on aggregate, miss a lower percentage of time because of the extra bye. Since they'll make more money (assuming a % similar to in the past per the new CBA), the only real thing the players lose is a week or two off. Most of us get 2 weeks a year off....I'm not about to get upset about players losing 2 weeks out of several months they currently have off.

All that said...there is certainly hypocrisy on both sides.

 

[redBourne]

The 18 game argument doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.I guess there is a factor of season fatigue, but I would think that would be offset by the extra bye week.Players get paid on a game by game basis. With an 18 game season, they will probably play less seasons over their career, but make the same amount of money.Does it really matter if a player's career is 100 games over 6-7 seasons or 100 games over 5-6 seasons? They make the same amount of money, their risk doesn't go up....I definitely believe the league cares about player safety, if only because losing star/popular players means the league loses money in the long run. They would much rather see a guy like Wes Welker, for instance, play more games and stay on the field longer so they can sell more jerseys with his name on it.

It matters to the players for several reasons. The 18 game schedule means less time with their families; something I wouldn't have considered until I had one of my own. Further, most (I know not all of them) love and enjoy playing the game. It's the passion that has kept Favre until now, the desire that made Jerry Rice go from team to team. Made Emmitt Smith join the cardinals. It's all most have ever known. I'd venture that they would elect to play fewer games in the year to increase the duration of their careers. They would get to do something that they love more than anything else for 5 years rather than 3.5, or 3.3 years rather than 2.4. That matters to me and I would bet it matters to the players.

Ward's right, the NFL is hypocritical. They only care about player safety and gambling as far as PR goes. They care about making money more. Everyone that pays attention already knew that though.

You're right. Too bad more players don't say something about it, but I guess they'd get fined "for the good of the game".

This is what gets under my skin in a bad way. The NFL has enough money to quiet the nay-sayers. You speak out, you'll be punished. Are you on one of our supporting (ESPN) networks? Speak out and you'll lose air time. It's almost as if the people that really have opinions that I want to hear are being taped up to pull the blanket over our eyes. It makes me feel the game is tainted, and I get less enjoyment out of it. Let's not kid ourselves that this is in fact a business, but there is manor in which you conduct business and sell it to your customers. So far, this is not it for me. Will I continue to watch? Absolutely, because for now I can put the negativity in the back of my mind and focus on the game tonight. However, eventually it will be more than I can ignore.

 

[Chase Stuart]

The 18 game argument doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

I guess there is a factor of season fatigue, but I would think that would be offset by the extra bye week.

Players get paid on a game by game basis. With an 18 game season, they will probably play less seasons over their career, but make the same amount of money.

Does it really matter if a player's career is 100 games over 6-7 seasons or 100 games over 5-6 seasons? They make the same amount of money, their risk doesn't go up.

...

I definitely believe the league cares about player safety, if only because losing star/popular players means the league loses money in the long run. They would much rather see a guy like Wes Welker, for instance, play more games and stay on the field longer so they can sell more jerseys with his name on it.

It matters to the players for several reasons. The 18 game schedule means less time with their families; something I wouldn't have considered until I had one of my own. Further, most (I know not all of them) love and enjoy playing the game. It's the passion that has kept Favre until now, the desire that made Jerry Rice go from team to team. Made Emmitt Smith join the cardinals. It's all most have ever known. I'd venture that they would elect to play fewer games in the year to increase the duration of their careers. They would get to do something that they love more than anything else for 5 years rather than 3.5, or 3.3 years rather than 2.4. That matters to me and I would bet it matters to the players.

Average career length is almost certainly going to increase if the league goes to the 18 game schedule. That's because increased roster size is tied to the longer schedule, and a 59-player roster means a lot of players will stick around for one more year. So the players should really be happy about it.Of course, they *are* be happy about it. But it's Goodell's suggestion, so the players get zero leverage by saying "yes" right away. By fighting it, they can concede at the end and get something else. Everything is a bargaining chip these days.

 

[omahabrad]

It's funny, how the NFL was more interested in a players socks and the color of their shoes more than players safety until Kyle Turley started to put together his class action law suit against the NFL.

 

[daveR]

The 18 game argument doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

I guess there is a factor of season fatigue, but I would think that would be offset by the extra bye week.

Players get paid on a game by game basis. With an 18 game season, they will probably play less seasons over their career, but make the same amount of money.

Does it really matter if a player's career is 100 games over 6-7 seasons or 100 games over 5-6 seasons? They make the same amount of money, their risk doesn't go up.

...

I definitely believe the league cares about player safety, if only because losing star/popular players means the league loses money in the long run. They would much rather see a guy like Wes Welker, for instance, play more games and stay on the field longer so they can sell more jerseys with his name on it.

It matters to the players for several reasons. The 18 game schedule means less time with their families; something I wouldn't have considered until I had one of my own. Further, most (I know not all of them) love and enjoy playing the game. It's the passion that has kept Favre until now, the desire that made Jerry Rice go from team to team. Made Emmitt Smith join the cardinals. It's all most have ever known. I'd venture that they would elect to play fewer games in the year to increase the duration of their careers. They would get to do something that they love more than anything else for 5 years rather than 3.5, or 3.3 years rather than 2.4. That matters to me and I would bet it matters to the players.

Average career length is almost certainly going to increase if the league goes to the 18 game schedule. That's because increased roster size is tied to the longer schedule, and a 59-player roster means a lot of players will stick around for one more year. So the players should really be happy about it.Of course, they *are* be happy about it. But it's Goodell's suggestion, so the players get zero leverage by saying "yes" right away. By fighting it, they can concede at the end and get something else. Everything is a bargaining chip these days.

Let's not forget that increasing the regular season means reducing the pre-season. Nobody is "away from family" any longer than they were.

It's also silly to hear a player complaining that the league is putting an emphasis on player safety. What does he want them to do, ignore it?

 

[Andrew Garda]

I don't know how, after weeks of guys like Schlereth and Dilfer and Chris Harris and now Ward, the NFL hasn't reached out to involved past and current players in helping forge rules and accountability that will actually work as opposed to the hodge podge of loose and confusing enforcement we have now.

I think it's good Ward is saying something. As one of the hardest hitting (some might say dirty - perhaps the offensive version of Harrison and not Jerome ) offensive players in the game, I think it matters. Some peoplewill brush off Harrison's hissy fit, or Chris Harris' complaints or any of the defensive player complaints by the 'sour grapes' argument - of course they're angry, it affects them, they're just bitter.

But hearing Ward complain, you get a sense of how the players - many of them on eithe side of the ball - feel. And that feeling is frustration. I just don't know why the league hasn't reached out to the players on this. I mean, cynically I can guess, but it sort of boggles the mind.

Lots of good points in the thread so far, BTW.

 

[Steeler]

It's also silly to hear a player complaining that the league is putting an emphasis on player safety. What does he want them to do, ignore it?

Ward is saying the steps the NFL is taking to increase the safety of the players is bogus. He's saying if the NFL truely had player safety in mind they would go to some of the newer equipment that is available. So he's actually saying they are ignoring it.

 

[Godsbrother]

It's also silly to hear a player complaining that the league is putting an emphasis on player safety. What does he want them to do, ignore it?

Ward is saying that the league fining players is NOT putting an emphasis on player safety. It is simply an attempt to appear to the public that they are doing something when in fact it isn't making the game any safer at all.

 

[GeauxTigers]

Everything he said is true. Down with Goodell

You're delusional.

 

[daveR]

It's also silly to hear a player complaining that the league is putting an emphasis on player safety. What does he want them to do, ignore it?

Ward is saying that the league fining players is NOT putting an emphasis on player safety. It is simply an attempt to appear to the public that they are doing something when in fact it isn't making the game any safer at all.

Why not?

 

[Godsbrother]

It's also silly to hear a player complaining that the league is putting an emphasis on player safety. What does he want them to do, ignore it?

Ward is saying that the league fining players is NOT putting an emphasis on player safety. It is simply an attempt to appear to the public that they are doing something when in fact it isn't making the game any safer at all.

Why not?

Please name one player that you believe has altered his playing style as a result of being fined this season.