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The Ricky William marijuana issue is just stupid (1 Viewer)

There a lot of people smart people who have important jobs that smoke pot. Watch what happens with this whole story, the media jumps on it and get bad PR. I think it would be better the address a player about drugs if it is hurting his ability to do his job. Smoking once and awhile will not make a difference, I mean come on its the same as having a beer once a night. I can be a problem when used too much.
This post illustrates the misunderstanding people have of the NFL drug policy, and of the NFL in general.It doesn't matter if pot hurts Ricky's job performance in the way we typically think of NFL job performance. That's because Ricky Williams does not get paid to run the football. He does not get paid to rack up yardage, score touchdowns, or show up to work on time. Ricky Williams gets paid to be marketable to as much of mainstream America as he possibly can.

More accurately, he gets paid to be part of an ongoing cast-ensemble show, where the bosses want to be as sure as possible that EVERY performer is as marketable to as much of mainstream America as possible.

In the NFL, winning and losing may be the goal of each individual player, team, and fan. But it isn't the goal of the league, as a business. The goal of the league is to put on the show the people want to tune in to see. They are doing an exceptional job. In fact, you could argue they are doing the best job in the history of sports entertainment. The stadiums are overflowing every Sunday, the ratings are in an ongoing 30 year boom, and the advertisers are paying the league (and its players) billions for the privilege of being part of the show.

The NFL has made the "drug free" image part of the show. That doesn't mean guys aren't out there partying, or cheating to get an edge. But it does mean that the NFL has made cracking the whip to maintain that image part of their marketing. And they'd have to be nuts to change, because on the one hand, what they're doing is working wonders. And on the other hand, their two biggest sports league competitors are being called to task for being lax on the same subject by the sports viewing public. (Which costs them viewers, which costs them advertisers, which costs them money.) The NFL has done an amazing job of balancing the public's desire to see the best competitors money can buy with their desire to see a squeaky-clean product. The players aren't always the best (since guys like Ricky can get the boot), and they aren't always the cleanest (since guys like Romo can hang around so long), but on average the way they go about keeping everybody honest seems to appease the masses. The NFL works.

Ricky didn't commit any unforgivable sin. But he did fail to play by the script that has worked so well for the NFL for so long. If the NFL is publically saying that what he did was "wrong," it's because they are masters of knowing what the American public wants to hear. And they're betting most of their demographic wants to hear that the NFL is hard on drugs. The ratings seem to say that they're right. Ricky isn't a bad guy, he's just a guy whose habit was more important to him than staying on the gravy train.

 
There are really two different arguements wrapped into this conversation.

1. If the NFL should test for pot.

My opinion, Yup. As long as it's illegal, I think it should be tested for.

2. Ricky Williams being a complete tool.

Aside from the issue of whether the drug should be tested for, or the issue if it does/doesn't help a players performance, or if the drug does anything for him at all, Ricky knew he wasn't supposed to be using as part of his employment with the Dolphins and ultimately the NFL. He knew that he was going to be tested, that he had to be tested and what would happen if he skipped the test or failed the test. Simple as that.

Hell, if the NFL decided that players could only drink Pepsi products, and they signed their contracts with that clause in them, then they should be punished for breaking those rules.

 
The punishments in the NFL do not fit the crimes.

Jimmy Smith - cocaine – 4 games.

Jamal Lewis selling drugs - 2 games.

Michael Pittman attempt to run over his wife – 2 games.

DUI - NFL players hardly ever get convicted - 0 games.

 
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Why does the NFL even test for marijuana? I really would not consider pot to give some one an edge over other players. I know that it gives makes the NFL look bad to some people, but why even test for something like weed. Ricky Williams is a great player, but he keeps destroying his career by smoking pot. I think the NFL should not test for marijuana, but I also think that Ricky William's gets paid enought money not to smoke it.

Steve
I think there is a pretty simple answer to this. The NFL has a huge investment in these players. I think its reasonable for the NFL to believe that marijuana use threatense the productivity and committment of the employees which they pay millions of dollars to.

If marijuana use becomes an epidemic among NFL players, the NFL may feel that the product that it sells to it's consumers is in jeopardy.

As a business owner myself, I would not want an employee of mine to be a regular marijuana user. It would undermine my confidence in that person.

I know some people will not agree with that assessment...especially marijuana users. Nevertheless, the bottom line is this: If the NFL thinks wearing orange shoes is bad for business, and it is collectively bargained that it's employees (the players) shall not wear orange shoes or else the offending player shall be suspended, then it has every right to suspend that player.

 
So is smoking weed worse than driving drunk and killing someone? Because that only gets you an 8 game suspension.

Makes sense to me.

 
Pot is illegal....its not a competitive advantage thing....think of the kids.....Ricky Williams, for all weve learned of this goofball over the past several years, IS STUPID. And you drive drunk and kill someone 4 times, believe me youre going to be worrying about more than just losing your friggin' job.

 
There a lot of people smart people who have important jobs that smoke pot. Watch what happens with this whole story, the media jumps on it and get bad PR. I think it would be better the address a player about drugs if it is hurting his ability to do his job. Smoking once and awhile will not make a difference, I mean come on its the same as having a beer once a night. I can be a problem when used too much.
It infuriates me when I hear this crap. Smoking pot is illegal. Smoking pot destroys kids lives. It "gateways" to other terrible drugs. It tears apart families. I have two children that have had their lives seriously affected by marijuana. It has affected their academics, it has affected their social skills and it has affected their ability to be successful and earn a living. I have spent over $40,000 in rehabilitation and counseling for my son and daughter. For all you defenders of marijuana you hurt the families that have been affected by it. :thumbdown:
 
would you feel the same if it were LSD or crank?
Amphetamines are widely regarded as performance enhancing, so crank/crack etc I would have to say yes. While you're more likely to suffer a heart attack, its because you can push yourself past exhaustion. LSD... is illegal to test for (spinal tap) w/o consent for good reason.
Don't know who told you that, but LSD can be detected in one's urine for about 1 - 2 days after use. Most drug tests don't include it because it is very expensive to test for.Also, a person must consent to every drug test conducted for them, regardless of the drug in question.

 
It is a condition of his employment--bottom line.

My employment has conditions that I think are pretty stupid, but if I violate them, I will get warned and then I if keep doing it after being warned, I will be fired.

How hard is this for people to understand? It doesn't matter what people think about drugs, this boils down to the fact there is a rule that was agreed upon by all parties involved, he broke the rule not once but four times. He deserves everything he gets based on stupidity alone.
I can't argue with any of this. But what I'm saying is that MJ shouldn't be a banned substance, not that it isn't.
doesn't matter---maybe I think .08 in too low for DUI, for exampledoesn't change the fact that if I get pulled over and blow a .09, I'm cooked

we can site a 100 laws we think should go the other way...

...but until it's changed----CONFORM, or suffer the consequences

I'm working on this concept w/my 4 yr old grandson....he seems to be getting it---can't say the same given the responses from some in this room! ;)

 
It is a condition of his employment--bottom line.

My employment has conditions that I think are pretty stupid, but if I violate them, I will get warned and then I if keep doing it after being warned, I will be fired.

How hard is this for people to understand? It doesn't matter what people think about drugs, this boils down to the fact there is a rule that was agreed upon by all parties involved, he broke the rule not once but four times. He deserves everything he gets based on stupidity alone.
I can't argue with any of this. But what I'm saying is that MJ shouldn't be a banned substance, not that it isn't.
doesn't matter---maybe I think .08 in too low for DUI, for exampledoesn't change the fact that if I get pulled over and blow a .09, I'm cooked

we can site a 100 laws we think should go the other way...

...but until it's changed----CONFORM, or suffer the consequences

I'm working on this concept w/my 4 yr old grandson....he seems to be getting it---can't say the same given the responses from some in this room! ;)
What does your grandson do when granddad keeps talking right past him? I continue to agree with you that the NFL has every right to take the action it has. I'm not asking the league to bend its policy, legally negotiated with the players, in this particular instance. Instead, I am offering an opinion that the policy is wrong regarding marijuana and I think the next contract should make that correction. Since I also agree with you that the league doesn't care what I think, there probably isn't a snowball's chance of this happening. But it doesn't change my, and others', opinion that the policy is wrong.

:wall:

 
I understand the marijuana is illegal and it's something that should not be promoted to kids. But really what right does the league have to test someone for something that offers no performance edge.
Yeah and smoking pot doesn't give me a performance edge at work, yet my employer can still has the right to give me a drug test. Why?? Because they are my employer and want to.
 

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