Last year, when the kneeling controversy erupted like a California wildfire and the president launched a series of attacks on the NFL and Colin Kaepernick, I argued that cooler heads should prevail and a middle ground could be reached by both sides. Like the recovering alcoholic I am, I must have been in denial, hoping like a chronic gambler that Roger Goodell would do the right thing, or even just do his job. Obviously, I was wrong, because here we are again, my friends: another year, another round of protests. And all because the NFL and Roger Goodell have been subverted by the most sinister of human endeavors—politics.
Readers of my books have heard me say this before—I define politics as the absence of all morality and leadership in decision making. It’s undeniable. Want to destroy a career? Say something political the masses disagree with. Want to ruin a business? Make its focus social justice and politics, not earning a dollar, the foundation of American capitalism. And that is what the NFL has done—failed to lead, bent to the will of the political left, and attempted to kowtow to the social justice agenda.
As I wrote last year, I love the NFL. It is arguably the greatest pastime in the world. But I can no longer give my patronage to a business that takes me and those like me who served for granted, that uses patriotism to sell merchandise—which I own plenty of, by the way, even though my Bengals have been a penultimate disappointment under the rudderless leadership of Marvin Lewis, though that’s a different column—while claiming to be a standard bearer of the American flag.
If the NFL truly believed in patriotism, rather than proffer a half-assed solution to the kneeling controversy, the policy would have been handled the way the NBA and others have resolved it: stand on the sideline, hands at your sides or over your heart, and be respectful. No hiding in the locker room. No walking onto the field like Willie McGee as the anthem plays.
But the NFL is not capable of effective leadership when addressing any issue. We’ve seen this time and time again in recent years, with domestic violence, criminal behavior, and on-field rule controversies. It’s not an accident that the NFL has a longer series of problems than any other American league. Leadership matters. There’s a reason one of the first things I learned as a second lieutenant in the Marines was simple and direct: “Make a decision, lieutenant. Right or wrong, just make a decision.” But Roger Goodell obviously never learned that lesson. Instead, he tried to assuage both sides of the kneeling controversy, and what happened last Thursday was the result—players kneeling, raising fists, or taking leisurely strolls on to the field during the national anthem during preseason games.
At this point, it’s not even about the protests or what they’re protesting. I don’t care what the injustice du jour is. It could be the mistreatment of magical unicorns on Fantasy Island. I personally feel and believe, more so now than last year, that players should stand. Period. End of story. You want to bring attention to an issue? Start a foundation on your own time. Work with the NFL to improve conditions in the inner city. I would 100 percent support those endeavors. But don’t protest at work. I can’t do it, and neither should the players.
The NFL players are at-will employees who can be terminated for any reason that is not illegal or discriminatory. As a result, the NFL could have easily resolved this issue. Instead, it allowed the situation to spiral out of control. And several of the players are taking advantage of it, like unruly teenagers testing the limits of weak-willed parents who don’t have the intestinal fortitude to drop the hammer after the kids blow through curfew.
The NFL has a month to fix this problem, but if you’re confident that they will, then you haven’t been paying attention to how the league has been run since Spygate. There is no backbone in the guy at the front office.
I won’t be renewing my Direct TV NFL Ticket, and as long as the NFL continues to patronize me and my service, allowing the symbol of those things to be an object of disrespect, I won’t be paying to attend or watch any games. At some point, enough is enough, and I’ve finally had enough. The NFL only understands money, pure and simple, and by taking mine away, and if others follow, I’m speaking their language as a consumer.
I can’t tell you what to do or how to feel. These are my thoughts and feelings, and I’m just one fan. But if enough of us feel the same way and raise our voices, maybe one day the NFL will get the message.
I just hope it’s soon. Kickoff is only a month away, and the Bengals need all of the support they can get.
