Thought Provoking Rhoden Column On NFL

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/sports/football/winds-of-change-are-swirling-around-the-hidebound-nfl.html?ref=sports#permid=11210258

"Richard Sherman, Jonathan Martin and Michael Sam are young African-American football players who represent three explosive elements in American culture: race, class and sexual orientation. "

Surprised that he did not include a 4th name of Ray Rice and the explosive element of domestic violence. Column was published today so he must have
been aware and watched the Rice video.

"If Goodell does not expel Incognito, and Martin and Sam struggle to find a place in the N.F.L., the league will have sent a message that for all its wealth, it remains stuck in a cultural ice age."

Wonder what he'll say if The NFL does not suspend Ray Rice.

 

What about John Jerry and Mike Pouncey?

Where do they fit into Bill Rhoden's narrative?

 

Good question. He must have not read the entire report or
figured they were victims as well.

 

I am seeing crickets on Rice on NFL Network all weekend.
Rice isn't even making their news ticker.
I know the combine is going on but this should be a bigger story.

 

The NFL has been so out front on breast cancer awareness that it would be hard to
fathom that they do not take a strong stand on Rice and domestic violence.

If they don't it would certainly be a mixed message.

 

Pig Ben Roethlisberger wearing pink every October in honor of the ladies is a special piece of NFL hypocrisy.

 

Reilly stole Rhoden's Ctrl C / Ctrl V method of column writing. Rhoden just switches some names around.

 

Piece has generated a lot of interesting comments like this one:

"Brenda Jones Harden’s focus on African-American children and families seems to have distorted her view of Stanford, which she describes as “a school where minority students are so invisible.” In fact, 56% of Stanford undergraduates are from groups generally identified as “minority” (41% white; 3% “declined to state/unknown”) http://facts.stanford.edu/pdf/StanfordFacts_2014.pdf. If instead of “minority” she meant “black students,” blacks constitute 8% of Stanford undergrads, arguably underrepresented (blacks are 13.1% of the U.S. population) but hardly “so invisible.” Jones Harden apparently disregards facts in order to argue her case."

 

Not that Stanford is a State University but African Americans comprise 6% of California's population, so over represented may be accurate.

Meanwhile, non-Hispanic whites are 49% of California's population.

 

Another interesting reader comment:

"
Kevin O'Neill
Vancouver, Canada 21 hours ago

These are three different players with unique situations. The only connection is race. It's provocative and specious at best. The particulars of each player require quite the stretch to combine. Mr. Rhoden's playing of the race card, diminishes the issues at hand concerning each player. "

 

Will Rhoden be writing a thought provoking column about the NBA, Mr Felton and Mr Smith and their shared traits?

 

The Times must be trying to make amends for Rhodens's column.
They had a story today and Jerry and Pouncey. Mentioned that Jerry was The first Dolphin to
bully Martin.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/25/sports/football/dolphins-mike-pouncey-john-jerry-paths-to-bullying-scandal.html?module=WelcomeBackModal&contentCollection=Asia%20Pacific&region=FixedCenter&action=click&pgtype=article