Schlereth Shreds the NFL for Fining Hard Hits

[21]

I'm sure the topic of fines for NFL hits is buried elsewhere, but this is so great it's getting its own thread (as should the topic).

Mark Schlereth goes nuts on the league and all it's glorious hypocrisy:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5706315&categoryid=2378529

 

[Bubbler]

I'm guessing Roger Goodell, et al, have already instructed ESPN to put Mark Schlereth in cold storage for extraordinary rendition to a place far from the NFL (Los Angeles?) where he can be tortured, perhaps on his bad knee, to fall in the company line.

 

[Bob Cook]

He's absolutely 100% right, especially about how the NFL sells the violence, just the NHL isn't the NHL without fights, and auto racing isn't auto racing without crashes. It was priceless when he showed the "Moment of Impact" video for sale. If the NFL wants to have its head-shot cake and eat it, too, it should be researching new helmet technology to determine how you can make it more protective for the brain. I've read where the helmet is designed to prevent skull fractures, not concussions.

 

[Bob Cook]

Also, interesting that Schlereth brings up that the NFL says he's not eligible for disability payments, despite 20 NFL-related surgeries. It's a crime how the NFL throws its ex-players on the medical scrap heap.

 

[Oz]

James Harrison was excused from Steelers practice today, meeting with Mike Tomlin and pondering retirement after that $75,000 fine. Apparently, he disagrees with the NFL's assessment of his hits on Sunday.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10293/1096626-100.stm

 

[NoOneLikesUs]

James Harrison was excused from Steelers practice today, meeting with Mike Tomlin and pondering retirement after that $75,000 fine. Apparently, he disagrees with the NFL's assessment of his hits on Sunday.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10293/1096626-100.stm

Harrison's agent was on FoxNews this morning. Didn't say anything about possible retirement.

 

[spnited]

Hypocrisy in pro sports ... unpossible!

 

[Bubbler]

As much as I sympathize with Schlereth's points, James Harrison isn't the martyr I want riding this horse.

 

[Pancamo]

James Harrison was excused from Steelers practice today, meeting with Mike Tomlin and pondering retirement after that $75,000 fine. Apparently, he disagrees with the NFL's assessment of his hits on Sunday.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10293/1096626-100.stm

Retire to do what? Beat girlfriends?

 

[spnited]

He was quoted on SportsCenter last night as saying if they were going to restict the way he plays the game he'd have to think about whether he could continue playng in the NFL

 

[heyabbott]

He was quoted on SportsCenter last night as saying if they were going to restict the way he plays the game he'd have to think about whether he could continue playng in the NFL

I hope he does have the courage of his convictions and puts his money where his mouth is. But I doubt he will, I doubt any of us would walk away from that paycheck, willingly.

There was this kid I grew up with; he was younger than me. Sorta looked up to me, you know. We did our first work together, worked our way out of the street. Things were good, we made the most of it. During Prohibition, we ran molasses into Canada... made a fortune, your father, too. As much as anyone, I loved him and trusted him. Later on he had an idea to build a city out of a desert stop-over for GI's on the way to the West Coast. That kid's name was Moe Greene, and the city he invented was Las Vegas. This was a great man, a man of vision and guts. And there isn't even a plaque, or a signpost or a statue of him in that town! Someone put a bullet through his eye. No one knows who gave the order. When I heard it, I wasn't angry; I knew Moe, I knew he was head-strong, talking loud, saying stupid things. So when he turned up dead, I let it go. And I said to myself, this is the business we've chosen; I didn't ask who gave the order, because it had nothing to do with business!

 

[Armchair_QB]

I'm guessing Roger Goodell, et al, have already instructed ESPN to put Mark Schlereth in cold storage for extraordinary rendition to a place far from the NFL (Cleveland?) where he can be tortured, perhaps on his bad knee, to fall in the company line.

 

[Journo13]

The NFL has definitely glorified the violence. The NFL website sold photos of the violent hits, for God's sake. There was a decent column on Fanhouse.com about it.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

It wasn't that long ago that the most popular segment on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown consisted of the crew yelling "JACKED UP!" as repeated big hits were shown over and over.

 

[Crash]

Harrison's situation is a perfect example of the problem: these guys have been taught to play this way. What they haven't been taught is that the way they play is unsafe. The modern football helmet, particularly with the advances that have been made over the last 10 years, has made these guys feel like they're invincible and that they can use their head as a weapon.

It seems like simple logic that the last thing you'd want to do if you're a 260-pound man getting ready to run full-speed into another 240-pound man is put your head right in the middle of that collision, but that's exactly what most of these guys do.

 

[proudpittsburgher]

It wasn't that long ago that the most popular segment on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown consisted of the crew yelling "JACKED UP!" as repeated big hits were shown over and over.

Don't confuse it, though. Jacked up was an ESPN thing, not an NFL thing. That being said, Sclereth hit it out of the ballpark.

 

[Brian]

I like Schlereth.

But the man uses the word 'football' over and over and over and over until I can't listen to anything he says. All I hear is 'football' on a loop when I see his face.

 

[YGBFKM]

As much as I sympathize with Schlereth's points, James Harrison isn't the martyr I want riding this horse.

Exactly. Don't think the NFL is worried about a possible precedent set by a wholly unlikable human being.

Ultimately, this knee-jerk bull**** by Roger Goodell and his cadre of PR flaks that run the league is driving me to watch baseball. Baseball, for God's sake!

And unfortunately, I don't think the NFL really has to worry about much fallout re: its hypocrisy. The league is almost invincible at this point. Want proof? The Titans-Jaguars game crushed in the ratings Monday against an ALCS game that featured the hottest pitcher in baseball against the most popular and successful team in the history of the sport.

 

[21]

I like Schlereth.

But the man uses the word 'football' over and over and over and over until I can't listen to anything he says. All I hear is 'football' on a loop when I see his face.

Then you'll be happy to know he wants to take the word 'football' out of the 'National Football League' and replace it with 'hypocrisy,' expressing strong regret that the NHL was already using those initials.

 

[MileHigh]

Have always enjoyed Schlereth. Second-best listen on the radio out here.