Conundrum may bring NFL to its knees
- Tom Rife: Livin' the Team
- June 11, 2020
- 870
There are so many tantalizing story lines that are about to unfold in the National Football League. Can the games begin soon enough?
All eyes remain on the Cleveland Browns, who have restructured under new head coach Kevin Stefanski. It’s time for Mr. Mayfield to focus on winning, learn from veteran backup Mr. Keenum and put the TV commercials on the back burner for a while. It’s time for Mr. Garrett to go the extra Myles.
We’re nearly tapped out already on the Tom Brady to Tampa Bay saga, yet it is destined to dominate the coverage all season long, especially if Gronk is the menacing Gronk of old.
Will every team be able to get its act together, given the restraints that are sure to be applied because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic? For a wide variety of reasons, some franchises will face vastly different obstacles than others.
Can Coach Mike McCarthy function — and lead the ‘Boys to the Super Bowl — in harmony with Jerry Jones?
Will a supposedly healthy Tua become Miami’s true QB of the future?
Mahomes to repeat?
Trubisky or Foles?
Monday Night Football without Booger?
The Ray-dahs in Vegas?
On and on the list goes.
And then, of course, there is now the elephant in the room, the jam that quite frankly threatens to sour any and all action that might take place between the lines.
The “other” lines already have been drawn — in the sand throughout a torn America. It’s the one conundrum that could bring the NFL to its knees in more ways than one.
All of a sudden the start of a new season doesn’t seem tantalizing at all.
The national discourse that looms surely will cast a dreadful shadow over most of the thrilling aspects of the return of professional football. Already, there is negativity boiling in Commissioner Roger Goodell’s cauldron, a social-media buzz that again threatens to undermine the cause for which Colin Kaepernick ultimately sacrificed his career as a pro quarterback.
In light of the current nationwide protests sparked by police actions resulting in the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, the discussion begs for scrutiny.
Taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem for the first time on Sept. 1, 2016, Kaepernick vowed he was protesting racial injustice and police brutality against unarmed minorities. Specifically he cited the police shootings of black Americans Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and said he believed the United States was not living up to its own ideals of freedom.
Four days later, then-President Barack Obama defended Kaepernick’s protest, saying it was the 49er’s constitutional right. At the time Goodell said he “doesn’t necessarily agree with what (Kaepernick) is doing,” but he supported players who seek changes in society.
On the first full day of the regular season that year, several other players took a knee during the anthem, touching off a torrent of anti-NFL sentiment and a well-documented response from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, whose MAGA rally cry was kneeling players were disrespecting the flag and the country.
“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that (SOB) off the field right now. Out. He’s fired. He’s fired,” Trump said.
Ultimately the NFL, with TV ratings declining, suggested actions and procedures designed to quell such pregame protests and lessen the outrage against the league.
Jump ahead now to the Floyd state of affairs. On Thursday several NFL stars teamed up for a powerful video that included Mahomes, Saquon Barkley, Odell Beckham, Jr., DeAndre Hopkins and many more. In the video the players asked the league to step up and condemn racism and admit they were mistaken for silencing players from peacefully protesting.
Hours later Goodell responded by offering up his new take on the prior protests. He admitted the NFL was wrong for not listening to players earlier and encouraged all to speak out and peacefully protest.
“I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country,” Goodell said. “Without black players there would be no National Football League, and the protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality and oppression of black players, coaches, fans and staff. We are listening, I am listening and I will be reaching out to players who have raised their voices and others on how we can improve and go forward for a better and more united NFL family.”
The commissioner’s reversal did not go unanswered by Trump, who hastily implied Goodell was condoning the act of kneeling during the anthem and encouraging future protests.
Those who do kneel again will insist again the act has never been about disrespecting the flag or the anthem, that their message was hijacked. On that, conclusions of a personal/political nature will persist. It’s almost a given that when pro football resumes, there will be more acrimony and divisiveness throughout what are supposed to be “united” states here in America.
The tumult has gone full circle. Certainly Floyd’s death appears to mirror the very misdeeds targeted by Kaepernick four years ago.
It is the one story line that will make the 2020 NFL season excruciatingly painful.