NFL to adopt 15-yard penalty for use of racial slur?Jason La Canfora CBS Sports NFL InsiderFebruary 21, 2014 7:06 pm ET
John Wooten, head of the Fritz Pollard Alliance that monitors diversity in the NFL, said he expects the league's competition committee to enact a rule at the owner's meeting next month making it an automatic 15-yard penalty if a player uses the N-word on the field, with a second infraction meriting an ejection.Wooten spoke about his desire to eradicate the word completely from NFL workplaces at the Fritz Pollard event during the combine, wanting it to be fineable and policed throughout team facilities, and received a standing ovation according to those in attendance. Wooten said he will continue being vigilant about this with the NFL office and Commissioner Roger Goodell."I will be totally shocked if the competition committee does not uphold us on what we're trying to do," Wooten said. "We want this word to be policed from the parking lot to the equipment room to the locker room. Secretaries, PR people, whoever, we want it eliminated completely and want it policed everywhere."The NFL had no comment, but league sources did confirm that the idea of "respect" among teammates is a priority. The league is studying major changes to workplace policies in the wake of the Wells report, and Goodell and Troy Vincent from the league office have already met with 35 players to discuss issues of workplace conduct.Wooten said the competition committee will formally decide whether or not to support his measure at the meeting in March, and then present it to owners. Wooten is "extremely hopeful" it will pass."I think they're going to do what needs to be done here," he said. "There is too much disrespect in the game."
Not nonsense, it is public television. I concede that parents should be aware of the risk, but the same risk exists walking down the street and overhearing a random conversation. It is impossible to keep kids from watching sports, as is impossible to keep them from watching porn. The NFL, because it has so much influence, SHOULD be the first mover. This is a moral issue, not a legal one. Believe me, it is in the interest of the NFL to not let it get to a legal issue.
Well see, that's what is wrong with our society. Most parents in this country are no longer responsible for what their kids do. Instead, they blame other people. Instead they sue other people. Instead of being the responsible adults that they should be, they try to put the burden of being a role model to their kids into the hands of an overpaid 20-something year old who is fresh off the college party scene.You wouldn't let your child watch Sons of Anarchy, would you? Maybe the cast of that show should be fined for all the grotesque things that they do during that hour of nighttime public programming. My guess is that you think that kind of responsibility is too much for one (or two) parent(s) to handle.
Believe me, it is in the interest of the NFL to not let it get to a legal issue.
Exactly. I think that is why they are doing it. Well, half the reason anyway. The other half? The NFL probably realized how much money the unnecessary roughness type of flags/fines were generating and figured, 'Hey, why not create a money generating rule that we don't have to give to the NFL retired players fund'.
Is art (NFL) imitating life or the opposite?This attempt to "mold" the league into a specific image is pretty interesting to me...I can see why a knee-jerker might say it's necessary to keep bias in check but you cannot mandate behaviour and natural inclinations....or can you? :P
FX is not public programming.
Not nonsense, it is public television. I concede that parents should be aware of the risk, but the same risk exists walking down the street and overhearing a random conversation. It is impossible to keep kids from watching sports, as is impossible to keep them from watching porn. The NFL, because it has so much influence, SHOULD be the first mover. This is a moral issue, not a legal one. Believe me, it is in the interest of the NFL to not let it get to a legal issue.
Well see, that's what is wrong with our society. Most parents in this country are no longer responsible for what their kids do. Instead, they blame other people. Instead they sue other people. Instead of being the responsible adults that they should be, they try to put the burden of being a role model to their kids into the hands of an overpaid 20-something year old who is fresh off the college party scene.You wouldn't let your child watch Sons of Anarchy, would you? Maybe the cast of that show should be fined for all the grotesque things that they do during that hour of nighttime public programming. My guess is that you think that kind of responsibility too much for one (or two) parent(s) to handle.
Believe me, it is in the interest of the NFL to not let it get to a legal issue.
Exactly. I think that is why they are doing it. Well, half the reason anyway. The other half? The NFL probably realized how much money the unnecessary roughness type of flags/fines were generating and figured, 'Hey, why not create a money generating rule that we don't have to give to the NFL retired players fund'.
I'll be the first to say there must be some sort of test couples have to pass before they're allowed to be parents (some people are just horrible parents/aren't fit), but this is a sport not an action movie. This is the same thing we encourage kids to go do for 60 minutes a day every day of the week. What encourages them to play is the people they inevitably idolize. What message are we sending these kids when we expose them to vulgar athletes? They grow up thinking that's what it takes to be great. We can't take away sports from them. We DO need to civilize them, though. I insist that parents can't control everything that their kids are exposed to, and not to make excuses for poor parents out there, but saying kids shouldn't be allowed to watch a sport is absurd. What we're doing is making excuses for the players to run their mouths afoul by declaring racism "a part of football" - THAT is nonsense.
Excuse me, basic cable.
I insist that parents can't control everything that their kids are exposed to, and not to make excuses for poor parents out there, but saying kids shouldn't be allowed to watch a sport is absurd. What we're doing is making excuses for the players to run their mouths afoul by declaring racism "a part of football" - THAT is nonsense.
Right, controlling everything your child is exposed to is impossible, so why should players in the NFL be the ones to do it for them?In the heat of battle it is human nature to sometimes yell an obscenity. I make excuses for no one. I argue based on principal. If you think your child is not mature enough to distinguish good sportsmanship from bad sportsmanship during a football game then you should be there to educate them about the subject when something shameful occurs. If you cannot at least do that than, no, they should not be watching sports. Period.
"In the heat of battle it is human nature to sometimes yell an obscenity."For a white man to indulge in that 'human nature' legally qualifies his following actions as a hate crime.
Who says they have to be white? If that was the rule, believe me, I would not be on this board **CENSORED**ing as we have only a few white starters on our team and the probability of the calling of such a penalty during a game changing play would be almost zero (especially since the white guys are not the ones who say the N-word on game day).
The problem here is that you have a bunch of people trying to force their morals onto the generation below them. The 18-28 crowd doesn't really care about that word for the most part. We say it so much that the next generation might get so bored with it that it drops from the vernacular.But no. Lets keep giving the word power so it stays [/sarcasm]
Is this for all offensive words or just the N-word? Seriously, is there gonna be a catalog of bad words? I mean can you call a dude a p#$$y? Is saying you suck potentially offensive because it implies you enjoy oral sex on a dude? This gets really silly as every interest group tromps through the dictionary seeking to cleanse the lingo.
Is this for all offensive words or just the N-word? Seriously, is there gonna be a catalog of bad words? I mean can you call a dude a p#$$y? Is saying you suck potentially offensive because it implies you enjoy oral sex on a dude? This gets really silly as every interest group tromps through the dictionary seeking to cleanse the lingo.
Then the Baptists come in and make it a penalty to take the lord's name in vain.
I insist that parents can't control everything that their kids are exposed to, and not to make excuses for poor parents out there, but saying kids shouldn't be allowed to watch a sport is absurd. What we're doing is making excuses for the players to run their mouths afoul by declaring racism "a part of football" - THAT is nonsense.
Right, controlling everything your child is exposed to is impossible, so why should players in the NFL be the ones to do it for them?In the heat of battle it is human nature to sometimes yell an obscenity. I make excuses for no one. I argue based on principal. If you think your child is not mature enough to distinguish good sportsmanship from bad sportsmanship during a football game then you should be there to educate them about the subject when something shameful occurs. If you cannot at least do that than, no, they should not be watching sports. Period.
We're not censoring profanity, we're censoring RACISM. There is a huge difference. We're not censoring a stress-relieving F bomb, we're censoring "F you N**", "you're nothing but a N***", etc. How is that ever ok? You ARE making an excuse, there is NO place for racism in sports, or do you believe being racist is perfectly understandable? And please don't give me the "the n-word doesn't carry the same connotation it once did" because I guarantee you at least some blacks all over the US would go crazy if a white guy used it (look at Incognito).
Thats the thing though, its not going to be a white guy who gets flagged, ITS GOING TO BE A BLACK GUY.
I insist that parents can't control everything that their kids are exposed to, and not to make excuses for poor parents out there, but saying kids shouldn't be allowed to watch a sport is absurd. What we're doing is making excuses for the players to run their mouths afoul by declaring racism "a part of football" - THAT is nonsense.
Right, controlling everything your child is exposed to is impossible, so why should players in the NFL be the ones to do it for them?In the heat of battle it is human nature to sometimes yell an obscenity. I make excuses for no one. I argue based on principal. If you think your child is not mature enough to distinguish good sportsmanship from bad sportsmanship during a football game then you should be there to educate them about the subject when something shameful occurs. If you cannot at least do that than, no, they should not be watching sports. Period.
We're not censoring profanity, we're censoring RACISM. There is a huge difference. We're not censoring a stress-relieving F bomb, we're censoring "F you N**", "you're nothing but a N***", etc. How is that ever ok? You ARE making an excuse, there is NO place for racism in sports, or do you believe being racist is perfectly understandable? And please don't give me the "the n-word doesn't carry the same connotation it once did" because I guarantee you at least some blacks all over the US would go crazy if a white guy used it (look at Incognito).
Would you say that anyone that calls someone that word is in fact a racist?Or is the word just a part of their vernacular?When I call my friend a dumbass, idiot or retard, do I really believe they are those things? Or is it part of our speech?