Jameis Winston: Fitting the "New" NFL Mold

Yesterday it was announced that last year's Heisman Trophy winner, Jameis Winston, will be suspended for the first half of this Saturday's big game against ACC rival Clemson. According to reports, Winston made a scene at a student union where he was screaming obscenities about having sex with a woman. This is the same Winston who had been accused of rape. While criminal charges had been dropped, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing to investigate how Florida State handled the situation. Winston was also involved in a shop-lifting incident that resulted in his suspension from the Florida State baseball team.

I remember the first time I saw Winston play.  It was a game against Clemson and he was spectacular and I was immediately thinking about how he would look in a Cleveland Browns uniform. Now, I wouldn't consider him at all. Winston is a classic example of what is wrong with sports. Here is a kid who has an enormous amount of talent.  I'm sure he has been catered to since he was in Jr. high school. As a result, he could do no wrong and get whatever he wanted.

While the NFL is getting raked over the coals for its mishandling of the various player behaviors that have resulted in violence against women and children, major college athletic programs also need to be called out for their "win at all cost" attitude. What's the difference with the Carolina Panthers letting convicted domestic violence perpetrator Greg Hardy play in their first 2 games and Florida State allowing Winston to play at all this Saturday? There is no difference.

Until college athletic programs and professional sports leagues put a premium on character as opposed to "winning at all costs", we will continue to put up with guys like Ray Rice, Greg Hardy, etc. Both college and pro sport teams need to put an emphasis on proper personal conduct, including domestic violence, alcohol and drug use and the handling of weapons. Prompt and appropriate measures need to be in place to deal with indiscretions.

As fans, we can do something about this too. We need to make our voices heard by not buying products that have the player's name on it and any product that has the team's logo on it. We need to let team sponsors know that we will not purchase their products unless they apply pressure on the teams to take a tough stance with players who violate personal code of conduct policies. We need to stop watching ESPN's Sunday Countdown Show which glorifies violence in it's "Jacked Up" feature and has the nerve and audacity to have Ray Lewis on its panel.

Unfortunately, it will take awhile before anything changes. That means Jameis Winston very well could be the number one pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Why not, he fits right in to the "new" NFL mold.

The NFL I Remember

As I have said many times, I have been a long time NFL fan. The Cleveland Browns were my team and they were on every Sunday. When I would go home from grade school, I would run pretending I was alluding tacklers like Jimmy Brown. Then Leroy Kelly was my guy and I lived and died with the Orange & Brown every Sunday.

As I got older, while still a Browns fan, Joe Namath was my favorite player. I'll never forget Super Bowl III, watching it with my Dad, brother and cousin as the AFL NY Jets knocked off the Baltimore Colts. The same Colts who buried my Browns in the NFL Championship Game one week earlier. 

It was common for me to watch games from 1pm until 7pm every Sunday. Years later, Sunday night football started and it was football from 1pm until 11pm. Of course, in 1970, Monday Night Football began and I wouldn't miss it for anything. I loved NFL Football 

Throughout the 60s through the 80s, players making a sack or defending a pass didn't go into a wild dance or some kind of other histrionics.  When a guy like Walter Payton scored a touchdown, he just handed the ball back to the referee. Even the guys who started the touchdown celebrations were fun to watch like the Ickey Shuffle or the Fun Bunch. There wasn't an attempt to embarrass your opponent unlike today. 

Were football players perfect in that time period?  Certainly not. Namath was known for his partying as were guys like Paul Hornung and Dante Pastorini. But the one thing I don't recall is rampant gun use and violence. 

Nowadays a guy has a sack and he celebrates like his team just won the Super Bowl even though his team was trailing by 3 touchdowns. Football highlights didn't focus on ego-maniac displays but on key plays of the game. You didn't have highlight shows with the hosts screaming "Jacked Up". 

Since the late 90s, the NFL has been on a downward spiral. The quality of play has not been up to par with too many teams added which has diluted the talent pool. Players leaving college early to turn pro has not helped either as these guys are not mentally prepared for all aspects of being a pro football player. 

Back in the 60s through the 80s, NFL owners were sportsmen first, businessmen second. Halas, Mara, Rooney and Wilson, to name a few, recognized the importance of all teams doing well for the benefit of the league.  These owners respected the game and that's what they expected from their players. Now, it's all about making money.  And in Jerry Jones' case, hitting on women young enough to be his granddaughter.  When owners have no respect for the game, it makes sense that the players have no respect either. 

The NFL is out of control. Players carrying guns, beating women, abusing drugs and being involved in homicides are what characterizes today NFL.  Think about this: Major League Baseball this year has honored Derek Jeter. Jeter personified grace and class and was the face of the game. Two years ago, the NFL honored Ray Lewis. You tell me who would you want to be the face of your league: Jeter or Lewis?  

The Ray Rice situation is the tip of the iceberg. The NFL is out of control. It is now being reported that law enforcement provided the NFL with the tape that showed Rice cold-cocking Janay Rice. If this is true, Commissioner Goodell has some explaining to do. If he was smart, he would immediately announce that the NFL was going to initiate a full blown public service campaign concerning domestic violence. There should be zero tolerance for such behavior. Anyone arrested of a violent crime should be suspended pending the outcome of the criminal investigation. Conviction of a violent crime should result in a lifetime suspension. 

I'm not sure I can ever get back to being the type of NFL fan that I was 30 years ago. But in order to get me to care anymore, the NFL needs to clean up its act, both on and off the field. Somehow I don't see it happening

NFL and Ravens Just Don't Get It

A day after the Ravens released Ray Rice and the NFL suspended him indefinitely as a result of a video that shows Rice cold-cocking his fiancé and knocking her out with one punch, it is clear that the team nor the league gets it. Reading Baltimore owner Steve Biscotti's apology left me shaking my head.

Biscotti, while admitting that the team did not handle the situation properly, still had to say that it was a situation where Rice & his then fiancé were drinking and started hitting each other. Really Steve. Forget the second video. The first video shows an NFL player pulling a woman face down who was unconscious out of an elevator. From that video, Biscotti's team did nothing. In fact, they defended Rice. 

Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he never saw the second video. So what Roger. The bottom line is you blew it and the second video shows that big time. A former Carolina Panther team executive on TSN Drive 1050 Toronto stated that he believed that the NFL underestimated the importance of the issue of domestic violence because it would be the only reason why they wouldn't have seen that second video.  The NFL knows how to conduct a thorough investigation. It's clear that this did not happen in this case.

The NFL and the Baltimore Ravens have given themselves a black eye.  I've yet to hear a major politician speak out and demand that the NFL take immediate action to deal with the issue of domestic violence. The NFL has a considerable amount of influence in our society (too much as far as I'm concerned).  If they took a no tolerance approach and went on a public education campaign about the evils of domestic violence, they could have a significant impact. They could start by combining their Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October with Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Have October be the month where the NFL shows it sensitivity to these issues which impact women. A meaningful effort for the entire month of October in educating the public on breast cancer awareness and domestic violence awareness would go a long way in the NFL rehabilitating itself. It's up to you Mr. Goodell: face the issue head on or bury your head in the sand and hope everyone focuses on their fantasy league.