Around the NFL in 32 plays

Hello again, Addicts.  It’s been a while, but unfortunately, I’ve had some real world things to take care of that kept me away from the keyboard.  But I’m back to pick up again on all the NFL news and rumors from around the league.  And this week did not disappoint.

More from Kansas City Chiefs News

• Former Chiefs cornerback in legal trouble in Las Vegas
• Chiefs news: Travis Kelce wants to host fan ‘chug-off’ in Germany
• KC Chiefs send Dave Merritt to NFL coaching accelerator
• Creed Humphrey lands on PFF’s Top 25 Under 25 list
• Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams prove themselves away from star quarterbacks

Those of you who have been reading my stuff for a while know that I have accused the NFL of using “the scandal in New England that shall not be named” in order to draw attention away from the much more pressing issues of concussions and off the field behavior of NFL players.  Well, both of those issues got a little jolt in the arm this week, but it was the off the field conduct, specifically regarding domestic violence, that really made headlines.

Normally, I give a bit more of an introduction than this, but I’m ready to jump right into what I think may be the biggest story of the entire 2016 offseason…

Lead Story: Greg Hardy Highlights The NFL’s Biggest Problem

The Greg Hardy domestic abuse story hit another all time low this week.  In an interview with ESPN’s Adam Schefter set to come out later this month, Hardy talked about the situation.  Hardy was pretty dismissive of the whole thing, denying that he ever put his hands on Nicole Holder.  Though when pressed on that subject, he also stated that he couldn’t claim he didn’t do anything wrong.  Wow…talk about your “wink wink”.

Hardy also claimed he was completely innocent, and proven “not guilty”…both of which are untrue.  We know he isn’t completely innocent from his own words where he stated he couldn’t claim he didn’t do anything wrong.  And he was never proven “not guilty”.  In fact, he was originally convicted by a judge.  He only got his reprieve when his victim suddenly couldn’t be found when it came time for a jury trial.  I won’t make any accusations there…but know that it’s exactly what I’m thinking.

All in all, the whole interview somehow made Hardy even less likeable than many of us had already felt.

But suppose for a second that we don’t even look at the Greg Hardy situation from the domestic abuse angle.  I’m serious, let’s pretend that this is any other kind of incident that puts a player up for discipline from the NFL…he still comes off as a complete jerk who simply doesn’t even get that he has to live within societal norms.

By now I am guessing that you all have seen the highlights of Hardy’s interview with Schefter.  I don’t even know how to properly express my disdain for the man following what he had to say.  I can certainly understand Michelle Beadle’s complaints with the whole situation.  Giving him a platform to try and convince everyone that he did nothing wrong really backfired for the company.

What’s more, there was a clear attitude about him where he felt he didn’t even need to bother explaining himself to us simple commoners.  And that’s the part of all of this that I think is the most damning for the NFL as a whole.

Don’t get me wrong, domestic violence is a terrible thing and there is no excusing it.  And I am not saying that how Greg Hardy is handling the situation is worse than what he did.  On an individual level, his actions are certainly worse than his attitude.  But in the large scheme of things for the NFL, Hardy’s attitude is something that we see all too often from NFL players, and other professional athletes.

For many pro athletes, there seems to be a sense that they do not have to live by societal norms.  A belief that they are above everyone else.  And let’s face it, our society feeds into that.

Johnny Manziel, Josh Gordon, Jared Allen, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Hernandez, and a host of others have shown a similar attitude.  Each of them broke rules/laws, would give some half cocked apology…and then find themselves right back in the same, or similar situation.

Of course, why shouldn’t they?  NFL teams were certainly willing to still pay them, and it’s not like us fans have been turning off the television in any form of protest.  No, we continue to watch and teams continue to play.  So is it any wonder that these guys continue to act the way they do?

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