YES! YES! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE IS BAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!! Excuse me while my peeps and I celebrate…
As far as predictions go, I have my 9ERS and the Broncos in the Super Bowl. This year I will finally be able to call us the SAN FRANSIXCO 49ERS!!!!!!
Still loving my PANTHERS too…
I am sure you all have been wondering if I would address this particular incident. Almost three weeks have passed so I am assuming most of you thought that I would not. Wrong. here it goes…
My grandfather was one of the first blacks in the United State Marine Corps(a true piece of American history that I love to talk about). He served in the Asiatic Pacific Theater during World War II from May 1944 to March 1946. In May 1944, he was honorably discharged from the corps. Upon his return home, this American hero was subjected, indirectly and sometimes directly, to the ugliness of a particular six letter word.
The n-word.
Riley Cooper went there. With no hesitation. He parted his lips and uttered arguably the most offensive racial slur known to man. Big deal? No big deal? I will let you decide for yourself. Was Cooper wrong? Of course. Did he deserve to be punished? I believe fining him was an appropriate consequence. Does he deserve a second chance? Sure, he does. Do I understand if teammates and friends especially those who are black refuse to offer him that chance? Yes. Actions have consequences.
I have heard many analysts and journalists express shock over the fact that this incident was considered “newsworthy.” According to some of them the fact that incidents like this happen on a daily basis, this particular incident should be no big deal. They left out the part where Cooper was caught on video using the slur. They left out the part where in the last 10 years, the sports industry has not had to deal with this type of incident, publicly, not that I can recall. They left out the part about Cooper being an NFL Player, a professional athlete in the most lucrative professional sport in the United States and perhaps, the world. That alone is bound to get you on SportsCenter.
So what do I think about this whole situation? I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it is because I am such a happy go lucky person but I truly believe that most people are good people. They want to go to work, raise their kids, buy a house and try to make a difference in this world. None of us are perfect and some of us happen to make mistakes that drastically alter our lives. And some of us happen to make mistakes that are magnified because we are in the public eye. What Cooper did was foolish. Unless he has been living in a cave at Mount Rushmore all his life, there is no way that he did not know the type of backlash he could experience from uttering the n-word especially in public.*plays Jamie Foxx’s *Blame It On the Alcohol”* At the same time, I think some people are truly naive when it comes to how deep that word cuts. I am not sure how you can be that naive in 2013 but it happens. A lot of people automatically assume that because someone utters a racial slur, they are indeed racist. I am willing to bet that almost every person on this earth could be qualified as a racist if that is the standard we are basing it off of. Yes, there are some people who are just downright prejudice. And then there are some of utter certain words around people whom they feel comfortable with. People that know them. People who would never think they are racist despite some of the things they say. For them, it is normal.
I do not know which category Cooper falls in to. Only he knows that for sure. However, from the amount of teammates and friends that have spoken publicly to defend him, I am willing to bet he falls into the category of those who are not racist but may utter a racial slur. How can this be? How can a person utter a racial slur and not be racist? Well Merriam-Webster defines racist as a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. With that definition as a basis, I do believe racial slurs can be uttered by people who are not racist. That might sound crazy but hey, this is my blog therefore I get to voice my opinion. I am sure at some point in our lives all of us have uttered a racial slur and I am sure not all of us are racist. Think about it. Think about the words you have used to refer to blacks, whites, Latinos, Asians, etc. We are all guilty of it. If you say otherwise, then you are not being honest with yourself.
The n-word.
The truth is I wish the n-word could just be eliminated. I wish black people would quit saying it. I wish white people would quit saying it. I wish other minorities would quit saying it. I wish rappers would quit saying it. I wish professional athletes would quit saying it. I wish. I wish. I wish. I wish people would stop defending the word. I wish people would stop saying it is ok to say it because the ending was changed from ‘er’ to ‘a’. I wish everyone had the opportunity or took time out of their busy schedules to talk with an older black man who experienced some extreme racism and let him share his wisdom about using the word as a “term of endearment.” I wish I could talk to my grandfather and hear his opinion on the situation. I am almost certain I know what his thoughts about it would be, he would be wishing for the same thing his first born granddaughter is.
Until next time…TOODELLS.
Preseason football. One word. BLAH!! I have never been a huge fan of it.
However, one week until high school football starts. Less than two weeks until college football season starts. And less than three weeks until the NFL is back!!!
Aaaaaah, what a great weekend. Anytime running and football are involved, it is ALWAYS a great time! So of course, you all recall my excitement from four days ago when August FIRST hit. The start of football season!! Well Saturday night was the National Football League Hall of Fame Enshrinement, one of my favorite events. I love to hear all the speeches where players, coaches and executives all talk about their childhoods, families, influential persons, coaches, former teammates, highs and lows and their dreams. Saturday night provided me with all of that. From former offensive tackle/guard Dallas Cowboys guard Larry Allen talking about his first date with his wife(I mean who does not love a a story that involves two whole chickens and a 40 ounce), to former Green Bay Packers linebacker, Dave Robinson, saying some of his friends and family were watching down on him, proud because of his induction, and that some of them may be looking up at him to former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver, Cris Carter, telling his mama(after having her stand up so he could pay homage to her), “Sit down Mama! You in the Hall of Fame!” The induction ceremony provided me with the opportunity to have the type of day Jimmy V said we all should have everyday. The speeches made me laugh, think and cry. To see these gentle giants essentially turn into giddy little kids before your very eyes as they soak in all that being enshrined into the Hall of Fame has to offer is truly a joyous occasion. CONGRATULATIONS to those previously named as well as legendary coach Bill Parcells, former Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle, Jonathan Ogden(who was the Ravens very first draft pick and is also the first Raven to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame), former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle, Warren Sapp and former Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Curley Culp(who looks phenomenal for 67).
After an inspiring Saturday night, I set my sights on Sunday and you guessed it, running!! I rarely run on Sundays but I have been itching to connect with some new people in the area. I traveled over to the neighboring city of Winston-Salem to meet up with the Black Girls Run(BGR) Winston-Salem group. As much as my body tried to tell me, “hey, this is not what we do on Sundays”, I still pressed my way and I am glad that I did. I met a very nice group of ladies that included two women I already knew(Hey Tina and Sharolyn!). All of these women have a desire to live a healthy lifestyle, which includes running. I did a three mile run, that was not my best but hey I finished! Once you truly become a runner, you will learn that finishing is all that matters in the end. You can set time goals all you want. Sometimes you meet them. Sometimes you do not. However, if you finish you have already conquered the biggest task that laid in front of you on that trail/greenway/sidewalk/track. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The scenery was nice. The trail was nice. The weather was even nice for 6:15pm on a Sunday. I look forward to joining the ladies next Sunday!!
So there you have it. My weekend in a small nutshell. A little sample of what I got into. Fun all around.
SN: The annual Hall of Fame game was played Sunday night. It featured the Dallas Cowgirls and the Miami Dolphins. So yeah, while I am starving for some football, I am NOT that desperate.
Until next time…TOODELLS.
You have to be a FOOTBALL FANATIC to understand the significance of AUGUST FIRST. For those of you who just do not get it, August First is the first day that college football teams can start officially practicing. August First marks the first day that a lot of high school teams across the country can begin officially practicing. August is the month when FOOTBALL SEASON officially begins!!!!!!!! Happy. Happy. Joy. Joy.
Last night on the NFL Network, the top 10 players in the league, as voted on by the players, were revealed. They are…
1. Adrian Peterson
2. Peyton Manning
3. Calvin Johnson
4. Tom Brady
5. J.J. Watt
6. Aaron Rodgers
7. Aldon Smith
8. Arian Foster
9. Von Miller
10. Patrick Willis
My thoughts about this list….no surprise that AP was voted number one. He dominated last year despite tearing his ACL near the end of the previous season. Peyton is my number one quarterback but I was a tad surprised that he was the highest ranked quarterback. Guess I know what I am talking about after all when I say “he puts in work.” Rodgers not being in the top three was a shocker. That is all I know to say. Aldon Smith went from not making the list in 2012 to being number seven this year. Talk about respect from your peers. All in all, I think the list is solid. It is easy to sit at home, analyze and critique the list. The players are the ones who go out and play the game every week. Therefore, making them experts on who is the best of the best. Congratulations to all 100 players who made the list. There is no higher compliment than the ones your fellow peers give you. Oh, did you all notice my 9ers have two players in the top 10 :-}??
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??!!
Until next time…TOODELLS.
Gun. Execution style. NFL. Murder. Four words you will not typically find in the same story but this became a reality on Wednesday when former New England Patriot, Aaron Hernandez, was charged with first degree murder in the death of Odin Lloyd.
When this story broke last Monday, I will admit that it did not seem to be anything major, initially. The one thing that did peak my interest was the fact that they were reporting that the place where the body was found was near Hernandez’s home. That bit of information would lead one to believe the authorities are looking at a possible connection between Hernandez and the death of Lloyd. As the week went on, there were rumblings of a destroyed cellphone, destroyed surveillance videos from Hernandez’s home and pending obstruction of justice charges. Helicopters followed Hernandez as he left his home and went to the Patriots facility. Reporters ambushed him at a gas station. He disappeared off the public radar for a few days. Then a hush fell over the crowd…
All was relatively quiet until yesterday. 8:45am. Breaking news. Aaron Hernandez arrested. Charges unknown. Approximately, two hours later, the Patriots made a statement regarding Hernandez via Twitter. It simply said, “The New England Patriots have released Aaron Hernandez.” And there is your red flag. The fact that the Patriots felt that they needed to take this position lead me to believe that whatever charges had been levied against Hernandez were serious. I was thinking accessory to murder, maybe aiding and abetting along with obstruction of justice. I never once thought a first degree murder charge was what was levied against Hernandez. Wait, there is more. In addition to the murder charge, he was charged with one count of carrying a firearm without a license, two counts of possessing a large-capacity firearm and two counts of possessing a firearm without an FID( firearms ID card and allows the holder to possess non-large-capacity rifles and shotguns in his or her home)card. Wow. Just wow. Maybe I was being naive. Maybe I should have figured out by now that he was going to be charged with the murder. Hey! I am not a police officer, an attorney nor do I work in law enforcement so yes I was shocked.
So what do we know? We know that Hernandez, Lloyd and two others were together the morning of the murder. There is surveillance footage of Hernandez leaving home with a gun. We know that Lloyd texted his sister, “do you see who I am with?”. When she responded with “who”, he texted her at 3:22am and said “NFL.” Within a few minutes after that text was sent, Lloyd was shot multiple times and died at the scene. Wow. Just wow.
We all know the law states that a person is innocent until proven guilty. The only people that know for sure what took place that night were the people who were present and unfortunately one of them is dead. As a fan of the NFL, I would like to believe that no player is reckless enough to commit such a despicable act but you just never know. I never expected to wake up on December 1, 2012 and hear that former Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher committed a murder-suicide. I never expected to wake up one week later on December 8, 2012 and hear that the Dallas Cowboys Josh Brent had killed his teammate, Jerry Brown, while driving under the influence of alcohol. Just because a player plays for the NFL does not mean they are not capable of committing crimes just like anyone else. One is just left to wonder why a person would do such a thing when they have been gifted an opportunity that many wish they had. Why throw it all away in a split second?
All of these situations serve as wake up calls. Not just for NFL players. Not just for professional athletes. They serve as wake up calls for all of us. Whether they serve as a call for people to get help, change their lifestyles or examine the company they keep, they all serve as a reminder that lives can change in an instant when bad choices are made. Each one of us owes it to ourselves to sit down and evaluate our lives to see if there are changes that need to be made in order to assure we live a life that is meaningful, purposeful and not harmful to others. Typically, if we do our part to ensure that evil, envy, deceit and anger is not present in our lives, it rarely finds a way to damage the life we have worked so hard for.
Until next time….TOODELLS.
Kassie Nette's Korner 