NFL owners think they own the players as well as the teams

There are some things you can always count on.  The Washington Generals will never beat the Harlem Globetrotters; The Washington Nationals will find a way not to make it to the World Series; and the Washington Capitals will choke in the playoffs (well, almost always).

Add to this list the following: NFL owners will always put their collective foot in their collective mouth.  Bill Veeck, the legendary owner of several Major League baseball teams, once said “Baseball must be a great game; the owners haven’t killed it yet.”  These days he’d be talking about owners in the NFL.

The latest outrage by the owners stems from the long-brewing controversy over some players kneeling during the national anthem, in protest of . . . well, it began about the fact that very often Caucasian police officers seem to find it necessary to use deadly force against young, unarmed African-American men, but after a while some players were simply protesting to protest the owners not supporting their protest. 

This is a situation where rational people could disagree, so the owners proceeded logically; they unilaterally imposed their decision on their NFL “partners.”  You often hear the phrase “planation mentality” to describe the NFL owners, but the phrase doesn’t mean they are racist.  They think they own not only the team, but also the players; not just the African-America players, they think they own the White players as well.

The owners, without even bothering to consult the players or the NFL Players’ Union, decided to resolve the issue by deciding that all players MUST show respect during the anthem on the field, and if they didn’t want to they could remain in the locker room.  The owners couldn’t punish the players without violating the Collective Bargaining Agreement, so they deigned that any violation would result in the team being fined.  Of course, if the team owner then wanted to fine the players, that was okay (wink, wink).

Note that the owners treat the players, who are supposed to be the owners’ partners in the NFL, as equipment that they can do what they will with.  Not only do they not even offer to engage in dialogue with the players or the union, but they then assume that teams can force their players to do whatever they want them to do regarding behavior before the game.

Not only is this incredibly disrespectful, but it is poking the bear.  Players who maybe were fine standing during the anthem might be provoked into doing something because of this heavy-handed approach by the owners.  Reaction by players has been varied, but many reacted angrily. Perhaps noteworthy was the response of Chris Long (who happens to be Caucasian) who chided the owners’ motives by proclaiming, “This is not patriotism.” 

The hypocrisy of the owners is demonstrated by an incident earlier this year, when college quarterback Josh Allen was found to have made racist tweets when in high school.   One owner said, after Allen apologized, that it wouldn’t be a “distraction” in a league featuring mostly African-American players.  On the other hand, an African American player like Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the anthem, WAS a distraction.  That’s why a quarterback who played in a Super Bowl can’t even get a tryout to be third on an NFL team’s depth chart.

Maybe you think the owners have a point.  Maybe you think it should be illegal not to sing the national anthem when the flag is paraded around before a game.  Maybe you think people who protest White officers regularly killing unarmed Black youth should go back to where ever they came from.  Fine.

But that still doesn’t excuse the NFL owners attempting to impose their will on their partners, or assuming that teams can treat their players like pets to be disciplined when they don’t behave the way their owner likes. 

Earlier this year Texans owner Bob McNair displayed what he thought of the players when he described them as “inmates” running the prison.  Naturally he apologized, but he still made a statement equating the mostly African-American personnel of the NFL with inmates.  He doesn’t regret the comment, he only regrets being quoted.  The owners aren’t patriots, this isn’t about patriotism, it is about respect.  The owners have no respect for the players who make them very, very rich.  Unfortunately, the players can’t make them any smarter.