Seriously. I didn't want to have to write this one, because when you look at it, it's completely unimportant and pointless in the grand scheme of things, but it's something that's been bothering me for a while and our guys are taking it much too well. Someone needs to bitch and moan about this, and it might as well be me.
The NFL, in its infinite wisdom, is allowing DC's Chris Cooley, Ethan Albright and Chris Samuels to wear number 21 in the Pro Bowl this weekend as a tribute to fallen teammate Sean Taylor.
It's nice of the NFL to do it. It's the Pro Bowl, who cares if a bunch of guys are wearing the same number, right? The problem? The NFL, also in its infinite wisdom, denied Al Wilson, Champ Bailey and John Lynch's request for the EXACT SAME FUCKING THING last year. They were allowed to wear a "27" decal on their helmets, but they weren't allowed to wear the uniform itself.
Does anyone have an answer as to why? Is it because there was something less senseless about the way Darrent was murdered? Of course not. When a 24 year old kid gets gunned down, it's senseless no matter what the circumstances.
Is it because Darrent was shot on the last day of the season rather than in the middle of it? Maybe. There was still football to play after 1/1/07 though, so I'm having a hard time buying into that.
Is it because Taylor was a star and Darrent wasn't? I don't know. Darrent was a starter, after all and Kevin Everett was pretty much a league nobody until he got hurt and now everyone knows his name.
Is it because Denver is an overgrown cow-town rather than part of the giant east coast megalopolis? Maybe, but the size of the city you play in is pretty much irrelevant in the NFL, so I'm having a hard time with that too.
It's not just the Pro Bowl either. I don't remember any half-hour long segments on SportsCenter or endless chatter on talk radio and around the blogosphere. I didn't see any other teams wearing "27" decals during the playoffs. Darrent's murder was a story for a couple of days and then it faded away.
So...I'm baffled. I just don't get it. I don't see how the league can allow the 'Skins to do something to honor their teammate that they wouldn't let Denver do?
3 comments:
I think they made a mistake with Williams, but I think it'd be the same mistake with Sean Taylor. The only way to correct the past mistake is to not make the same mistake again.
I would like a statement to that effect, but the NFL rarely admits to err.
damn, awesome points Herc. You should email this to Jim Armstrong or call into Alferd or something. I hate the "east coast bias" argument, but this has that stamped all over it.
Excellent point, sir.
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