175 replies to this topic

[Oriole85]

ESPN: NFL to penalize use of racial slur

 

http://espn.go.com/n...ial-slurs-games

 

The head of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which monitors diversity in the NFL, expects the league to institute a rule where players would be penalized 15 yards for using the N-word on the field.

 

"We did talk about it, I'm sure that you saw near the end of the year that Fritz Pollard (Alliance) came out very strong with the message that the league needs to do something about the language on the field," said Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, who is on the league's competition committee. "So we did discuss over the last three days."

Newsome also said the committee talked about other slurs coming under any possible new rule, including homophobic slurs.

 

Wooten, who previously has urged all players to stop using the N-word, thinks the NFL will rule an automatic 15-yard penalty for first-time offenders and an ejection for second infractions.

[You Play to Win the Game]

I love this.

[Oriole85]

I love this.

I like it as well, only thing though I'd say is it's a slippery slope, do you punish homophobic, anti-Semitic, and other derogatory remarks similarly? Where do you draw the line?

[BobPhelan]

I love this.

I like it as well, only thing though I'd say is it's a slippery slope, do you punish homophobic, anti-Semitic, and other derogatory remarks similarly? Where do you draw the line?

Anything derogatory, yeah. There are plenty of words to show your dissatisfaction. MF'er is a favorite of many.

[SammyBirdland]

Someone in the comments is asking if the announcers are allowed to say "Redskins".

[mweb08]

There was an interesting Outside The Lines on this tonight.

[SportsGuy]

Don't like this but whatever.

As was said, where do you draw the line...it's a sport with tons of emotion. Things get said. Hell, playing pick up basketball, you hear stuff all the time.

[mweb08]

Don't like this but whatever.


As was said, where do you draw the line...it's a sport with tons of emotion. Things get said. Hell, playing pick up basketball, you hear stuff all the time.

But should you hear everything that is said?

[SportsGuy]

But should you hear everything that is said?

It doesn't bother me.

Sometimes the stuff is picked up but for the most part, the fan has no idea it's being said.

This is a little excessive. Society as a whole is already too sensitive and PC, bringing it into the sports arena is just annoying as hell to me. To think your team could get a major penalty because something slips up in the heat of battle is pretty absurd to me.

[Mackus]

There is little chance they'll be able to accurately enforce this.  Someone will get called for it at a bad time or have it ignored at a key time.

 

I'd be all for fines for anything overheard, or recorded by one of the many mikes on or around the field, but I think the penalties could be problematic.  I think the "slippery slope" argument and how do they pick which words are forbidden and which aren't is a lesser concern.

[SportsGuy]

Will it be ok to call Michael Sam a fag but not the N word?

Is it ok for someone to make a sexual remark about your mother or wife? Or, perhaps make fun of a disabled child?

Where does it end?

And if they take it all away, then will they be able to talk smack at all? Will there be any gamesmanship?

Will you be allowed to use the term poopyhead?

It just gets to be too much.

[BobPhelan]

It's a good point that it should be fines, not penalties.

[mweb08]

But should you hear everything that is said?

It doesn't bother me.


Sometimes the stuff is picked up but for the most part, the fan has no idea it's being said.


This is a little excessive. Society as a whole is already too sensitive and PC, bringing it into the sports arena is just annoying as hell to me. To think your team could get a major penalty because something slips up in the heat of battle is pretty absurd to me.

I don't think this word is really a heat of battle problem by in large. And there are already 15 yard penalties for slipping up in the heat of the moment.

[mweb08]

Will it be ok to call Michael Sam a fag but not the N word?


Is it ok for someone to make a sexual remark about your mother or wife? Or, perhaps make fun of a disabled child?


Where does it end?


And if they take it all away, then will they be able to talk smack at all? Will there be any gamesmanship?


Will you be allowed to use the term poopyhead?


It just gets to be too much.

Well none of that is ok.

[mweb08]

There is little chance they'll be able to accurately enforce this.  Someone will get called for it at a bad time or have it ignored at a key time.
 
I'd be all for fines for anything overheard, or recorded by one of the many mikes on or around the field, but I think the penalties could be problematic.  I think the "slippery slope" argument and how do they pick which words are forbidden and which aren't is a lesser concern.

You make some good points, but the issue of not catching it all the time isn't a great reason to not make something, regardless of what it is, a rule. People get away with holding all the time for instance, but it's still a good rule.

[Mackus]

You make some good points, but the issue of not catching it all the time isn't a great reason to not make something, regardless of what it is, a rule. People get away with holding all the time for instance, but it's still a good rule.

 

It's a lot easier to say if something was a hold or not than it is to be certain that you heard one word and not another.  I think they get holding right more often than they'd be able to reliably get something like this correct.

 

I like the idea of someone reviewing the collected audio after a game and handing out fines after the fact rather than adding yet another judgement call that referees need to make.

[SportsGuy]

Well none of that is ok.

Oh but it is...only one word gets penalized.

[mweb08]

You make some good points, but the issue of not catching it all the time isn't a great reason to not make something, regardless of what it is, a rule. People get away with holding all the time for instance, but it's still a good rule.

 
It's a lot easier to say if something was a hold or not than it is to be certain that you heard one word and not another.  I think they get holding right more often than they'd be able to reliably get something like this correct.
 
I like the idea of someone reviewing the collected audio after a game and handing out fines after the fact rather than adding yet another judgement call that referees need to make.

I'm not sure that it's nearly as tough as you're suggesting. Of course they'll miss it plenty, but when it's said with them nearby, they should be able to call it pretty well. I think it would be said much less frequently as well, which would be the goal here. But, fines instead could also work.

[mweb08]

Well none of that is ok.

Oh but it is...only one word gets penalized.

They said they would consider punishing multiple slurs.

That wasn't my point, though. Your post read as what's next, taking away gay slurs and horrible comments about players moms? As if that would be a negative, I think it would be a positive.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Racism is still such a huge problem in this country, regardless of if people want to continue to keep their head in the sand about it and claim that it isn't. The NFL, in conjunction with the Fritz Pollard Alliance, using their prestige to have an impact on an important social issue is a nice step to try and eliminate a word that needed to go away a long time ago.