The whole point is that you don't get to decide arbitrary punishment for what EVERYONE would consider very trivial infractions. Your assertion that Marshawn should be docked 60% (!!) of his salary is asinine. He should continue to accrue $50,000 fines which are instantly paid for by his surge in popularity and resulting ad revenue. Recent polling shows that 87% of NFL viewers AGREE with Marshawn Lynch's decision to abstain from commenting to the media simply because the NFL collective bargaining says he should.
The whole point is that you don't get to decide arbitrary punishment for what EVERYONE would consider very trivial infractions. Your assertion that Marshawn should be docked 60% (!!) of his salary is asinine. He should continue to accrue $50,000 fines which are instantly paid for by his surge in popularity and resulting ad revenue. Recent polling shows that 87% of NFL viewers AGREE with Marshawn Lynch's decision to abstain from commenting to the media simply because the NFL collective bargaining says he should.
He will continue to be fined, as laid out by the NFL collective bargaining agreement. But trying to argue that he shouldn't be able to play because he chooses to refrain from talking to the media is silly. He didn't beat his spouse, he didn't murder someone.
If the NFL were smart, they would make an agreement with Marshawn. He clearly doesn't do well in the spotlight and does not enjoy speaking to the media. Why force him when it just makes them all look stupid? He can agree to a one on one interview for 5-10 minutes once a week w/ NFL network and give all the info he wants or does not want.
Marshawn Lynch showed up at Super Bowl Media Day today and, in keeping with his current policy on media interactions, gave the same stock answer to every single question he was asked: "I'm just here so I don't get fined." And he wasn't lying. Ed Werder of ESPN tweeted today that the NFL was prepared to dock Lynch HALF A FUCKING MILLION DOLLARS if he skipped out on Media Day. Half a million dollars! I know that whenever a player is fined, the typical fan reaction is, "Why, that's just (insert fraction here) of his salary!" But half a million dollars is a lot of money to EVERYONE. That crosses the threshold into painful money. Guys are fined much less for deliberately trying to hurt opponents on the field.
And the crazy thing about that potential fine is that the NFL, apparently, can fine players any amount they please for such a benign violation. By now, I think we're all used to Super Bowl Media Day being a grand examination of how stupid and pointless Super Bowl Media Day is. And yet, the NFL carries on with the "tradition" of Media Day because it's a long- ass week waiting for the Super Bowl and we all need something to do, I guess. Even if the players have nothing to say, the NFL has an entire cable network and other assorted TV and radio tributaries that require constant feeding when games aren't on. So even if a player has nothing to say, the NFL Network can sit there and analyze why the player had nothing to say.
That is why they collectively bargained all these mandatory appearances and pressers for their on-field talent. I bet the players regret that part of the deal in retrospect. It's like building a house only to realize the light switches are on the wrong side. It would appear that the NFL needs to constantly feed the beast to maintain its own relevance, regardless of what kind of shit fuel they dump into it. So when you hear about Lynch's "antics" and when you witness the catty exchanges between exasperated media people and fans who are exasperated with media people, keep in mind that this kind of time-filling horseshit is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to the NFL. That's how big of a business it is. It makes the Kardashian family look like Tolstoy by comparison.
from Drew Magary at GQ
Marshawn Lynch has a right to answer a question any way he wants. I don't care about that. But what blows my mind is why anyone is defending it. The dude is acting like a 5 year old. "I can't do what i want, so I'm going to take it out on people who are just there to do their jobs." That said, if I'm media I just stop asking him questions. The whole act has made him a star, and is rewarding immature behavior.
The media LOVES this. They are not mad at Marshawn for answering in robotic repetition. This is front page news across America, leads SportsCenter and even makes the evening national news. Again, the media absolutely loves this whole story. This gives them something to drone on about for hours on end in a week that otherwise offers NOTHING except the same re-hashed quotes and cliches. And behind the scenes, the NFL also loves it. This draws attention away from the more serious flaws the league has dealt with this year (see also: Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson) and puts a comedic spin on an otherwise boring week. How do you guys not understand that this is making money for everyone?
In a world in which false humility has become so pervasive that humblebrag is now part of the modern lexicon, Lynch truly wants to deflect the attention coming his way.
"He's the complete opposite of what people think," Seahawks outside linebacker Cliff Avril insisted. "He's a team person. He's not one of those guys who makes it about himself."
To this, Lynch reluctantly pleads guilty.
"Yeah, that's all it is," he said. "I've never seen anybody win the game in the media. But at the same time, I understand what it could do for you, if you wanted to be someone who talks a lot. But that's not me.
"And I'm not as comfortable, especially at the position I play, making it about me. As a running back, it takes five offensive linemen, a tight end, a fullback and possibly two wide receivers, in order to make my job successful. But when I do interviews, most of the time it'll come back to me. There are only so many times I can say, 'I owe it to my offensive linemen,' or, 'The credit should go to my teammates,' before it becomes run down.
"This goes back even to Pop Warner. You'd have a good game and they'd want you to give a couple of quotes for the newspaper, and I would let my other teammates be the ones to talk. That's how it was in high school, too. At Cal, I'd have my cousin, Robert Jordan, and Justin Forsett do it.
"Football's just always been hella fun to me, not expressing myself in the media. I don't do it to get attention; I just do it 'cause I love that (expletive)."
So if Media Day, to Lynch, looms as the equivalent of getting his dreadlocks pulled out of his head, one by one, know this: Super Sunday will absolutely live up to its name. For someone so attuned to his roots and cognizant of his journey, it's an opportunity that will not be taken for granted.
(from Michael Silver's piece on NFL.com)
I'm a retired professional firefighter and was part of a union and collective bargaining agreement (IAFF Local 122 - Jacksonville, FL). We had - in our contract - "progressive discipline". If we violated a part of the contract the city could punish us up to a certain limit (some offense they were allowed to immediately terminate an employee)...but if it was a minor infraction it received the lowest level of punishment...if we did it a second time the punishment was more harsh....and "progressively" got more severe - up to and including suspension and/or termination.
I agree w/ GS, not sure why anyone would defend his ridiculous behavior.
ah, let's see-- SO if you're 'elite in your chosen profession' you have certain liberties, you can get away with a lack of decency, respect, acting as an idiot. Correct? Thankfully, most 'elite' in other professions don't see it that way.
if the NFL deems these preesers important and that members of THEIR league should act professionally, at the very least decent rather than mock the hand that feeds you , then they havent implemented a strong enough deterrent to Mr.Lynch. Perhaps fine him 60% of gross income. I ask you, any chance this 'elite athlete ' changes his behavour at future press conferences?
If you're elite in your profession you have certain liberties, yes. You can take the holier than thou route and say its not right but you live in the real world, tell me I'm wrong. I own a company in the film industry, press obligations are part of every contract an actor signs, you know how many dodge them outright? Are you avoiding movies? are you equally outraged? you could probably give 2 shits. There are any number of examples of people who can do things and can afford things that the majority can't getting special treatment. That's life, become useful, it pays.
As for getting away with lacking decency, respect or acting as an idiot, that's a matter of perspective. Clearly this bothers you for some reason and I gave me theory on that reason, but I see it as an athlete who has a job, rb for the seattle seahawks, being forced to do something he'd rather not but fulfilling his obligations in a way that amuses him. Seeing it as anything more than a joke is taking it way too seriously. Youve never half assed something you didn't want to do? Nobody questions his performance on the field do they? the thing that keeps him in the league, you know playing football. His job isn't to give boring ass press conferences. Some guys love the mic, some don't, the ones who do know where it is and will find it and the league will carry on without losing a beat. I guess some could say if youre going to force media on players, make it even across the board and that its lacking decency and disrespecting somebodies comfort with media to force him to do extra press because hes good at his actual job. Some might say its lacking decency to question the decency of someone who gives as much back to an impovrished community as he does but hell hes evil he doesnt give canned answers at pressers.
The deterrent is there, Marshawn is at pressers...hes doing what hes obligated to do and what the nfl wants him to do, your argument is that he's not saying the words YOU want to hear. Take away yeah, add in team played well, and you're thrilled. If the nfl thinks its as big a worry as you do and that hes ultimately hurting the product more than he's helping it, they'll take care of it. Ray Rice helped more than he hurt till it went public then they stepped up, they will always cover their ass. Adrian Peterson, they stepped in and on and on. If they're not shutting down playing time and not fining away all his salary you better believe it's cause they're smart enough to know his schtick is making people watch his pressers, buy his jersies, tune in. They're in the business of making money and he's making them money, so they're saving face with paltry fines but they'll keep it toothless cause in the end he's good for business. Should the nfl decide one day that he no longer is good for business, and he decides to move on, he probably wont go back to college and start his med career or go for a law degree, but he'll still be a multi millionaire, poor guy
