Green on Green Violence

Ralph Nader recently threw another log on the fire with his recent statements: "If the Eagles management declines to remedy its mistake, commissioner Tagliabue, you should intervene to overturn the team's decision, which dishonors this country's traditional respect for free speech and cheats fans of an opportunity to see arguably the best receiver in football...Let him play." He continues, "[f]ans have purchased tickets for Eagles' games, in Philadelphia and elsewhere, on the assumption that they will see one of the game's most exciting receivers, so long as he is healthy enough to play. The Eagles' action denies them this opportunity.”

Ralph is right in that 81 does have a right to free speech, but he does not address the Eagles right to run their business as they see fit. His antics were well documented and he has been made fully aware that his behavior will not be tolerated by the organization. As for his rant on the fans behalf…if you bought season tickets for the express purpose of watching one single individual in the City of Philadelphia, and it wasn’t Allen Iverson, I don’t know what to say.

Suppose Andy Reid was running a steel mill, and he has a foreman named Donothan McNabb. Donothan comes to work every day, does an exemplary job, and is respected throughout the community. After a few years, Andy decides he wants to up production, so he goes and finds the T.J., a man renowned as the best steel worker in the country. So this new worker comes in, and he raises the level of intensity in all sectors of the plant. He boosts output to unheralded levels, and is recognized by all for his efforts. Jump to one year later, and Andy sees T.J. on the news, blasting their foreman, saying that he isn’t delegating responsibility or managing assets at a high level, and questioning the pedigree of the plant in general, from top to bottom. He is brought in and given a chance to apologize, which he refuses. He then proceeds to get into a fistfight on the plant floor with an ex-employee, visiting for the afternoon. After he is suspended without pay, he holds a press conference at his house, where he expresses his sincere apologies, four days after the fact. Well, what do you think the mill owner would do? Is there any company on the face of the earth that would keep an employee like this around? No, he would have been dropped like a bad habit.

Remember the day we got T.O.? A fifth round pick and Brandon Whiting, for the best receiver of the past decade. The city was ecstatic. I drove around with my buddy Theis, listening to WIP and screaming down Henry Ave. It was the best feeling our franchises have given us since game one of the 2001 Nba finals (AKA the greatest basketball game ever played). But even then there was that voice in the back of our heads: you know, this may not end happily. Well, it didn’t. It ended terribly. And from the looks of things, it’s a long way from being over. Was he worth it? No. Would we do it again? Every single time.