Roger Goodell needs to focus on a real problem

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

He may think the biggest threat to the league is Chris Henry and his unstoppable quest to impregnate all the young women of Kentucky. But I've got news for him: the biggest issue facing his league is the fact that two young men have been killed by bullets in the last 11 months.

53-man rosters times 32 teams is 1696 players. That's the size of pretty large high school. And two of those players have been murdered in the last 11 months.

"Gone With the Wind" is probably the second-least appropriate movie in the world to quote after the death of a young black man. But there is a great line in it and it bears repeating. "Waste makes me angry."

The NFL has spent God knows how much money worrying about its image, but what's worse than telling fans that you have a 1 in 16 chance of a player on your team being murdered next year. That's the rate we are moving at right now.

It just utterly blows my mind that someone like Sean Taylor could be essentially under siege in his home and he had no one to turn to. (And I blame the teams as much for this as the commish).

Enough is enough, says I (one lonely voice throwing rocks at a windmill, I admit).

Here is my five-point plan.

1. Mandatory security consultants for all 32 teams. I'm not suggesting bodyguards for all players; that is unreasonable. But there should be some professional available to talk to players and help them secure themselves. Whether it is arranging for home security systems, doing background checks on employees, arranging for personal bodyguards for the real stars, etc, it just feels like leaving security in the hands of the players is a recipe for disaster.

2. 24 hotline for security concerns. I don't know if anything would have saved Darrent Williams. But Sean Taylor should have been able to call someone and say, "My house has been broken into. My family has been threatened. I need help."

3. Mandatory educational sessions on personal security. The rookie symposiums (symposii?) have apparently been a success, but I think this needs to become a yearly reminder of how at-risk these players are.

4. Blood drives at all 32 NFL stadiums (stadii?). If anything, this Taylor tragedy proves the need for a well-stocked blood supply in this country. Something good needs to come out of this. (Plus, I love the image of a drunken Chiefs fan giving blood. People will be passed out all over the parking lot by 12:30).

5. The Sean Taylor/Darrent Williams Fund. I have no idea what this fund would be used for exactly. Perhaps youth centers in each NFL city.

[SkinsHokieFan]

All very good ideas, in particular 1 and 2

I know all pro sports teams have "security professionals" guys whose job it is to make sure the players are safe while with the team and traveling and hotel and all that stuff

I have no idea what, if any, impact they have in their personal life.

[laurent]

You'd be surprised, but the league already has a security team, as does every team.

The biggest concern to me isn't so much the lack of resources and support, it's the players perception of their own invincibility. The players need to recognize and realize that they are targets and embrace the support and resources that are being made available to them.

Sean Taylor could have gotten the necessary help to deal with the burglary situation and security professionals would have very likely suggested alternatives to him staying in a house that wasn't secured and had just recently been burglarized.

This is not to say that he bears any responsibility for what happened, but the structure was in place to help him make better, or more responsible decisions.

[TGI Jef]

one of the first things i thought about after the shooting was this:

what will happen the next time an NFL player is caught with a gun?

will it be the usual disdain and disgust, or will the nation view it as almost a neccessary evil?

tgijef

[RedskinzOwnU]

I don't know how helpful most of this would be. Taylor was not the kind of guy that would call up saying he doesn't feel safe. The bottom line is that he engaged in a lot of risky activity, and took pride in his ability to "fend for himself." Despite the fact that two players have been shot in a relatively short span of time, I don't think this is a serious problem for the league as a whole. It's more of a coincidence than anything else. I do like the idea of the fund, but the rest is pretty extraneous. If any player truly feels they need help with ANY of those things, their team and agent will always be there to provide support in whatever fashion may be required. And who wants to draw blood from fans when there is alcohol in it? You gonna put it in a 5-year old and make him process it out?

[Ghost of]

one of the first things i thought about after the shooting was this:

what will happen the next time an NFL player is caught with a gun?

will it be the usual disdain and disgust, or will the nation view it as almost a neccessary evil?

tgijef

Indeed. Well, for some it will depend on if the player is black or not.

Fortunately, there were some of us who've been speaking up in every case asking for some restraint when it came to judging athletes (Or ANY AMERICAN) who had a weapon to defend themselves.

AFter what happened to Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker and many, many other athletes who've been robbed or had their homes invaded, I think we can start cutting them some slack on owning weapons. For every jackass Jayson Williams (formerly of the Nets) there are dozens of others who own weapons to defend themselves.

Sad to say but Sean's actions back with those ATVs may have helped seal his fate. Without probation, he would likely have had a shotgun or pistol and would have taken cover, rather than stand at the door (as knife does not work from range unless you're a carnival performer) and could have dispatched the assailant without injury.

There was a post yesterday of a guy talking about separating athletes from guns as if guns are imbued with some sort of power that influences people to do evil. Only those who lack impulse control or are evil themselves need be categorized.

Sean was in a perfect position as a maturing adult to defend himself as police or security would not reach him in time.

As the saying goes, "When seconds count, the police are minutes away."

The one piece of advice I would have given is for Sean to NOT be in that house and for him to hire a rigorously vetted security man or team until an extensive security system was in place and inviolable.

[stevenaa]

It just utterly blows my mind that someone like Sean Taylor could be essentially under siege in his home and he had no one to turn to. (And I blame the teams as much for this as the commish).

What in the heck are you talking about? "someone like Sean Taylor" Give me a break. He was worth many millions. He could have easily have payed for his own security. What was the league to do in the crucial seconds that resulted in his loss? He was a man responsible for himself. We'll have to wait for the facts to come out before we know why this happened, if we ever know at all. Was it a roberry gone bad or a hit? Who knows. Either way he's dead because of the actions of a criminal. By all accounts, he'd matured and left the youthful craziness behind. But, if it turns out this is related to his past behavior, is the league or anyone else really to blame.

[Veretax]

one of the first things i thought about after the shooting was this:

what will happen the next time an NFL player is caught with a gun?

will it be the usual disdain and disgust, or will the nation view it as almost a neccessary evil?

tgijef

Necessary evil? There is a reason the 2nd Ammendment provides "for the right to keep and bear arms shall not be abridged" That's because Government cannot protect you from crime, it can enforce laws and track down law breakers after the fact, but they can't really do anything to stop crime from happening unless they have intelligence or tips ahead of time. I live in a small town in West Virginia. I grew up in a smaller town in rural West Virginia, and in the last few months even I, a passive, calm guy have felt threatened to the point I've considered buying a weapon to defend myself, my family, and property with. It really has gotten bad out there, but in no way should anyone who has not given up their rights by committing crime should surrender their rights to defend themselves.

[Campbell's_da_man]

Here is my five-point plan.

1. Mandatory security consultants for all 32 teams. I'm not suggesting bodyguards for all players; that is unreasonable. But there should be some professional available to talk to players and help them secure themselves. Whether it is arranging for home security systems' date=' doing background checks on employees, arranging for personal bodyguards for the real stars, etc, it just feels like leaving security in the hands of the players is a recipe for disaster.

[/quote']

Alright, maybe they would have the perfect job for me. I was a Security Specialist in the military, and then I got out and have spent the past 17 years specializing in Prison Security. I've heard that someone's life is worth over a million bucks, but I wonder how people could possibly know how much a life is really worth. I do know one thing, though, my life may be worth a million on the outside, but once I enter inside the fenses of my workplace, I've discovered that it may not be worth a nickel. I said all that to say that it sure would be great getting a good job that I could actually enjoy without having my very life on the line every single day.

But the trouble is, I believe your numbers are way off. I would love the opportunity, but there's not really as big a need as you suppose. The fact is that really, only two out of hundreds have been murdered in the last 11 months, not 1 in every 16.

And to think I was starting to get my hopes up for a few seconds there. I guess I must keep protecting the public from the felons for a while longer instead, but man, it sure is nice to dream, if only for a few seconds.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Alright' date=' maybe they would have the perfect job for me. I was a Security Specialist in the military, and then I got out and have spent the past 17 years specializing in Prison Security. I've heard that someone's life is worth over a million bucks, but I wonder how people could possibly know how much a life is really worth. I do know one thing, though, my life may be worth a million on the outside, but once I enter inside the fenses of my workplace, I've discovered that it may not be worth a nickel. I said all that to say that it sure would be great getting a good job that I could actually enjoy without having my very life on the line every single day.

But the trouble is, I believe your numbers are way off. I would love the opportunity, but there's not really as big a need as you suppose. The fact is that really, only two out of hundreds have been murdered in the last 11 months, not 1 in every 16.

And to think I was starting to get my hopes up for a few seconds there. I guess I must keep protecting the public from the felons for a while longer instead, but man, it sure is nice to dream, if only for a few seconds.[/quote']

I said 1 in 16 teams have had players murdered in the last 11 months. (Broncos and Skins).

2 out of 1696 players have died.

And i really wrote this thread to avoid writing a long, self-indulgent thread on how homicide is the leading cause of death of black men age 15 to 24 and how the NFL and NBA need to take the lead in stopping this slaugther as they employ nearly all the pominent young black men age 15 to 24.

[boobiemiles]

Goodell needs to let athlete carry guns. Blast on some of these busters. yeah yean an eye for an eye leaves evrybody blind....well atleast those blind people are alive. Blast on the busters.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Goodell needs to let athlete carry guns. Blast on some of these busters. yeah yean an eye for an eye leaves evrybody blind....well atleast those blind people are alive. Blast on the busters.

As far as I know, Goodell carries no legislative power in the several states. I don't think he has the ability to alter concealed carry and other gun laws in favor of NFL players.

I have not read the state Constitution of Florida in a few months though, so there may have been some changes.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

I would, however, pay around $700 to see a press conference were Goodell advocates athletes to "blast on the busters."

That would be a real hit on YouTube.

[jbooma]

Look this is a terrible thing to happen but what can Roger actually do? These are men we are talking about that make decisions that impact their life. If Sean was threatned by someone maybe he should have thought about getting out of that area.

The problem is these young players feel the are invincible and yes they are targets but if other players who or more well known can be able to hide in society so can they.

What I hope more then anything this will keep young kids away from those associated with crime. Having worked with the sheriff's office you can not trust anyone like that they will turn on you in a second.

[Ghost of]

Well, apparently this type of home invasion is not totally unpopular in the area. Putting aside Sean's earlier associations or actions, it says something when the FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL was a victim of a home invasion where the perps followed him home. This poster (on another board) also referred to his own experience with a home invasion and a neighbor where they followed him home from a market.

It's easy to want to point to Sean but it could be someone was returning for him because they couldn't find any safes or wealth the last time and were going to return when he was home so they could obtain those things...