Baggage

[Selassie I]

:sly:


I still love you Brudda.


It's possible that I may not have admitted all of my indiscretions,,, slight possibility only.

 

[RamFan503]

:sly:


I still love you Brudda.


It's possible that I may not have admitted all of my indiscretions,,, slight possibility only.

Yeah - well I came clean. In a dirty sorta way. :bign: I'm not asking people to bleed their hearts. I just know that these kids can get caught up. Do they deserve the title of being a bad seed? Most of the times I would say NO.

Bottom line is that I feel good about where I am as a person especially considering where I could have put myself in my youth. I'd have no one to blame. Good parents that had to make a living. Youth running wild in the streets of the San Fernando Valley and all. I have to applaud my parents and especially my dad in recognizing that he had to get us away from that noise. But that's not an option for many of these kids going into the NFL UNTIL they have that opportunity placed in front of them. THEN the person within must take hold.

I have hired many a troubled youth - maybe because of where I fear I could have been. My head cook is a great kid but has a troubled past. I told him from the beginning that I know where he's been, what matters most to me is where he goes. He's been golden for me for two years now. And that is maybe forefront in why I posted this thread.

I'm as conservative as they come politically and economically but when it comes to people, I just like to think most can shine when you offer them a chance and expect them to set their life straight.

OK - Now I'm waxing poetic but it's true.

 

[Selassie I]

I did a terrible job of it,,, but the point I was attempting to make it this...

Many people appear to be Tebow-Like when they are really closer to being Lawrence Taylor. We've all done stupid shit growing up. Some of us are forced to deal with our mistakes in a more public fashion though because of being caught.

The Baggage that I see some of our young players carrying is the type that I consider more than forgivable. It wouldn't keep me from signing any of them at all in other words.

I've worked in the School Business my entire adult life. As a result, I've assisted in the rehabilitation of many a lost soul. I've witnessed many folks turn their lives completely around... some really amazing success stories. I've also seen the opposite.

At one point years ago I volunteered at a work release center here in Orlando called The Bridge. I worked with felons who were getting started on their road to a new life. I was much younger then, and I remember figuring out that the person who was in charge of this work release center was actually much more of a criminal than any of the inmates. A real eye opener.

Anyway, you can't judge a book by it's cover. That's what I should have said to start with.


You are right on point with your thoughts here Stu. These players haven't committed unforgivable acts,,, they are just like all the rest of us. Except they can kick ass on the football field in ways that most of us only dream about.

 

[Thordaddy]

Not really wanting to cause any ill feelings, but I don't play by the ,I did it so I'm OK with people who have.

When I was wrong for doing things I was and so are they.

Like Stu sez though if you learn from those mistakes makes all the difference.
I don't like gun violence issues ,I think they indicate a line has been crossed that is hard to step back from, domestic violence not a fan, but some of those charges are bogus and I've seen too many razor wielding bizatches to think there is never a reason to jack one up,self defense is a necessity of life just sayin'.

Most of the "baggage" we see with these guys comes down to random chance of being caught ,sometimes getting caught is sheer stupidity.
It's funny, I get drunk I get cautious and drive slower,Leonard Little thought he was 10 ft. tall and bullet proof and drove like it.Somewhere in the sober moments ya gotta figure out which guy you are and stay away from what you don't "do well".
I think you HAVE to factor race into it as well ,I'd bet that if you are black and smoke pot you probably stand a significantly higher chance of getting arrested for it than if you are white,then again at some point you gotta figure THAT out.

I have no problem with any of the guys we've taken,but I do have a problem with making excuses for them, it's a delicate balance you strike between the two .

 

[RamFan503]

I did a terrible job of it,,, but the point I was attempting to make it this...

Many people appear to be Tebow-Like when they are really closer to being Lawrence Taylor. We've all done stupid shit growing up. Some of us are forced to deal with our mistakes in a more public fashion though because of being caught.

The Baggage that I see some of our young players carrying is the type that I consider more than forgivable. It wouldn't keep me from signing any of them at all in other words.

I've worked in the School Business my entire adult life. As a result, I've assisted in the rehabilitation of many a lost soul. I've witnessed many folks turn their lives completely around... some really amazing success stories. I've also seen the opposite.

At one point years ago I volunteered at a work release center here in Orlando called The Bridge. I worked with felons who were getting started on their road to a new life. I was much younger then, and I remember figuring out that the person who was in charge of this work release center was actually much more of a criminal than any of the inmates. A real eye opener.

Anyway, you can't judge a book by it's cover. That's what I should have said to start with.


You are right on point with your thoughts here Stu. These players haven't committed unforgivable acts,,, they are just like all the rest of us. Except they can kick ass on the football field in ways that most of us only dream about.

Nice. See there? I never knew this stuff about you and where you've been. Good stuff.

At Thor - I actually think it is perfectly appropriate to be "hypocritical" when it comes to the things you may have done in your past. Just because I may have done some stupid shit in my past doesn't mean I am ok with it if my kids or employees do it. But declaring someone off limits because of some issue that I consider minor and/or a youthful indiscretion is IMO short sighted.

 

[Yamahopper]

People that think that none of this stuff happened back in the day are just fooling themselves. And it's not just sports or fame related.

If they had all the drug testing in the 70's how many of the greats would have had baggage to deal with?

 

[-X-]

People that think that none of this stuff happened back in the day are just fooling themselves. And it's not just sports or fame related.

If they had all the drug testing in the 70's how many of the greats would have had baggage to deal with?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlwQsJOKoIo[/youtube]

 

[bluecoconuts]

Now days if you want to be an athlete you have to live like someone who wants to be a politician. Just wait for another 10 years, when they're flagging guys for making stupid YouTube comments when they're 13.

 

[-X-]

Now days if you want to be an athlete you have to live like someone who wants to be a politician. Just wait for another 10 years, when they're flagging guys for making stupid YouTube comments when they're 13.

Have you seen YouTube comments lately? Holy shit.

I could spend a day reading those things. They're fascinating to me, really. It's like people (kids mostly) have a broken moral compass when they get on that site. And you just KNOW they wouldn't say a fraction of the things they say on YouTube -- to a real person in real life. Just fascinating. I swear - you could find a video about someone's puppy - and 5 pages later - someone's calling someone else a goat raping Bush lover who should die of aids in Afghanistan while fucking his own mother.

 

[Thordaddy]

Now days if you want to be an athlete you have to live like someone who wants to be a politician. Just wait for another 10 years, when they're flagging guys for making stupid YouTube comments when they're 13.

Actually athletes are held to a higher standard than pols, and FWIW that is the biggest failing of governance in this country, there are NFL teams that wouldn't draft the last three Presidents we've had on "character issues".

 

[Thordaddy]

Now days if you want to be an athlete you have to live like someone who wants to be a politician. Just wait for another 10 years, when they're flagging guys for making stupid YouTube comments when they're 13.

Have you seen YouTube comments lately? Holy shit.

I could spend a day reading those things. They're fascinating to me, really. It's like people (kids mostly) have a broken moral compass when they get on that site. And you just KNOW they wouldn't say a fraction of the things they say on YouTube -- to a real person in real life. Just fascinating. I swear - you could find a video about someone's puppy - and 5 pages later - someone's calling someone else a goat raping Bush lover who should die of aids in Afghanistan while fucking his own mother.

Louis CK driving bit :mrgreen:

 

[LesBaker]

I may be wrong about this, it is after all just a hunch.

Fisher seems to have learned the difference between a kid who lost his way for a little bit and a kid who is just not a good person. Maybe Haynesworth and Pacman taught him that lesson. I'd bet he doesn't take that kind of chance again, but won't drop a guy down his draft board if he had a DUI or a positive drug test.

My gut tells me he isn't picking players that are causing him or Snead to wonder if they are going to be OK. And I also think he is going to hold those types to a little higher standard although I base that only on the one game benching of Jenkins for missing curfew.

 

[RamFan503]

Now days if you want to be an athlete you have to live like someone who wants to be a politician. Just wait for another 10 years, when they're flagging guys for making stupid YouTube comments when they're 13.

Actually athletes are held to a higher standard than pols, and FWIW that is the biggest failing of governance in this country, there are NFL teams that wouldn't draft the last three Presidents we've had on "character issues".

Big time. And yeah - there's no way any of the three pass the litmus tests.