The Lonely NFL Thread (complete with tumbleweeds)

[TitoFan]

One thing for sure is that the more time passes, the less likely it is he'll get another crack at the NFL. If he's not actually serious about wanting back in, it'll never happen. The distraction thing is a real point. But not so much for the "me, me, me" aspect of it, as for the annoying press coverage that would make it 99% about Colin Kaepernick and 1% about the rest of the team. Chemistry would go right out the window.

So yeah... I wouldn't bet money on Kaep ever returning to the league. As for his cause, it may not be him, but hopefully somewhere down the line someone else will pick up the ball and run with it. The good thing about someone like Kaep doing it is that people tend to listen more to high-profile figures, like athletes, celebrities, etc. The average Joe gets up and starts to pontificate about the evils of today's white cop society.... and precious few will even bother to listen.

Oh ESPN is DYING for him to get in the league regardless of if he's good, bad, indifferent, starting, on the bench, whatever they just want to ring the Colin Kaepernick bell until the clapper falls out! Him just trying out has them in a state of worshipful focus. Yes chemistry would be right out the window, the "Me, Me, Me" guys are a distraction and that goes for egomaniacs like Terrell Owens just the same as political figures like Kaepernick and religious figures like Tim Tebow....they all drew the eyes of the media and that ruffles feathers especially when they fuck up and dont' want the spotlight shining on them OR they take spotlight off of a top performer who is earning it....although in some cases that's a good thing and can be used by a smart coach.


Is that the GOOD thing about it though? I mean look at the NBA and China and the Hong Kong situation....is it GOOD that Lebron James is out there making a damned fool of himself to cover for China's tyranny? That ain't good.

White cop society? Wut?

The white cop/black man shooting problem. The problem that, although it doesn't affect US (you and me), is still a problem. Your dislike for Kaepernick and others like him (Lebron, etc) is apparent. I personally don't hold Kaepernick's outspoken-ness against him. In Lebron's case, he's mouthing off about a global issue that is really none of his concern, regardless of NBA's ties or derived benefits from China. It's not his case to plead.

Terrell Owens was all about Terrell Owens. Now THAT'S a "me, me, me" guy now that you mention it. I don't group those three together.

[TitoFan]

Many people (not saying you) don't like Kaepernick because he brings to the public eye something they don't want to see. Out of sight... out of mind. People will happily put on blinders to something that doesn't affect them personally, and resent it when someone interrupts their happy consciousness to talk about a problem that's real and must be addressed. That's why I have nothing against Kaepernick and hopes he does even better outside of football than he did in it.

[El Kabong]

The white cop/black man shooting problem. The problem that, although it doesn't affect US (you and me), is still a problem. Your dislike for Kaepernick and others like him (Lebron, etc) is apparent. I personally don't hold Kaepernick's outspoken-ness against him. In Lebron's case, he's mouthing off about a global issue that is really none of his concern, regardless of NBA's ties or derived benefits from China. It's not his case to plead.

Terrell Owens was all about Terrell Owens. Now THAT'S a "me, me, me" guy now that you mention it. I don't group those three together.

Yes because it's apparently 1960's Alabama all of a sudden again Has Bull Connor come back from the dead and I missed it? Did I fall asleep near a wormhole and wake up in Apartheid South Africa? Unwarranted and extreme violence from the police is something that can be discussed, and it should be, but #1. All cops aren't white #2 All citizens impacted by wrongful use of force from cops aren't necessarily black ...and if we can't start out on that then what will we start on? Should we form a line going most oppressed to least oppressed?

Many people (not saying you) don't like Kaepernick because he brings to the public eye something they don't want to see. Out of sight... out of mind. People will happily put on blinders to something that doesn't affect them personally, and resent it when someone interrupts their happy consciousness to talk about a problem that's real and must be addressed. That's why I have nothing against Kaepernick and hopes he does even better outside of football than he did in it.

There have been literal riots due to these shootings, justified or unjustified, good shot/bad shot, doesn't matter fucking RIOT because someone got shot by the police regardless of the color of the officer too! the news media is all over these events as well....who isn't talking about them?

Seems like a lose lose situation for me to even attempt to discuss the "issue" what with my skin color and all

[TitoFan]

The white cop/black man shooting problem. The problem that, although it doesn't affect US (you and me), is still a problem. Your dislike for Kaepernick and others like him (Lebron, etc) is apparent. I personally don't hold Kaepernick's outspoken-ness against him. In Lebron's case, he's mouthing off about a global issue that is really none of his concern, regardless of NBA's ties or derived benefits from China. It's not his case to plead.

Terrell Owens was all about Terrell Owens. Now THAT'S a "me, me, me" guy now that you mention it. I don't group those three together.

Yes because it's apparently 1960's Alabama all of a sudden again Has Bull Connor come back from the dead and I missed it? Did I fall asleep near a wormhole and wake up in Apartheid South Africa? Unwarranted and extreme violence from the police is something that can be discussed, and it should be, but #1. All cops aren't white #2 All citizens impacted by wrongful use of force from cops aren't necessarily black ...and if we can't start out on that then what will we start on? Should we form a line going most oppressed to least oppressed?

Many people (not saying you) don't like Kaepernick because he brings to the public eye something they don't want to see. Out of sight... out of mind. People will happily put on blinders to something that doesn't affect them personally, and resent it when someone interrupts their happy consciousness to talk about a problem that's real and must be addressed. That's why I have nothing against Kaepernick and hopes he does even better outside of football than he did in it.

There have been literal riots due to these shootings, justified or unjustified, good shot/bad shot, doesn't matter fucking RIOT because someone got shot by the police regardless of the color of the officer too! the news media is all over these events as well....who isn't talking about them?

Seems like a lose lose situation for me to even attempt to discuss the "issue" what with my skin color and all

You leave precious little wiggle room for debate, Lyle. So it's "let's not even talk about it, 'cause it's not a worthy cause or a real problem?" I'd hate to think that's how you really feel. No it's not 1960's Alabama all over again, and your mention of it unfortunately trashes whatever argument one may have that things are not well and could definitely improve. Why the perceived backlash, Lyle? It's an issue that isn't going to go away by itself. No... all cops aren't white. No... all citizens impacted by wrongful use of force aren't all black.

The thing about is, you know how I think about this. You know I know about the victim card played by a lot of blacks looking to ride the coattails of these incidents and cry "racism" to just about anything. Yet you agree when I talk like that... but you immediately disagree when I touch on some of the worthy points on the OTHER side. Why? We can't only agree when I'm totally on your side. Or maybe that's how these topics should be handled. I see both sides, and you know it. But I'm not going to excuse or sweep under the rug the many incidents where racist white cops have shot black men (and even women) in a blatant abuse of power because of their racist views. I don't care if the media covers this more than the "other" incidents, where I guess black racist cops shoot and kill white guys. If any of those came up, I'd be just as critical of those also.

It's not either/or for me. It's whatever is right and wrong. Racist cops shooting black guys is a bad thing (using Trump's vernacular). Why can't we just leave it at that?

Riots? I don't care about riots. Riots don't bring back young black men who have been executed by trigger-happy, unfit-for-the-job white cops. It's a problem whether anyone else sees it as a problem or not.

[TitoFan]

In some other thread, I'm all over the situation in Minneapolis where videos show merciless beatings of white guys by young black hoods over a damn cell phone. Those black guys are totally racist (they wouldn't thrash a fellow black guy that badly)... and I gladly call it like it is, regardless of what anybody else thinks. If they have been black cops instead, we'd have just the opposite of what I mentioned in the previous post. And I'd be calling the black cops racist and insisting that it's a problem that must be dealt with. To hell with what color is doing the abusing of power and what color is the victim.

[walrus]

It’s not that issues don’t exist but Colin should just STFU and play ball. Let him start an activist group do address the countries issues. He does a poor job carrying the message is is actually creating more divide with his antics. Just use your star power to do good elsewhere Colin taking a knee looks foolish when you live a life of privilege

[TitoFan]

It’s not that issues don’t exist but Colin should just STFU and play ball. Let him start an activist group do address the countries issues. He does a poor job carrying the message is is actually creating more divide with his antics. Just use your star power to do good elsewhere Colin taking a knee looks foolish when you live a life of privilege

Colin's black, and he feels there is very much systemic racism in America, as evidenced by the many black men shootings by white cops. Seriously, why should he STFU? If he wasn't an (ex) NFL quarterback, would he then be allowed to speak? Yeah, maybe he should start an activist group but some of us just aren't built that way. Easy to say... not always easy to do. He "lives a life of privilege." Would it be better for him to just enjoy his good fortune and forget the trials and tribulations being suffered by many in his own race?

Nah. The guy's doing what he feels he can do, whether people like it or not. He got his punishment, so it's not like he got off easy. He's out of football... but he decided to throw that to the wayside in order to get his message across. Why should it matter that he's (was) a rich QB in the National Football League? I've heard this narrative a million times, and still have not heard a good answer to those questions.

[El Kabong]

You leave precious little wiggle room for debate, Lyle. So it's "let's not even talk about it, 'cause it's not a worthy cause or a real problem?" I'd hate to think that's how you really feel. No it's not 1960's Alabama all over again, and your mention of it unfortunately trashes whatever argument one may have that things are not well and could definitely improve. Why the perceived backlash, Lyle? It's an issue that isn't going to go away by itself. No... all cops aren't white. No... all citizens impacted by wrongful use of force aren't all black.

The thing about is, you know how I think about this. You know I know about the victim card played by a lot of blacks looking to ride the coattails of these incidents and cry "racism" to just about anything. Yet you agree when I talk like that... but you immediately disagree when I touch on some of the worthy points on the OTHER side. Why? We can't only agree when I'm totally on your side. Or maybe that's how these topics should be handled. I see both sides, and you know it. But I'm not going to excuse or sweep under the rug the many incidents where racist white cops have shot black men (and even women) in a blatant abuse of power because of their racist views. I don't care if the media covers this more than the "other" incidents, where I guess black racist cops shoot and kill white guys. If any of those came up, I'd be just as critical of those also.

It's not either/or for me. It's whatever is right and wrong. Racist cops shooting black guys is a bad thing (using Trump's vernacular). Why can't we just leave it at that?

Riots? I don't care about riots. Riots don't bring back young black men who have been executed by trigger-happy, unfit-for-the-job white cops. It's a problem whether anyone else sees it as a problem or not.

I'm not saying "let's not even talk about it" I'm 100% FOR talking about it...what I'm NOT for is a deliberate malicious skewing of the FACTS be it by law enforcement or by protesters and BLM activists. If we can't have an HONEST discussion then yeah no discussion at all suits me fine because what are we actually achieving? When Freddie Gray dies in police custody in Baltimore an investigation is definitely warranted but you know what isn't? RIOTS! And what really isn't warranted are local politicians saying they need to give "protesters" "room to destroy" words I use because they are the direct quotes of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Now when a police shooting happens, justified or unjustified and it's reported on I guess we all had best just batten down the hatches and let folks loot and riot and burn the city down because lord help us all if we just discuss what actually happened and why.

Why the backlash? Well let's start with what Black Lives Matter actually wants, what they themselves have as their agenda:

Demands
End the war on black people - seeks to resolve:

"the criminalization and dehumanization of Black youth across all areas of society";
capital punishment;
money bail and court surcharges in court proceedings;
"use of past criminal history to determine eligibility for housing, education, licenses, voting, loans, employment, and other services";
"the war on Black immigrants including the repeal of the 1996 crime and immigration bills";
"the war on Black trans, queer and gender nonconforming people";
"the mass surveillance of Black communities";
"the militarization of law enforcement";
"the privatization of police, prisons, jails, probation, parole, food, phone and all other criminal justice related services"; and
"public jails, detention centers, youth facilities and prisons" in their present conditions.

Reparations for the:
"systemic denial of access to high quality educational opportunities in the form of full and free access for all Black people";
"continued divestment from, discrimination toward and exploitation of our communities in the form of a guaranteed minimum livable income for all Black people";
"wealth extracted from" the black communities "through environmental racism, slavery, food apartheid, housing discrimination and racialized capitalism in the form of corporate and government reparations";
"cultural and educational exploitation, erasure, and extraction" in the form of, among other things, "public school curriculums that critically examine the political, economic, and social impacts of colonialism and slavery"; and
the demand the state and federal levels require "the United States to acknowledge the lasting impacts of slavery, establish and execute a plan to address those impacts".

Invest-Divest:
Reallocation of federal, state, and local government funds from "policing and incarceration to long-term strategies for education, restorative justice services, and employment programs."
The decriminalization, immediate release, record expungement, and reparations for the disparaging effects of both the "war on drugs" and "the criminalization of prostitution" on black communities.
"Real, meaningful, and equitable universal healthcare"
A constitutionally protected right to a "fully-funded education"
Divestment from the "use of fossil fuels and investment in community-based sustainable energy solutions."
Cuts to military expenditures and a reallocation of those funds to "infrastructure and community well-being"

Economic Justice:
Redistribution of wealth through a "progressive restructuring of tax codes at the local, state, and federal levels."
Employment programs that specifically target the "most marginalized Black people" in order to promote economic equality.
"A right to restored land, clean air, clean water and housing and an end to the exploitative privatizaiton of natural resources."
Right for workers to organize in both the public and private sector.
Restoration of the Glass-Steagall Act.
"An end to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and a renegotiation of all trade agreements" with an increased focus on the interests of workers and communities.
Increased support for "the development of cooperative or social economy networks."
"Financial support of Black alternative institutions."
Increased protection for workers in poorly regulated industries.

Community Control:
Implementation of "democratic community control of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies."
"End to the privatization of education."
Communal participation in "budgeting at the local state and federal level."

Political Power:
"End to the criminalization of Black political activity."
Termination of super PACs and the implementation of "public financing of elections."
Establishment of "full-access guarantees, and protections of the right to vote for all people."
"Full-access to technology" through the implementation of "net-neutrality and universal access to internet."
"Protection and increased funding for Black institutions."