Jonathan Dwyer, Not Ray Rice, Is NFL's Test Case

The Ray Rice incident is "The Big One" in terms of the NFL and its half-hearted personal conduct policy. Not only did we hear about it, but we saw it with our own eyes.

And it wasn't just some name on the back of the jersey. This was THE Ray Rice. Super Bowl Champion. Star. Pro Bowler. Driving force behind Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco's uncanny ability to throw the ball to no one and yet have someone run under it. The Ravens' decline in 2013 can be directly traced to Rice's decline in production.

And now, the Rice incident is allegedly a part of a massive cover-up by both the Ravens and the NFL.

While it's the case that will get all the attention and may ultimately change NFL and NFL Players' Association policy, it's not the only case. In fact, it's not even the most important one. For that, everyone needs to start looking west.

Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer is now the fourth player--at least that we know of--to face legal issues with domestic violence. Dwyer was arrested and booked last Wednesday for an incident that took place on Sept. 11.

His case is no more egregious than any other case, including Rice. The difference is that there is no video evidence. We know that the NFL will be typically reactionary to what is caught on tape. But what will they do in a case where no one is watching?

In football terms, Dwyer is obscure compared to Rice. He was cut twice by the Pittsburgh Steelers when the team was bereft of competent running backs. He has had some success in his limited time with the Cardinals, but certainly nothing to raise eyebrows in anyone's fantasy league.

It will be interesting to see how the league responds to the low-profile cases, because those are the ones that they've stuffed behind the couch for years. Terrell Suggs would be an example of that mentality. The "Disciplinarian" Commissioner Roger Goodell, the owners, and their underlings have scarcely said a word about Greg Hardy, Ray McDonald, or Adrian Peterson--until the public relations nightmare got too scary.

The NFL and Goodell, who finally appeared from the Bat Cave last Friday, are talking a good game about getting serious about this sociological, societal and personal mess that they have enabled. But are they just mugging (sorry, poor wording) for the cameras or do they truly mean business?

Cases like Dwyer will tell the tale. If the League is honest about taking care of players and families--and that is highly questionable at this point--then they'll spend much more time on Dwyer than Rice. The case is textbook for all of the issues that surround Domestic Violence issues and policies, including laws and law enforcement.

Dwyer's wife, Kayla, has called the police several times, but was frightened to press the issue because Dwyer threatened to commit suicide. That raises the issue of why women stay in abusive situations. They often fear for the lives of themselves, their children, or someone else.

Teammates described Dwyer as "always smiling" and said that no visible signs of problems existed. Often, law enforcement is the first (and perhaps only) entity to have full knowledge of the issues at hand. Domestic violence is all about covering the truth, and the NFL has excelled in perpetuating the issue. In spite of their immense resources and power, the league and its member teams have refused to take a deeper look at this issue.

The Cardinals cannot activate Dwyer this season because he's under psychiatric evaluation. Now we have the issue of mental illness, the kind that is largely ignored and untreated in all segments of society. It also an issue that strikes players with concussions and brain injuries.

Finally, there is the issue of the legal system. Law enforcement could neither stop and/or help Dwyer nor protect his family. The full weight of that responsibility fell on a terrified wife. Rather than yelling about changing the NFL, perhaps we should spend more time looking at the domestic violence laws in our respective states. Something has to be done to give law enforcement fair power to intervene.

Thankfully, the Cardinals saw fit to keep Dwyer from playing until this matter is somehow resolved. Perhaps they were smart enough to learn from the mistakes of the NFL, the NFLPA, and at least four other teams that have botched every aspect of dealing with domestic violence issues.

Even still, it certainly didn't hurt that Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians is married to a lawyer who is an advocate for abused children. The rest of the league would be wise to find lawyers like Christine Arians, who deals daily with domestic violence issues. That might teach them how to help prevent and deal with domestic violence. And it's a much better option for the League than scrambling for defense attorneys and PR reps.

This case could be the poster child for helping with all of the issues that involve domestic violence. While the NFL is not obligated to deal with these issues, it certainly has a moral responsibility to give its best efforts to help.

The Dwyer case will be the one that tells us if the NFL truly cares about its players, families, and society as a whole. No, they cannot be the Morality Police of America, but they could use their billions of non-profit dollars to make a statement on this issue. Forming panels and advisory committees is nice, but it will amount to nothing if the league refuses to take action, with or without video evidence.

The NFL is pretty much like the Mafia that we see in the movies. They can do what they want, take what they choose, and influence whom they please. It's time for them to press the domestic violence issue to its limit in every arena of life.

Jonathan Dwyer is in a position that he never expected. His case may well determine if the NFL is really going to be a force for good in the society it so powerfully influences, or if it will simply continue to run the PR machine to its advantage.

I hate to say this. But with Roger Goodell at the helm and billions of dollars at stake, I fear that the latter is going to rule the day. And the NFL will miss an opportunity to have an impact that goes well beyond their most recent TV deal.

Michael Sam and the Media: It's not What You Think

Hey, did you know that Michael Sam is the first openly gay football player to be drafted?

And that he had a sack in a preseason game?

And that he sacked ESPN's other creation, Johnny Manziel?

And that he didn't make the 53-man roster?

And that he didn't get signed to the practice squad?

By the way, did you know that Michael Sam is the first openly gay football player to be drafted?

Seriously, how could we forget? ESPN adds that tag to every mention of Michael Sam on their "Bottom Line". And since when do 7th-round draft choices get a mention on the "Bottom Line"?

After his brief flirtation with Oprah Winfrey, one gets the feeling that Sam has learned his lesson. He gives every indication that he's ready to walk away from being a gay football player, and would be grateful to play football at all. For anyone.

Unfortunately, he may not get that chance. The media that loves to report on Michael Sam may lose their major story of the preseason. ESPN commentators are hinting that teams do not want a practice squad player who is going to get major media attention.

Let the irony of that sink in for a second. The commentators who work for the company that is obsessed with Sam are now saying that he might not make a practice squad because he gets too much media attention.

I have too many friends and Twitter followers who are more than happy to blame this on "the gays". Some are even cheering the St. Louis Rams for taking a stand against the "gay liberal communist anti-American anti-God media agenda" (and yes, that's a quote).

Just one problem:  Even if you believe that there is a gay/liberal/socialist media agenda, it's not driving the Michael Sam story. The excessive and obsessive presence of sports media is driving the story.

Think about ESPN for a minute. They have a reporter who is essentially devoted to covering the Dallas Cowboys, a team that hasn't won a second-round playoff game in 6,793 days. The NFL preseason may be the most boring sports "event" ever created out of nothingness in an effort to fill air time.

All those reporters need something--anything--interesting to justify their jobs. Anything that is a "first" or even the slightest bit out of the ordinary is going to make it to your iPhone, because some reporter is looking to stay employed. It's certainly more profitable if the story elicits strong emotions, even negative ones.

And it is certainly profitable for the World Wide Leader to keep their cash cow at the front of the headlines, even in the midst of baseball playoff races and the start of college football. As absurd as it may be, the reporters are doing the job that ESPN wants them to do, and the cash register keeps ringing.

This is not about anyone's agenda outside of the super-saturated, excessive, obsessive, and ever-intrusive world of sports media. If there is no story, one has to be created, and that's exactly what ESPN did. Michael Sam learned early on not to seek this kind of attention, but the craving for any kind of buzz means that the story is seeking him.

If the Rams took any kind of "stand" in this, it was against this ridiculous ESPN over-reporting that they endured, right down to their locker room shower habits. That may be what is scaring off teams, much more than the fact that Sam is gay.

Let's keep in mind that he is the first openly gay player to be drafted (just in case you missed it). There have been other gay players. Vince Lombardi IS the NFL, a man's man in a testosterone jungle and object of admiration even in the modern era. And he defended gay players at a much more ambiguous time. Sexual preference is much less of an issue for the locker room than a media that won't stop talking about it.

Sam's sexuality is much less of an issue than the fact that ESPN won't let it go. This is about a man who made what I believe to be a courageous confession, and is now trying to move past that in order to be an NFL player. ESPN's coverage probably won't keep him out of the league, but it certainly doesn't help.

Hopefully, Sam can navigate these difficult and annoying waters and get another chance to prove that he can play. He will have a much better chance to prove that he can (or cannot) play if the SPORTS media will drop the topic and let the man play football.

The good news in all this is that the Dallas Cowboys seem poised to sign Sam to their practice squad. If any team can handle the Sam media circus, it's the Cowboys. They'll probably revel in it.

And somewhere, silently in the night, Ed Werder is smiling. He'll finally have something to report about the Dallas Cowboys, no matter how irrelevant the story truly is.

Then again, stories about the Cowboys have been irrelevant for a while. 6,793 days to be exact.

South Carolina Has "The Clowney Problem"

Could it get any better for Clemson fans after the first weekend in October?

The orange and white and occasionally purple (viewed as an abomination to Furman graduates) are basking in their glory like Don Draper in Hawaii. Their team is undefeated and they have every reason to believe that's going to continue, at least until Oct. 19. Down the road in Columbia, on the campus of their sworn enemy, South Carolina is sneaking past the likes of Kentucky, and the Head Ball Coach is slurring his speech afterwards. At least, until he talks about Jadeveon Clowney.

The Tigers are as gleeful as Gamecock fans are puzzled about The Clowney Problem. His fall from grace is so wonderful because they predicted it. And there is nothing quite as enjoyable for a football fan than being right, particularly about your rival. They made these predictions of "overrated" Clowney largely due to the tint of their orange-colored glasses. But the rest of us should have seen this coming on January 2, 2013.

As soon as Clowney made "The Hit", sports pundits started talking about how he should sit out for a year to wait for the NFL draft. From that point on, The Clowney Problem became inevitable.

Add in the Heisman Trophy predictions. Then add in that Clowney is a likeable 20-year old who seems to lack some maturity. He was happy to talk about how opposing quarterbacks like Aaron Murray and Tajh Boyd are scared of him. THEN add in a summer of listening to how great he is and how he will be the top pick in the 2014 draft, and it adds up to a serious Clowney Problem.

The Clowney Problem went public when he came into the season out of shape. He's being double and triple-teamed on every play because South Carolina's defense isn't nearly as good as a year ago. He has some nagging injuries in his feet and now with his ribs, and seems to perpetually carry a stomach virus.

All opponents have to do is run away from him--which just demonstrates his lack of conditioning--and they can have success.

Now, Clowney is taking himself out of games if he has pain or can't keep his wind or is just getting frustrated with the blocking schemes. The doctors aren't telling the coaches to sit him. He is removing himself from the lineup! If there is anything that Steve Spurrier hates, it's a star player that doesn't seem to think he's accountable to the HBC.

But can we truly blame Jadeveon Clowney? Okay, perhaps we can, for being out of shape and running his mouth and reading about himself in the papers far too often before the season started. It's tougher to blame him for thinking about injuries, especially since he has a nice pile of money waiting at the end of the rainbow. This still does not excuse him for not being prepared or giving everything he has to his team, IF he chooses to play.

At the same time, The Clowney Problem could end up being the best thing for--Jadeveon Clowney. It may be the best thing for him both off the field and on it.

Clowney is an incredible talented with almost unlimited physical potential, but he has to develop the maturity and mental toughness to handle the pressure of being a high draft pick. The HBC is absolutely correct to divert the media attention to Clowney, because he'll have to field those kinds of questions on Sunday afternoon. Sometimes, the only way to learn is to be thrown directly under the bus, and no one does that quite like Spurrier.

Clowney also has to learn to manage himself with things are not going his way.

In his football life, he has been a man among boys during his public career. Even prior to this season, people accused Clowney of taking plays off because he could flip a switch and dominate whenever he felt like it. At this point, he's learning what it's like to not be the biggest bully on the block, and that lesson will serve him well at some training camp next fall. NFL stands for "Not For Long" if you go in with an attitude.

As bad as The Clowney Problem is, it could end up benefitting Clowney as a player and a person. It's just sad that South Carolina may have to endure some disappointment this season in order for The Clowney Problem to be resolved.

Sad, that is, unless you own a pair of those orange-colored glasses.

8 Ways to Truly Improve Player Safety

The NFL has harped on one issue for the last year:  Safety.

Safety, safety, safety. That's all we've heard. Concussions. Blows to the head. Make the game safer. Make it less violent.

How's that working out for you, Roger Goodell?

It was noteworthy that, on the biggest stage, there were no penalties for illegal hits, and very few flags for the incessant pushing/punching/shoving that occurred after the play. Mercifully, it allowed the game to move along more quickly, and that's always a good thing when the Ravens are involved. (The less Ravens, the better).

But the message was clear. It's okay to police that stuff during the season or even in the playoffs. But at the Super Bowl? We don't want the biggest game messed up with any of this "safety" or "sportsmanship" stuff.

This is just more evidence that NFL Commissioner Goodell doesn't want safety from anything other than lawsuits.

Ever since this started, the "safety" measures enacted by the league have largely been window-dressing. Villify the most violent players in the game, and have the evidence to bring to court that you're trying to make the game more safe. That might keep you from having to make a million-dollar payout to the family of Junior Seau or Dave Duerson.

And I don't totally blame Goodell for this trend. He's following in the footsteps of his predecessors who believed that the NFL was too big to fail and simply needed to cover up their disregard for the players that make it happen. Just read the case of Mike Webster if you don't believe that.

The difference is that Goodell is taking very public actions to supposedly end the violence. Two things about that.

First, it's impossible. Football is a violent game, particularly at the NFL level. And as long as the league makes money off big hit videos, the violence will not decrease.

Second, these public actions ignore several private realities about such safety measures. That reality is that they are a drop in the bucket. What if the NFL was REALLY concerned about player safety and football's future? Here is a list of measures that the league needs to take if it is serious, or expects to be taken seriously:


1. Standardize the helmet requirements:  Helmets can't prevent concussions, but they can certainly help. I've watched the Pittsburgh Steelers for years, and defensive linemen Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith looked like they had beanies instead of helmets.

A number of players don't like the look or feel of the most advanced helmet technology. Tough crap. Make them wear the best helmet available and make sure it fits as it should. If it doesn't, then get them off the field. And while you're at it, make sure they strap it on properly!


2. Require a mouthpiece:  Some doctors have argued for years that the right mouthpiece/mouthguard can help reduce concussions. Make every player wear one. Even the kickers.


3. Widen the field:  Players are significantly bigger, stronger and faster, but the playing surface is the same. Add 5-10 yards on each side, and there is more room to move, gather and properly tackle or avoid helmet contact.


4.  Fine players for poor technique:  Two of the worst concussions in the league this year occurred on running backs who lowered their head before contact. If you're going to penalize and fine defensive backs for leading with the head, then why not fine running backs for poor technique?

Some helmet-to-helmet hits are unavoidable, but many of them involve poor technique by the players. Fine them or suspend them, and the lowering of the head may stop.


5.  Suspensions, not fines:  Forget the ridiculous fine system. Suspend violators, cost them a paycheck, and hurt the team. This will push players to use better technique and push coaches/organizations to preach and teach proper technique.


6. Expand the roster:  This is the point where the NFL can put its money where its enormous mouth is. Put 53 on the active roster, 60 total, and expand the practice squad to 10. Yes, it will cost more; but it will also give teams greater flexibility to hold out an injured player because they will have more options.

If necessary, contract the Lions, Browns, and Jaguars franchises to increase the talent pool. Hey, if you haven't made it to the Super Bowl by now, it may be time to move on.


7. Hire real doctors:  Not team doctors, but REAL doctors.

After getting knocked senseless in the AFC Championship game, Patriots running back Stevan Ridley went to the locker room. He then returned to the sidelines, just moments later. My understanding is that concussion victims need to be still, quiet and limited lighting as soon as possible after the injury.

So why would a doctor let a player run back to the sidelines if he needs immobility, quiet, and darkness? A doctor needs to have the authority to look at these injuries objectively and tell players that they need to stay put.

It's pretty hard to say, "Tom Brady needs to sit" when the guy that pays you is saying, "He needs to play." Remove the teams from those decisions as much as possible.


8. Pay for Little League safety:  As stated in my last column, the game is in danger at the lower levels. Do whatever has to be done to get the equipment, education and training to the rec leagues around the nation. Relieve the safety threats and lawsuits at that level if you want the game to grow.

The NFL has the money and the clout to help youth, high school and even college teams get the proper equipment and training to deal with head injuries (or any other injury). They need to invest to make sure that happens.

Will any of these things happen? I doubt it. The hubris of Goodell and the NFL will not allow them to be humbled into making changes. They believe that they are too big to fail, and that unfortunately may be their undoing.

And that attitude will cause the game, and everyone involved in it, to suffer.

Football Made Me Mad at the President

Well, I avoided it all through the early debates, the primaries, the political conventions, the campaign, the election, and even the inauguration. I went through all of that and kept my cool at the President (and those who wanted to be president).

Okay, well, that's not exactly true. I got plenty irritated, annoyed, frustrated, and flustered during the election season. But through all of that, it took the President's comments on football to make me mad. Apparently the President thinks the game is too violent.

Okay, well, I'm not really mad. But I am irritated, annoyed, frustrated and flustered with President Obama's recent comments on football. And I am especially irritated, annoyed, frustrated and flustered that the President of the United States is giving into the hype about the dangers of football.

Walt Deptula, host of Road Rage on WCCP 104.9, has been saying for months that politicians and sports writers and pundits and lawyers will all look to make a name for themselves--as well as a few dollars--by making football out to be worse than anything ever produced by the Coliseum in Rome.

Rush Limbaugh has made the same argument. Although agreeing with these two makes me break out in hives and run a mid-grade fever, I have no choice. Such comments from the highest office in the land will just pour gasoline on this fair sized brush fire.

Football isn't going to end at the NFL level. It's going to end at the rec league level, and perhaps the high school or even college level. And the more we hear from politicians on the issue, and the more we see sensationalized news stories like the ones coming out about the late Junior Seau, the more likely it is that football as we know it will come to an end.

The truth is that these reports ignore other studies that indicate these issues are less widespread. Make no mistake that the game needs to be safer and there is MUCH that can be done, particularly by the NFL, to help that. But overblowing the issue with half the facts is not the way to manage this.

Much of the testing regarding Seau and other NFL greats involves the long-term impact of concussions sustained over the course of a career. Much of that career is played at maximum speed at the highest levels of the sport. Seau's career spanned 17 years at the position of middle linebacker, where he rarely missed a game.

Little Johnny probably isn't going to play middle linebacker for 25 days, much less 25 years. In fact, Little Johnny may never be good enough to start in high school, much less college or the NFL (no matter how good Little Johnny's dad thinks he is). Thousands upon thousands of boys--and a few girls--who play football will never be exposed to any kind of long-term head trauma.

But Little Johnny's parents aren't going to hear that. They're going to hear the President and ABC News talking about all these dangers and these extreme cases. And they'll carry Little Johnny to the soccer field or the baseball field (in spite of the fact that other sports have plenty of injury risk).

Let's say they do let Little Johnny don the pads, and he does get hurt. Let's say that, heaven forbid, it's a head injury. And let's say a lawyer happens to get into mom and dad's ear to suggest the injury wasn't properly handled by the coach or the referees or the league or the school.

One lawsuit is all it's going to take. That gives the sharks a taste of the blood in the water, and the insurance companies the justification to hike up their rates.

How many coaches will be willing to take on a 10-year old team when they worry that parents will sue them after their child gets injured? How many recreation departments can afford huge insurance or legal fees in order to keep the games going?

For that matter, how many high schools or small colleges can sustain those costs?

I try not to buy into "slippery slope" arguments. But when the President of the United States is one of the people tilting the slide, it's pretty hard not to.

There are numerous things that need to happen to make football safer, and the NFL needs to take the lead on them (more on that Monday). But hyping up the tragedy of a few and ignoring the facts of the many is not the way to do it.

So, Mr. President, please step away from the ledge on football. Don't believe the hype, and don't speak without all of the facts on the situation. Your comments can do unnecessary harm to the game you love.

And please, don't ever say anything again that will force me to agree with Rush Limbaugh.