Cecil Hurt
TideSports.com Columnist
He among you that is without sin, let him cast the first stone.
Those words of Jesus (in John 8:7) should guide us in life, regardless of our religious choice. His point, of course, is that none of us are without sin. My list is long, from indolence to selfishness, with plenty in between. But in the issues that have dominated sports headlines for the past few weeks, those are outside my experience. Domestic violence - hitting a woman, or injuring a child (and in the Adrian Peterson case, the issue goes beyond discipline into injury) - is a foreign concept to me, and hopefully always will be. But at some point, it goes past "casting stones" into a responsibility we have for those who lack the physical strength to stand up for themselves against the bigger, the stronger, the more powerful.
Sport, to some extent, is a celebration of just those qualities: being bigger and stronger and more powerful. That is the recipe for success. For just that reason, however, it sometimes becomes necessary to speak out. Domestic violence, against women and children, the old and the weak, isn't limited to athletes, by any means. It happens among all classes, all races, all across the country. It is no more acceptable in a judge than in a defensive back. So why the attention on athletes? Why the uproar over Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice?
Discipline in athletics can blur lines. Fans of a particular team are often (not always) more forgiving of "their" players and more outraged by a transgression on the other side. It happens everywhere. You could use Alabama-Auburn as an example, and it travels in both directions. But it happens in the NFL, too. There were fans wearing Ray Rice jerseys on opening weekend, and it's impossible not to think that some of that was inspired by the fact that he "helps" their team win.
That is why a lesson needs to be taught. It isn't about "punishment." That is why we have a legal system. It can still be about education. But part of that education is realizing that participating in athletics is not the most important aspect of being a member of society, not even if you make millions of dollars for doing so.
I hope that Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson can learn that lesson, both for themselves and for their children. If they were beaten as kids, then let them be the ones to stop the cycle. If they do, there may be a time to return to the field, because forgiveness is a huge part of the equation as well. D.J. Pettway participated in an incident where football players beat and robbed a fellow male student who surely lacked the strength to fight back. Some of those involved were kicked off the team permanently. Pettway was off the Alabama team for a year but is back with a zero-tolerance policy and has reportedly matured. That's a good ending, if it lasts.
I could see the same ending for Peterson and Rice. I believe in second chances - after a time away from the field for counseling and education and rehabilitation. I believe the same for Joe Mixon and Dorial Green-Beckham and other, more anonymous athletes out there.
Yes, football encourages aggression and rewards strength. But football, by its nature and its rules, is a contest among respected equals. You don't play a team made up of your wives and sisters. You don't play against 4-year-olds. And those who do play need to understand why that it is, and carry that lesson into life before they return to the field.
TideSports.com Columnist
He among you that is without sin, let him cast the first stone.
Those words of Jesus (in John 8:7) should guide us in life, regardless of our religious choice. His point, of course, is that none of us are without sin. My list is long, from indolence to selfishness, with plenty in between. But in the issues that have dominated sports headlines for the past few weeks, those are outside my experience. Domestic violence - hitting a woman, or injuring a child (and in the Adrian Peterson case, the issue goes beyond discipline into injury) - is a foreign concept to me, and hopefully always will be. But at some point, it goes past "casting stones" into a responsibility we have for those who lack the physical strength to stand up for themselves against the bigger, the stronger, the more powerful.
Sport, to some extent, is a celebration of just those qualities: being bigger and stronger and more powerful. That is the recipe for success. For just that reason, however, it sometimes becomes necessary to speak out. Domestic violence, against women and children, the old and the weak, isn't limited to athletes, by any means. It happens among all classes, all races, all across the country. It is no more acceptable in a judge than in a defensive back. So why the attention on athletes? Why the uproar over Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice?
Discipline in athletics can blur lines. Fans of a particular team are often (not always) more forgiving of "their" players and more outraged by a transgression on the other side. It happens everywhere. You could use Alabama-Auburn as an example, and it travels in both directions. But it happens in the NFL, too. There were fans wearing Ray Rice jerseys on opening weekend, and it's impossible not to think that some of that was inspired by the fact that he "helps" their team win.
That is why a lesson needs to be taught. It isn't about "punishment." That is why we have a legal system. It can still be about education. But part of that education is realizing that participating in athletics is not the most important aspect of being a member of society, not even if you make millions of dollars for doing so.
I hope that Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson can learn that lesson, both for themselves and for their children. If they were beaten as kids, then let them be the ones to stop the cycle. If they do, there may be a time to return to the field, because forgiveness is a huge part of the equation as well. D.J. Pettway participated in an incident where football players beat and robbed a fellow male student who surely lacked the strength to fight back. Some of those involved were kicked off the team permanently. Pettway was off the Alabama team for a year but is back with a zero-tolerance policy and has reportedly matured. That's a good ending, if it lasts.
I could see the same ending for Peterson and Rice. I believe in second chances - after a time away from the field for counseling and education and rehabilitation. I believe the same for Joe Mixon and Dorial Green-Beckham and other, more anonymous athletes out there.
Yes, football encourages aggression and rewards strength. But football, by its nature and its rules, is a contest among respected equals. You don't play a team made up of your wives and sisters. You don't play against 4-year-olds. And those who do play need to understand why that it is, and carry that lesson into life before they return to the field.
