@alexmarvez: .@ProFootballHOF will let Sydney Seau speak at @Chargers LB Junior Seaus induction ceremony. My @NFLonFOX story: http://t.co/RXZvT2I0n5
NFL WILL Allow Seau Family To Speak At HOF Induction
- Thread starter soxhop411
- Start date
That's really wretched and upsets me more than the Patriots stuff, even. I wish football wasn't so fun to watch and gamble on and that the Patriots weren't so good at it.
I'm currently listening to the loca sports radio here in San Diego. They're obviously talking about this. The article states that there is precedence for this. Yet, the producer of the show I'm listening to read her email from the NFL to members of the media attending the ceremony and in that email it states that his daughter will be presenting. So, it sure seems there has been some change of course.
The NFL is PR deaf.
I mean here is a huge opportunity to somewhat right their past wrongs re: domestic violence and allow their platform to be used to spread awareness of mental disease and suicide prevention. Instead, they're going to turn it into another negative.
Or are they afraid she'd go up on stage and start screaming about the NFL's handling of head trauma after promising not to? That would be classic.
I mean here is a huge opportunity to somewhat right their past wrongs re: domestic violence and allow their platform to be used to spread awareness of mental disease and suicide prevention. Instead, they're going to turn it into another negative.
Or are they afraid she'd go up on stage and start screaming about the NFL's handling of head trauma after promising not to? That would be classic.
Who even really watches Hall of Fame induction speeches? Is the risk to the League of a critical speech by a family member of a player who killed himself really that great?
Would be great if the rest of the 2015 class would come out publicly and agree to graciously accept their inductions and not give acceptance speeches.
No one watched, but I assume there will be at least one video made. If she blurted something against the NFL, the story would blow up.Cousin Walter said:
The Teflon League. I still wonder what, if anything, the NFL could do that would turn people away from the sport. Because they are trying really hard and failing.
And yet they're totally fine with Charles Haley speaking. A guy whose most recent speaking engagement was to tell 49ers rookies to "act like white guys" and who choked George Seifert, pissed on Carmen Policy's floor and loved to jerk off in front of any and every teammate, sometimes talking about their wives while he did it. Yet somehow he deserves a platform and Seau's family doesn't? WTF?
Or as a group escorted Sydney to the stage and had her back while she gave the speech her father wanted.YTF said:
How do they not realize that by not allowing them to speak, they're just pushing this further into the open? If they spoke out without preemptively warning everyone that this is a thing, it would barely get a mention on PTI or around the horn. Now, it's like they're saying excuse me, America, we're going to embarrass ourselves again. Stay tuned!
Thisdrbretto said:
Ratings for the kid's speech just quadrupled. She's going to give it somewhere.
So I know it is fun to rip the NFL, but this is actually the policy the Hall (technically a separate non-profit) has had for a while. 2011 was the last time a deceased player was inducted and they only ran a video. None of the deceased players are introduced except by video anymore, so this isn't something they came up with just to keep Seau's family from speaking. I'm not sure why they should make an exception for Seau? Especially considering that the family is currently suing the league, so there isn't any real incentive for the league to do them a favor.
I don't know. If you read that bit, Seau told his family he'd like his daughter to speak, not the hall or the league. Sure if she wasn't currently suing the league they might be more willing to make an exception to the rule, but they didn't invent this or even go out of their way to prevent her from speaking.Marciano490 said:
That's a lawyer's answer. It defies logic to believe that a quiet word from the NFL wouldn't change that policy in a nanosecond. Anyone with more sense than the average root vegetable can see how this plays against the NFL's dreadful history of (not) dealing with head trauma.Cellar-Door said:
I've been a fan since Otto Graham and the pre-AFL days, but I'm running out of staying power.
2011 is also the year the NFL concussion lawsuit was filed, though I'm not sure which came first. I'm also not sure if the NFL knew of the lawsuit before it was officially filed. Reggie White's family spoke for him in 2006.Cellar-Door said:
Cellar-Door said:
The player inducted in 2011, Les Richter, retired in 1962. And he was presented by his son (video link). So...this dog won't hunt. A family member spoke on Richter's behalf, making the claim "they only ran a video" inaccurate.
This IS something they "came up with" to keep Sydney Seau from speaking.
As noted up thread, the last time a contemporary player passed away before induction was Reggie White, and both his son and wife spoke at the induction ceremony.
Lastly, if the HOF is a "technically separate non-profit" why should it care about the "league" being sued?
This is a whole bunch of stinky, awful bullshit.
Good stuff, SF121. I actually thought it was protocol after reading CD's posts. The Hall has no excuse. Hopefully the public outcry will change their minds.
The rule was made in 2010, supposedly: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13313846/pro-football-hall-fame-let-junior-seau-family-speak-induction
This was after a string of deaths/suicides linked to CTE: Strelczyk, Waters, Long, McKinley, as well as Chris Henry's autopsy revealing he suffered from the disease as an active player.
So the Hall can dismiss the issue now, saying it's been their policy for years, but the reality is they anticipated this exact situation and were simply proactive about preventing it, probably hoping no one would question it. Obviously they were wrong, and they end up looking worse than from the alternative of letting a family member speak.
This was after a string of deaths/suicides linked to CTE: Strelczyk, Waters, Long, McKinley, as well as Chris Henry's autopsy revealing he suffered from the disease as an active player.
So the Hall can dismiss the issue now, saying it's been their policy for years, but the reality is they anticipated this exact situation and were simply proactive about preventing it, probably hoping no one would question it. Obviously they were wrong, and they end up looking worse than from the alternative of letting a family member speak.
Protect The Shield > Ounce Of Humanity.
That's been Roger's way ever since he came on board. Not that Tags wasn't that way, but Roger has taken it to new (lower) paranoid and hyper-PR conscious levels. He rules by fear and in fear, lying and being hypocritical about everything, making shit up as he goes as SF121 pointed out. Sadly, in this case a legendary player won't get his just personal tribute, but merely whitewash the very problem that cost him his life. Pathetic, sad and unjust. On the other hand, the league gets the incompetent dictator it deserves.
That's been Roger's way ever since he came on board. Not that Tags wasn't that way, but Roger has taken it to new (lower) paranoid and hyper-PR conscious levels. He rules by fear and in fear, lying and being hypocritical about everything, making shit up as he goes as SF121 pointed out. Sadly, in this case a legendary player won't get his just personal tribute, but merely whitewash the very problem that cost him his life. Pathetic, sad and unjust. On the other hand, the league gets the incompetent dictator it deserves.
ITP had a piece about Seau and CTE awhile back: http://insidethepylon.com/nfl/long-form-editorial/opinion-long-form-editorial/2014/11/27/the-nfl-and-cte/
Small note. That is a video presentation featuring his son. The Hall has said that they will be using a similar video presentation for Seau, featuring among others Sydney Seau, so no, it is a directly comparable situation.soxfan121 said:
Now Obscure may be right that they predicted that a situation like this eventually would happen, but we have no real proof of that.
My point about the lawsuit was that people keep saying that the league should use their financial power over the Hall to request and/or force the Hall to change the policy. That is where the lawsuit comes in. It is even more than asking the NFL to change one of their own policies, it is asking the league to make a request of a partner that the partner change its rules. Now that isn't unreasonable, but the league has no incentive to stick someone who is suing them on a live mic on TV. They're much happier to have her be on the video where the Hall can limit her talk to her father as a player and man, and avoid CTE/Death.
Do we really need to debate motivation in 2010 and precedent? BannedbyNYY in post 6 quoted the director of the HOF stating the reason for not letting her speak -- he doesn't want any focus on Seau's "death and other issues."
Makes the suggestion there might have been some neutral reasons that the HOF is just following in the name of precedent completely bullshit. The director of the HOF has told us unambiguously why the NFL/HOF won't let Sydney speak, taking the guesswork out of it, and his reason is repulsive, tone deaf, and fucking shameful.
Makes the suggestion there might have been some neutral reasons that the HOF is just following in the name of precedent completely bullshit. The director of the HOF has told us unambiguously why the NFL/HOF won't let Sydney speak, taking the guesswork out of it, and his reason is repulsive, tone deaf, and fucking shameful.
No, it is not. Richter retired in 1962 not 2009. The directly comparable situation is Reggie White. Beloved RECENT superstar who passed away within 5 years if retirement and was a first ballot, inner circle all time great. With all due respect to Les Richter, no one born after 1965 knew who he was, whereas Junior Seau is known by all football fans.Cellar-Door said:
I appreciate your reasonable take, but it is utter horseshit for the hall and NFL to do this to the Seau family, even with this flimsy premise.
Did it occur to you that those players might not want the crowning moment of their careers to be overshadowed by someone else's protest?YTF said:
On induction weekend, the media will spend as much or more time talking about Seau's tragic death and the issues surrounding it as they spend talking about his playing career. That's entirely appropriate. The induction ceremony itself, however, should be devoted to the reasons those guys are being enshrined. It's appropriate for the PFHOF to deny access to the podium to anyone who they believe intends to use the event to advance an agenda -- even one that I happen to believe in.
Charlie Pierce with a must-read piece: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/silenced-the-nfl-hall-of-fames-junior-seau-bungle/
@alexmarvez: .@ProFootballHOF will let Sydney Seau speak at @Chargers LB Junior Seaus induction ceremony. My @NFLonFOX story: http://t.co/RXZvT2I0n5
This is the speech Seau's daughter, Sydney, would have given had the HoF allowed her:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/sports/football/junior-seau-hall-of-fame-sydney-seau-speech.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
It's really unfortunate how we all - Sydney, Seau's family and friends, his fans, etc. - missed out on what would have been a very moving moment. Shame on you, Pro Football Hall of Fame, shame on you.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/sports/football/junior-seau-hall-of-fame-sydney-seau-speech.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
It's really unfortunate how we all - Sydney, Seau's family and friends, his fans, etc. - missed out on what would have been a very moving moment. Shame on you, Pro Football Hall of Fame, shame on you.
A must-see video on Saturday's Patriots Team Meeting in which BB, TB, and a slew of other players honored Junior Seau with their heartfelt remembrances. This is Reason Number 457365 why I love this team. http://www.patriots.com/video/2015/08/08/remembering-junior-seau?utm_content=bufferb3d0d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
It's awesome that Coach Buddy Belichick and the veterans honor a player like Seau in this fashion. We can only marvel at the sacrifice that any NFL player makes to follow his dream. To see the impact that Seau had, and then to have teammates share their connection with him to the current team, is tremendous.
Thank you riboflav for sharing that link. I don't think I want to know the person that doesn't tear up when watching Sydney's speech. Shame on the Hall of Fame, indeed.
I felt really bad after the SB that will not be named as did all Pats' fans, but I will never forget watching Seau walk off the field just a helmet catch away from winning his first and only Super Bowl. There was a deep sadness in his eyes that still makes me uncomfortable today when I reflect upon it.
http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Junior+Seau/Asante+Samuel
http://www.spokeo.com/Junior+Seau+1/Feb+03+2008+Nfl+Super+Bowl+Xlii+New+England+Patriots+Vs+New+York+Giants
http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Junior+Seau/Asante+Samuel
http://www.spokeo.com/Junior+Seau+1/Feb+03+2008+Nfl+Super+Bowl+Xlii+New+England+Patriots+Vs+New+York+Giants
What happened with this. I thought the NFL had agreed to let her speak. WAs that story false or did they change their mind?
nm. nytimes articles posted above by riboflav.
Really more heartfelt than anything inflammatory. Wouldn't the hall have seen that draft? Head scratching move. The NFL is in love with bad PR.
Really more heartfelt than anything inflammatory. Wouldn't the hall have seen that draft? Head scratching move. The NFL is in love with bad PR.
Onion:
NFL To Prohibit Family Members From Delivering Speeches At Players’ Funerals
A little too close to the truth...
NFL To Prohibit Family Members From Delivering Speeches At Players’ Funerals
A little too close to the truth...