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interesting thread. my favorite part is how the OP seems to be trying to win an argument about something purely subjective... how one feels about another individual. you've made your case passionately and persuasively, but no one's budging. however, this post HAS raised a few interesting points in my mind about how we feel about NFL players who have committed crimes, so if I may bend your ear here a bit.
first off, let's talk about the most recent point to be brought up. Michael Vick is a piece of shit, Ray Lewis is a golden god. Well, both were allegedly involved in heinous acts, one admitted it and served time. The one who admitted nothing was allegedly involved in killing human beings, while the one who admitted to everything was involved in killing animals (animals which I absolutely love, so don't think I'm being biased here). The one who admitted everything served time in prison, yet is still a pariah (yes, even in Philly he was never really accepted, including that halfa season where he played really well). People protested his presence and decried his opportunity to return to the NFL, despite the fact that he presents one of the few, concrete, high profile examples that the American criminal justice system is supposed to be based around the idea of rehabilitation and not purely punishment. His actions since being released have only served to reinforce the idea that he understands what he did wrong and is making every attempt to atone. I believe the same can be said for Ray Lewis. Despite the fact that he has never actually served time, Ray Lewis DOES seem to make every attempt to have a positive impact on the community around him. Is he an annoying, self-aggrandizing, sanctimonious blowhard? ABSOLUTELY! but to make the argument that one is somehow worse than the other is to basically admit that you base your decisions on the color of someone's shirt.
But that aside, that's really only a minor issue with this thread. Here's what really sticks out to me. OP, you keep trying to make this point about the morality of those in the public eye and how we respond to them. you made no mention of comparing R. Kelly and his record sales after his child molestation (video evidence) to Michael Jackson and his public persona after his alleged child molestation. Not NFL players, but the seemingly backward outcome would've made a good parallel. you chose OJ? OJ's NFL career was long over. You chose two offenses from your local team? Interesting, but not quite of the magnitude of a Ray Lewis, nor the severity of a murder case. Why not Dante Stallworth? he was driving drunk when he struck and killed a pedestrian. It was found in court that the man was drunk as well and walked right out in front of him, but he spent 3 days in jail, i believe got suspended for 6 games, then played for the Redskins while their fan base jeered Philadelphians for the murderer on their team. Where was the national outcry? where was the local outcry? did you even know about this? It obviously didn't mean enough to you for it to instantly pop up in your head when people mention NFL players involved in the death of another human. What about Josh Brent of the Dallas Cowboys? Just this past season, he was driving drunk and crashed his vehicle, killing his passenger and teammate. Just a few days later, he was on the sidelines. granted, he was injured and therfore not in uniform, but why such a passive reaction to the death of a teammate at his hands? What about Dany Heatly, an NHL player who also killed a teammate while driving drunk, then went on to continue his successful career in the NHL (I believe he may have even been an all-star after that). Where is your moral outrage? Finally, are you really going to just go on and on and on about Ray Lewis and make NOT EVEN A PASSING MENTION of Leonard Little? Leonard Little, if you all may remember, was an all-star DE for the St Louis Rams during their Super Bowl years. in 1998, while driving drunk (not his first offense) he struck and killed a young woman, wife and mother of a small child and killed her. Leonard Little missed a total of 4 games due to suspension by the NFL and that was IT. no one ever cried. no one ever got sanctimonious and indignant over his very presence in the NFL. How do you think that young man and his son felt during every success Leonard Little achieved in the NFL?
Look, we get it. You don't like Ray Lewis. Neither do I! All I'm saying is that there's this really intangible thing when it comes to who we decide, as a society, to tear down and who we decide to give a pass. Regardless of the offense. There's no way you're gunna nail it down and to begrudge other people their choice to put on blinders doesn't actually make you a better or more morally superior person, nor does it give you the power to change any of their minds, as is evidenced by this thread. There are certainly plenty of folks out there who agree with you and plenty who don't. probably outnumbering both of those combined is the number of people who don't know and/or care anything about any of this. does that make it right? is our country going down the toilet? i'll hafta get back to that. Honey Boo Boo is on
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