Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward lashed-out at the NFL for the repeated fines levied to teammate James Harrison and others for hits deemed as dangerous. This is nothing new, however, as players stick up for their own and lobby against fines that hurt their bottom line. But Ward went a different route, connecting the increased emphasis on dangerous hits with the proposed 18-game schedule while labeling the NFL as hypocritical.
Hines Ward Lashes Out At The NFL, Labels The League Hypocritical
“They don’t care about the safety of the game. If the league was so concerned about the safety, why are you adding two more games on? You talk about you don’t want players to drink ... and all you see is beer commercials. You don’t want us to gamble, but then there are [NFL-endorsed lottery scratch-off games].”
Bud Light became the official beer of the NFL in 2010, reportedly paying a whopping $1.2 billion over the next six years for the right to be called the one and only beer of the league. With a bevy of employees considered role-models, the personal conduct policy that punishes conduct detrimental to the league is understandable. But isn’t whole-heartedly endorsing a beer in the name of the almighty dollar while taking a stance against drinking a bit hypocritical?
And what about that 18-game schedule?
The NFL would love nothing more than to add another two games to the slate in the next collective bargaining agreement. Two more regular season games mean two more opportunities to put butts in the seats at a premium price while pitching two additional advertising opportunities. Fiscally, it makes dollars and sense for the owners. But the players? Not so much.
Playing 16-games at football’s highest level is already taxing enough. Bodies break down, players succumb to injuries and the long-term effects of a career in the NFL can be devastating. Imagine adding two more games to the schedule. That’s two more chances to sustain an injury and two more weeks of punishment, all in the name of money for NFL owners everywhere.
If the NFL was serious about player safety, they wouldn’t be pushing for two more games. Instead, the 18-game proposal is, in effect, selling the health and safety of its assets -- the players -- in the name of money. So while it’s nice the NFL is cracking down on hits that could result is serious, life-altering injuries, the leagues actions and words make it hard to trust the message.
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