Would the whole free speech thing have seemed like a good idea?
Rashard Mendenhall of the Steelers got a good lesson in free speech and the power of the Internet last week. He made some moronic, ill-informed comments about the death of Osama Bin Laden.
But, it's time to let the guy up.
He wasn't accused of sexually assaulting anyone.
He wasn't accused of beating his wife or girlfriend, and he didn't even get pulled over and charged with a DUI.
He punched some keys on his computer or smart phone and proved - or at least should have - that there's no reason to listen to him talk about anything other than football.
There's no reason to run him out of town.
Yet.
One of the more disturbing aspects of the story was/is the number of people on talk radio who think the First Amendment protects Mendenhall from the Rooney family's wrath. I heard more than one talk-show host say that Art Rooney II couldn't cut Mendenhall because it was a free-speech issue. The First Amendment prevents the government from abridging your right of free speech. It doesn't protect you from getting fired for posting stupidity on Twitter.
If I owned an NFL team, I would make sure that all my players understood the concept of free speech, and I would make it clear that I wouldn't tolerate any of their speech that costs me money.
Here's what I would say to Mendenhall: "We pay you a boatload of money to be a running back. That money doesn't fall from the sky. We get it by selling tickets and by selling sponsorships. The sponsors pay us big bucks because they want to be associated with the Steelers brand. If you make stupid statements on your Twitter page, they don't just show your ignorance, they reflect on us. They cost us money. We're not in the football business just to have fun. We're in it to make money. No more stupid political commentary or we'll cut you so fast your head will spin."
n You have to wonder about the future of the country if there are people who can't get through a day without knowing what Rashard Mendenhall is thinking.
n Don Banks of SI.com compiled a nice list of NFL tweets. Here's Antrel Rolle of the New York Giants, reacting to the home fans booing: "We risk ourselves out there on the field each and every day. Also, when soldiers come home from Iraq, you don't boo them. I look at it the same way."
Then there's the Buffalo Bills' Steve Johnson, who dropped what would have been the game-winning touchdown against the Steelers. Afterward, he tweeted God: "I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!! AND THIS IS HOW YOU DO ME!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS???!!! HOW???!!! I'LL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!! THX THO...."
The founders never would have given us free speech if they had known that someone, some day, would abuse question marks and exclamation points like that.
n It used to be that, unless it was a letter to the editor, a press credential was usually required for a person to have the ability to express his opinions to the masses. The press pass doesn't make you smarter, but it gives you access to sources that can help you develop an informed opinion.
The freedom and power of the Internet is a wonderful thing, but it has resulted in opinion inflation. There are millions more opinions being disseminated, but quantity doesn't equal quality. Considering the source has never been more important.
n Jamie Dixon's name was being mentioned as the next coach at the University of Maryland before the lights were turned out at coach Gary Williams' retirement party. What - other than money, of course - could possibly make Maryland a better job than Pitt for a head basketball coach?
n Now that the Washington Capitals have been swept by Tampa Bay, in a series in which they went 1-for-19 on the power play and 0-for-18 on the one-man advantage, should we consider the possibility that what happened to the Penguins had a lot more to do with the Lightning than it had to do with the Penguins?
n Baseball attendance continues to be an issue. Last week, the Detroit Tigers had their two smallest announced crowds for games against the New York Yankees in more than 10 years at Comerica Park.
n Here's something for you and the Penguins to ponder between now and the next time Sidney Crosby plays a game: Justin Morneau is a 25-30 home-run hitting first baseman for the Minnesota Twins. His season ended last year on July 7 because of a concussion. He had 18 home runs when he had to shut it down. He's back on the field again and hitting .201 with one home run.
John Steigerwald writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.
Source http://www.observer-reporter.com/
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