Go trolley elsewhere.
1 Like
I donât think that $5M figure is right. Iâve never heard of a punter making that much per year, and all the articles I read regarding when they drafted his replacement made reference to Kluweâs scheduled $1.5M compensation for 2013.
This article makes reference to a cap savings of ~$1M (about what I was figuring) and cash savings of slightly less.
Point remains; there is zero job security for an average NFL player at an above-average salary. I canât say whether his outspokenness didnât also play a role; there is certainly evidence to suggest that it might have. But, he could have kept his mouth shut all along and still been in this exact same situation.
I suppose I should take some personal responsibility for the fact that I am currently overweight and do not exercise nearly enough.
The problem is that during my childhood, every time I tried to engage in some sort of physical activity or team-based-game-with-ball, there was a homophobic fuckwit we called âCoachâ overseeing the whole thing. I soon came to view âSportsâ as a quick way to be emotionally and physically abused. Thanks, âCoach.â
4 Likes
Agreed. But can we wait until after the Seahawks win the Superbowl this year, please?
One thing thatâs odd is they wasted a draft pick on a kicker. So, while Locke is cheaper than Kluwe, he didnât come without a cost. With the number of holes the Vikings have in their roster, a fifth round pick could have been used better than on someone who could be picked up undrafted.
1 Like
There were two punters and a kicker picked up in the 5th round of the draft.
Itâs not surprising that the highest paid punter in the NFL was replaced with a draft pick vs a walkon.
To be honest, making income dependent on tolerance de facto is probably the best and most effective route to a better outcome overall. Who cares about rights when you can buy yourself whatever life you desire?
Sorry - but the Chiefs will be the ones going this year.
After seeing the recent reports of permanent brain damage due to head trauma in former NFL players, I was very excited by the possibility that we might see football banned from school sports.
My hope is that we will shift funds from these sports to education and the arts. Iâd like nothing more than to see the football rape culture come to an end as well as the matriculation of unqualified students.
3 Likes
⊠although the guy the Pats picked up as an undrafted free agent (Ryan Allen) has mostly been better, kicking in tougher conditions, and was a two-time winner of the Ray Guy award in college. So yeah, I agree; I probably wouldnât have used a draft pick on a punter. But, itâs not all that unheard of to use a late draft pick on a punter.
Iâm a fan of watching the NFL but am indifferent towards the Vikings.
I found it to be a pleasant surprise that Kluwe described the Vikings owner as being wholly supportive of his decision to speak out in favor of gay rights:
"âŠthe owner of the team, Zygi Wilf, came up to me, shook my hand, and told me: âChris, Iâm proud of what youâve done. Please feel free to keep speaking out. I just came from my sonâs best friendâs wedding to his partner in New York, and it was one of the most beautiful things Iâve ever seen.â
We can argue Wilfâs other merits, such as being a organized criminal and bona fide evil tycoon, later:
2 Likes
It isnât footballâs rape culture, it is Americaâs rape culture.
Yes but. Football is so influential, has so many ardent fans, that it is one of a number of potential cultural reservoirs of permission for rape culture. It should clean up. So should Hollywood. etc.
1 Like
Thatâs pretty much what Iâve come to expect from an NFL fan. Blame society and not the well funded institutions that shelter these brain dead asshats from reproach.
maybe you just havenât been exposed to the truth. Football players are much more likely to commit rape than the average american.
According to Benedict and Keteyian in The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football
Scarcely a year goes by without one or more college football programs being rocked by sexual assault charges. In 2012, players at five BCS schools were charged with sex crimes.
2 Likes
Maybe itâs just me but I find it very difficult to believe that they fired him over his performance. The dude had a career year with less talent around him (gunner-wise) than ever. I smellbullshit you dont just fire somebody who was top-ten in their position because there is virtually no chance you pick up somebody better.
Iâm betting it was the added press, his pay scale, and that they had an easy excuse with his numbers being slightly down. They were looking for an excuse and found ones that made it easy for them to âmove on.â
Probably. His hang-time was absurd. How else do you average less distance on your kicks but longer net kicksâŠsmh
Rape is pandemic. Rape scandals happen at top-tier football programs because society/media generally donât give a shit when a nobody is raped by a nobody.
The Winston case is reprehensible. Iâd argue the known behavior of the authorities is more egregious than the rape itself (assuming it happened, which I believe it did) as it promotes a culture of victims being silenced before they ever speak up. The actions of the authorities will lead to more victims than the presumed actions of Winston. The police and DA should be publicly crucified but they have gotten off almost unscathed (in spite of the laugh-a-minute presser they held).
However, if you think that a game based around an oblong ball is to blame, and not our society, youâre wrong. Rape is also pandemic in countries where the football (fĂștbol) is round. Deification and systemic legal impunity of any class of people (athletes, artists, actors, the rich, politicians, or even civil rights leaders) is imprudent.
As far as statistics, NFL players arrest rates are on par with their national demographics.*
My enjoyment of a game played on a field doesnât mean I condone the actions of some of the participants off the field.
Or maybe, in the interest of civil discussion, I should concede that I could just be a âbrain dead asshat.â
EDIT, citation:
Itâs very hard to tell whether punters have âcareer yearsâ or not. If I pull up âpunts inside the 20â , Kluwe is 31st in 2012. His Net punting average is at 17th in 2012.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/punting/sort/netAvgPuntYards/year/2012
2011 had Kluwe at 19th in inside the 20. It had his net punting average at 22nd place.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/punting/sort/netAvgPuntYards/year/2011
2010 had him at 5th for inside the 20, and 9th for net punt
2009 , he was 17th and 18th.
2008, 13th, 12th.
He clearly peaked in 2010, and started to slide off in 2011 and 2012.
His replacement in 2013 was 23rd and 18th. For a million saved in cap space, they got a very slightly worse rookie who is on his way up athletically as opposed to a veteran who is clearly getting outpaced and overpaid.
I have a strong suspicion that arrest rates are not reliable figures; as we have seen in both Winstonâs case and the Steubenville case, it is often that initially, nothing is done. It is only after the police or the community is threatened with embarrassing leaks and allegations of a cover-up that something happens. That is, the powers of law enforcement are often part of the same group that does much of the football hero worship.
4 Likes
