Kamau Peterson
CFL.ca
Well, that was an entertaining couple of days to say the least. It’s rare to see that type of media hype in the middle of the season, in the first place – but to have it all end without anything to show for it… well, at least it was entertaining.
Winnipeg’s pursuit of Adam “Pacman” Jones and Charles Rogers sparked a two or three day event which no doubt had football fans on both sides of the border chattering about what the future held for those involved. Bomber fans no doubt were weighing the pros of having two former first round draft picks on their team by the time their Labour Day tilt kicked off. While the rest of us casual football fans were trying to weigh the intrigue of the impact that these two players may make on the league itself and the distressing message that would be sent by welcoming them in to the CFL after so many past struggles.
Rogers’ situation was made clearer by a league rule that was put in during the Ricky Williams stint in Toronto, where the CFL will uphold NFL suspensions. I commend the league for this move and feel that it has been long overdue. I’ve always felt that it only served to further perpetuate one of the current stereotypes that is held against the league by those who are unfamiliar with it – that we chase any and every NFL castoff regardless of rap sheet.
Jones, on the other hand, while not suspended currently is looked at as somewhat leprous by the NFL after serious legal troubles resulted in his suspension from the league. After serving his suspension, a second chance was provided and blown in Dallas when Jones reportedly got into an altercation with the body guard that the team appointed to him.
Seemingly his last chance, Jones seemed to be on his way north to Winnipeg this week. Alas, it was not meant to be however as Jones seemed to have his opportunity snuffed out by his own 45 minute videography linked to his twitter account. Whether or not he would have been permitted into the country to work remains unknown, but after jumping through that videography – part of me was hoping to see him down here and suited up for no other reason than to see the multiple touchdowns per game that he was promising.
I think Pacman would have probably found more ghosts up north than he may have bargained for. In hindsight, not coming up to this league could actually give him a glimmer of hope of getting back to the NFL. If he could find a way to reconcile with the UFL that he pushed aside to commit to Winnipeg, and manage to keep his nose clean for a year or two the NFL may look the other way on some of his previous discretions. Whereas, if he were to come up here and get exposed on this wide field, joining the league in the middle of the season with no training camp or familiarity with the nuances of this game it may have been game over Pacman.
One of the things that makes the CFL game so unique to me is the accessibility of the players to the fans themselves. We players live in all sorts of neighborhoods when we’re here playing, and fans can and do run into us at Tim Hortons, grocery stores, and malls on a daily basis.
Keeping that in mind, I think that it’s extremely important to be cognizant of the character of our teams themselves – and of course the players and coaches on them. Believe me, I’m not trying to come off as the moral majority and I doubt that you’ll find any bigger advocate of a second chance than I. And I’m fully aware that every player and team staff member in the league isn’t saints. By the same token, I believe that it is truly a privilege to be able to play this game. And when I say ‘to play this game’ I mean it both in the sense of being physically gifted enough to suit up and play or be a part of this game at such a high and entertaining level, as well as be fortunate enough to be seen as a role model to people watching all over the world.
While some may argue that to be in this position is not to assume any responsibility to the viewing public, and that our private lives as athletes should stay just that – I would challenge that vehemently. In life you never know who is watching you, and in what capacity you are being viewed. All of us, in all walks of life should stride carefully knowing that our actions are constantly shaping and molding the lives of those that we come into contact with, but we who are thrust into the public eye must be that much more aware.
We’ve all made mistakes in life, some bigger than others – and some REPEATEDLY seemingly without learning anything from the previous blunder. It’s the latter of that lot that I’d just as soon see phased out of this league. I grow tired of looking at so many different realms of society and seeing people with so much money and influence, but so little common sense and decency. To be fair it’s not just in sports that we allow this sort of behavior to pass, but sports does offer an enormous platform and opportunity both for fans of every game to say that these types of behaviors are unacceptable, and pro sports brass to step up and say regardless of talent level – a blind eye won’t be turned anyone’s character.
This time of year wins are important to all teams. Jobs hang in the balance of each game it seems, and many people in each organization place their livelihoods into the hands of 42 players and a host of coaches and team staff each weekend trusting that they’ll hold up for them. There are only eight teams in this league, with only six making the playoffs so naturally the pressure to perform is felt at a high level throughout the league by all who hold positions of authority and decision making. I understand fully that pressure masks many things, and clouds judgment and I believe that this last couple of days reveals a hint of that dynamic.
This instance has perhaps shed some light as to why players that are listed on teams negotiations lists are kept in confidence. Perhaps that measure of confidentiality gives teams a chance to go through some due process and explore thoroughly just what kind of player is coming in to make a difference in your favor for that next game… and what that player’s impact on the community will be. It’s no secret that our league is viewed by many south of us as a minor league of sorts, a somehow lesser brand of football. So the comments of Adam Jones regarding how the league would be a pit stop for him and how dominant he’d be in it didn’t surprise me one bit.
But I learned a long time ago that perception is vital to self image, both as an individual and as a league on the whole. Essentially one can only be seen as what they are willing to convey to others. If I am to carry myself as a lesser man, what else can I be viewed as? My mother used to say that beggars can’t be choosers. As long as the powers that be carry the mentality that everything NFL stamped is going to be an upgrade on what we have regardless of what shape, condition and baggage that stamped product carries with it – we’ll continue to climb uphill.
