By now, the reverberations regarding some comments made recently by a popular Canadian-born NFL’er have been felt in the media – and football – world.
Indianapolis Colts place kicker Mike Vanderjagt made an appearance on a Canadian national TV program, ostensibly as a guest “analyst” to discuss the Super Bowl outcome of the Raiders-Bucs clash.
The veteran player is a well-spoken, articulate, successful athlete, who – in this instance – ended up speaking out about his disappointment with his own ballclub. He commented rather bluntly about the club’s ‘star’ quarterback Peyton Manning, its respected and highly-regarded head coach Tony Dungy, and the overall lack of “emotion” and fire on the ballclub.
Not surprisingly in this day of 24 hour-a-day sports radio and television, the comments were picked up nationally in Canada, in the United States, and of course, in Indianapolis.
Reaction from various parties – including Manning (Manning referred to Vanderjagt as an “idiot” during the Pro Bowl ABC telecast) and Dungy, has been swift and not at all favorable.
The reflection in this instance is not to in any way condemn an individual -- in this case, a professional athlete who has had a tremendous NFL career-- if they choose to speak publicly, openly and “honestly” about opinions they hold. (Some have speculated the player wants to be released so he can sign with another club, and therefore made the comments quite by design…)
But it does raise an important issue: the reality that any elite athlete -- and certainly any pro athlete with any degree of profile -- is very much in the public eye. This is always the case, even in their “off-season” and certainly so when they make themselves available to the media, even in a supposedly “informal” setting.
That athletes are under scrutiny is not a startling revelation, to be sure. But it is yet another reminder: if you are an athlete who wants to be known as a “straight shooter”, someone who says what he or she means, that might well be your ‘right’ and might be a laudable approach -- on the one hand.
But there is another reality that collides with that “right”, that desire: It is the reality that you have to be able to live comfortably with the impact of your words, and be able to deal with any fall out that might occur.
Clearly, there is often an element of hypocrisy in place, in terms of how the media plays its hand in such matters. On the one hand, media criticizes athletes for being bland, having nothing to say, spouting endless clichés.
Yet the moment an athlete steps out of that protective, guarded realm, and seems to speak candidly, the critics circle and are not shy to blast the individual.
There is also the very human side to this. Our words may help “free” our own pent-up, sometimes frustrated feelings about our own personal circumstance, or in the case of a team sport, about what our ballclub is or is not doing to try and “get better”. (Given the tone and context of his words, one presumes that, in this instance, the Colts player said exactly what he was feeling). But those words may also hurt, offend or damage someone else: a friend, a teammate, a “boss”, or the community that individual works or ‘plays’ in.
The sports world would be more wooden and stilted than it already is if athletes lived in total, ongoing fear of ever “speaking their minds”, or were always afraid to “tell it like it is”, or give an honest opinion.
But one thing has not changed over the years: there is almost always a public respect for the individual who thinks before they speak, who rather than ‘venting’ by design or in the heat of the moment, is actually thinking “long-term”. A person who recognizes words have impact and cannot be easily taken back, and can create real issues that may not be easily – or ever—dealt with in a healthy manner.
Many of you will of course remember, or have been told about former Montreal Canadiens captain Jean Beliveau
To this day, in retirement, he remains a highly, highly-regarded figure, a true sportsman. Distinguished. Respectful of others. He makes no personal attacks on others. Never has. Any “critical” comments that he has ever made on issues of the day have been put forward in a thoughtful, measured manner.
Controversial? Dynamic? Not Beliveau.
But respected? Clearly.
Some of today’s athletes fall into the trap of feeling the need to provide the ‘great quote’, or add color to their comments, a little spice. It can be fun, and some, like Dennis Rodman, lived for it, or so it seemed.
But often, there are very real – and very negative-- consequences.
