Red Mosquito

Self wrote:Per Mr. Pocoroba, the new season has started and I didn't want GreenHabit to have to start another thread. And I want to get under Pete's skin.

tommymctom wrote:I've never watched NFL before, can someone give me a brief overview of everything I would need to know to full appreciate the upcoming season.

tommymctom wrote:I've never watched NFL before, can someone give me a brief overview of everything I would need to know to full appreciate the upcoming season.

Tony Dungy wrote:I wouldn’t have taken him. Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it. It’s not going to be totally smooth … things will happen.

Green Habit wrote:WTF, Tony.

http://tbo.com/sports/bucs/nfl-holding- ... -20140720/

Tony Dungy wrote:I wouldn’t have taken him. Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it. It’s not going to be totally smooth … things will happen.

Fuck You Jobu wrote:

Green Habit wrote:WTF, Tony.

http://tbo.com/sports/bucs/nfl-holding- ... -20140720/

Tony Dungy wrote:I wouldn’t have taken him. Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it. It’s not going to be totally smooth … things will happen.

I wonder how long he'll be on NBC...

Green Habit wrote:My guess is he'll issue some sort of clarification along the lines of not wanting a "media circus" around the team.

Tony Dungy wrote:Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it. It’s not going to be totally smooth . . . things will happen.

PFT wrote:And that’s where Dungy’s comments become troubling. If everyone refused to hire minorities because it could cause a distraction, no minority group would ever make any progress. Dungy has praised the late Chuck Noll for adding Dungy to the Steelers’ coaching staff in 1981, at a time when most NFL teams didn’t have any African-American assistant coaches. What if Noll had declined to hire Dungy because he worried that some of the white assistant coaches would have a problem with a black colleague?

Lament wrote:Wasn't Dungy the guy begging teams to give Vick and Burress second chances?

Michael Sam will produce 1/100 the "circus/distraction" that Vick did. Hell, Michael Sam will produce 1/100 of the "circus/distraction" that Johnny Manziel will/has/currently is.

Green Habit wrote:My guess is he'll issue some sort of clarification along the lines of not wanting a "media circus" around the team.

Tony Dungy wrote:On Monday afternoon while on vacation with my family, I was quite surprised to read excerpts from an interview I gave several weeks ago related to this year’s NFL Draft, and I feel compelled to clarify those remarks.

I was asked whether I would have drafted Michael Sam and I answered that I would not have drafted him. I gave my honest answer, which is that I felt drafting him would bring much distraction to the team. At the time of my interview, the Oprah Winfrey reality show that was going to chronicle Michael’s first season had been announced.

I was not asked whether or not Michael Sam deserves an opportunity to play in the NFL. He absolutely does.

I was not asked whether his sexual orientation should play a part in the evaluation process. It should not.

I was not asked whether I would have a problem having Michael Sam on my team. I would not.

I have been asked all of those questions several times in the last three months and have always answered them the same way—by saying that playing in the NFL is, and should be, about merit.

The best players make the team, and everyone should get the opportunity to prove whether they’re good enough to play. That’s my opinion as a coach. But those were not the questions I was asked.

What I was asked about was my philosophy of drafting, a philosophy that was developed over the years, which was to minimize distractions for my teams.

I do not believe Michael’s sexual orientation will be a distraction to his teammates or his organization.

I do, however, believe that the media attention that comes with it will be a distraction. Unfortunately we are all seeing this play out now, and I feel badly that my remarks played a role in the distraction.

I wish Michael Sam nothing but the best in his quest to become a star in the NFL and I am confident he will get the opportunity to show what he can do on the field.

My sincere hope is that we will be able to focus on his play and not on his sexual orientation.