KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Mike Holmgren loves his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. He often talks about riding it across the desert outside his Arizona offseason home. He even rode it to work last week during a Seahawks minicamp. But Seattle's coach takes steps to ensure all Seahawks' motor biking ends when each season begins.
Through a team official, Holmgren said he lectures his players at the beginning of each summer's training camp that they are not allowed to drive motorcycles during the season, from July through January.
Is this fair? I for one, think so. This could be a well deserved condition of employment. If they don't like it, they could get a job doing something else.
As for the offseason, the Seahawks said they expect their players to abide by Washington's motor vehicle statutes that require helmets be worn while operating motorcycles.
Still, a reasonable requirement. As Terry Bradshaw said, "Ride it when you retire!".
What do you think?
(to comment, click the green number to the right of the title above)
I think its a fair request by the team. Teams shell out at least six figures for any player on their roster, and so its reasonable to ask them to do anything to remain as healthy as possible during the season. Motorcycles are a little more dangerous then regular cars, and I don't have a problem with regulating them.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I don't like it when teams specifically put it in a players' contract that they can't ride. After all, they are adults and should be able to make these kind of decisions. They can ask that players not ride, and they can ask players to ride helmets, but I don't think they should outright ban it.
Basically, I think its fair for them to ask, but not fair to demand that players not ride. We sometimes forget that these players are people, who have interests and hobbies outside of the sport they play. If they want to ride, they should be able to. But, they should be safe about it.
I ride and have for a very long time (mostly w/o a helmet). But if the company I was working for was paying me huge $$, so they can make even bigger $$$. and my co-workers paycheck size (bonuses i.e catches ect.) was dependant apon my health, at the minimum I would have to wear all the safety gear, and really rethink riding at all, until I was out of that job. To make that kind of coin and ignore everthing else is just plain stupid, and self centered.
ReplyDeleteIt does not matter how good you are, if the other person doesn't follow the same rules (driving this time), you can be toast.
If you do ride one...make sure you have a helmet, and umm oh yeah! A LICENSE.
ReplyDeleteThis is the role model the media feeds to the children? Everything so negative now...good deeds barely get noticed. Kids are outta control. I watched the new ECW last night...chick was stripping like no tomorrow doing a sexy dance in front of the crowd...it was part of the show as a skit...oh, the crowd was about 40% 10 year olds and under.
Mariners cant beat Joe Blanton. He has a 0.78 ERA against them this year and a 7.00+ ERA against everyone else.!!! AHHH.
America is getting on my nerves...
I have to completely agree with you, boyd. I'ts not just about personal rights. It's about meeting up to our responsibilities to people around us.
ReplyDeleteWhether they be highly paid teammates, employers that we have high stakes agreements with, or our own families, when we put ourseleves at risk unecessarily, we also put them at risk. They may not suffer physical injuries, but their losses are real. If we really feel a sense of responsibility towards them, we will avoid taking risks that have no beneficial purpose.
On the other hand, if we don't care about them, and all we care about is our own short term entertainment, we will throw those things aside and do whatever the hell we want. We won't hesitate when it comes those kinds of risks.
I think that's really the nuts of the matter. Does a person just care about themselves, or do they consider what they mean to others?
Just to throw a damper on the hippie liberal commie parade... Ben Roethlis-whatever has a responsibility to his team to practice, meet about, discuss and ultimately play football. Thats in his contract. He really doesn't have a responsibility to the fans or his team mates, just to the Stealers and possibly (probably?) the NFL and NFLPA.
ReplyDeleteDoes he need to take responsiblity for HIS actions? Yes, he does, but not with me, I'm a fan. With his boss, yes. Pitt should've written "No motorcycle riding" in his contract, the same way they probably write "no skydiving" or "no dog washing".
It is unfortunate that article 3 (I think) of most NFL contracts, which says "Don't do stuff that could hurt you so you can't fulfill your contract" basically has no teeth since the legal system has made contract and law wording so focused that if an idiot crashes a motorcycle, or falls down my stairs while robbing my house, or jams their hand into a paper shredder cuz it didn't have a sticker that says "Don't jam your hand in here" it isn't their fault, its someone else's, the home owner (lol, home owner) or manufacturer's fault.
Frigging hippies. Recommence the commune where jocks are the role models, not parents, where someone else is responsible for your well being, and where Big Ben the Toothless is not accountable to "Don't do stuff that could hurt you so you can't fulfill your contract" that he signed.
Regarding the post, I agree, its completely fair for the team to ask players not to ride during the season, I think it's more than accomodating to allow them to ride during the offseason, and I wish they'd written that into contracts because without it we're relying on young invincible men to respect and obey an old man who rides a motorcycle...
A player signs a contract to play a sport, to to be owned by a team or a league. What they do in their off-time is their own business. But, if he's injured from some off-field exploit, then the team should no longer be required to pay him, and should get back a pro-rated anount of his bonus. Like with Winslow.
ReplyDeleteLet them ride if they want, but let them also take the responsibility for their behavior if it causes an injury.
I think it's an assault on the player's civil liberties for the establishment to try to curtail their god given rite to pursue happiness, in whatever form it may be.
ReplyDeleteIt may be riding a motorcycle, it may be firing up a big fat doobie, or it may be having unprotected sex with as many underage female fans as is humanly possible.
Sure, there may be moral civil or environmental laws against these activities, but this is America, where if you're rich and famous enough, you can do whatever the hell you want and get away with it.
Awww hell, that's my best hippie-pinko-liberal rant, but all in all I gotta agree with my more conservative brothers. It's stoopid to ride without a helmet, or to ride a cycle at all in the regular season.
Why?
For the very reason that makes the Ben situation different from the Kellen Winslow Jr. one. Ben wasn't doing wheelies or attempting tricks he just saw in a thrill show. Ben wasn't driving at excessive speeds, under the influence, or at an unreasonable hour.
Ben was using the motorcycle as a means of getting from point A to point B in a somewhat enjoyable and fuel economy sensative way, and he STILL got to do an impression of a horsefly on the windshielf of that Chrystler.
So, when the teams and owners say "park the bike" they're not saying "we don't think you can handle it" they're saying "there's a lot of crazy half-blind middle-aged white women in New Yorkers lurking around ever corner just trying to knock out some of your teef."
How's that for a bleeding heart rant?
LOL
ReplyDelete