The Greater Good-ell

Since my blurb on Ray Rice, a slew of other NFL players have been in the news for drugs, for abusing spouses, for indiscretions both past and present.  That’s a heap-load of bad press and a lot of negative sentiment for an organization that is still drawing record audiences.  The long and the short of it is: our society is at the point of disappointed acceptance.    I say this with a degree of bias, mostly because it’s not MY team that’s been affected by the latest news stories.

That said, an important fact was uttered by some of the players not embroiled in controversy: the 5 or 6 that have been in the news are but a small fraction of total players, coaches, and staff that make the NFL work.   In addition to the 53 rostered players, there are other players on practice squads, a litany of coaches and physical trainers…managers and PR people…and, an additional 1,858 of NFL headquarters staff that run the league’s office, game-day operations, NFL films, NFL network and, of course, the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, OH.

So, conservatively, let’s (very conservatively) estimate that, in the public eye, there are the players, their coaches, refs for the games and various head office people…about 1,800 people, roughly.  Of those current 1,800, we’ve heard of 5 or so that have been in the news in the past two months.  That works out to be .0027% of the league’s public face.  Now, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), 2,266,800 adults were incarcerated in U.S. federal and state prisons, and county jails at year-end in 2011 – or about 0.7% of adults in the U.S. resident population (thank you Wikipedia!).  What’s this mean?  We’re doing great! 

Granted, those are only the infractions that come to light.  And, certainly, while I would be hopeful that these types of incidents are as infrequent as .0027%, I’m aware that victims of violent crimes, spousal/domestic abuse especially, don’t report the altercations to the authorities.  That’s a problem unto itself…but at the same time, while protesting the NFL’s policy of the public figures they govern, it’s also OK to praise those NFL athletes that go above and beyond, like QB Drew Brees and the Brees Dream Foundation which provides funding to NOLA children.  Or, Charles Tillman who established the Tillman Cornerstone Foundation for kids in the Chicago area.  Or, Peyton Manning’s PeyBack Foundation that helps children in Tennessee, Louisiana and Indiana.  Warrick Dunn, formerly of the Bucs has donated over 100 houses to single parents who can’t afford them, and he was able to raise over $5 million for Katrina victims shortly after that occurred.  And, my favorite, Michael Strahan founded the Michael Strahan Foundation to assist disadvantaged youths in the NYC Metro area.  He’s also been involved in the American Cancer Society, the Children’s Miracle Network, Housing Enterprises for the Less Privileged, PETA, and the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

So, what’s I’m saying is, don’t let a select few ruin what others have turned into an incredibly positive experience for so many.  There are countless other NFL personalities who have foundations and charities that they’re active in supporting.  I believe that while we condemn the actions of a few, we also need to support those who are actively contributing to better our society…and help them as much as we’re able.