Last season, Jason Heyward required 25 days to return to the lineup after his appendectomy. One day after mine, I’m back. This means one of two things: Either I’m significantly tougher; or the job of sitting at a keyboard tapping out idle thoughts is significantly less demanding than playing right field. I don’t know which; let’s call it a push.
A nationally-aired show host recently spouted an unpopular opinion about Ray Rice KO’ing his future wife in an Atlantic City hotel, resulting in a puny two-game suspension for the Baltimore Ravens running back.
It was kinda her fault — that’s the shortened version.
In full, it went like this: “If you make a choice as a woman who’s 4 feet 3 and you decide to hit a guy who’s 6-feet tall and you’re the last thing he wants to deal with that day and he hits you back, you cannot be surprised.
“I know I’m going to catch a lot of hell and I don’t care. But you have to teach women: Do not live with the idea that men have this chivalry thing still with them. Don’t assume that that is still in place.”
No word yet whether Whoopi Goldberg is going to get a suspension for that comment.
Having been forced to spend grinding hours in various doctors’ waiting rooms lately, I happened to catch “The View” starring Ms. Goldberg on Monday when she let go that bit of wisdom. Honest, it was a hostage situation.
Anyway, Goldberg was defending ESPN caricature Stephen A. Smith for uttering similar thoughts that Jamay Rice provoked her assault. That borders the dangerous she-got-what-she-deserved rationale. The network just handed Smith a one-week suspension as a result.
First, let’s get relative here: Apparently, given the length of the two suspensions, it is only half as egregious to do what your employer asks — in Smith’s case, be a steaming, noxious word geyser — as for a hulking football player to beat a woman into unconsciousness.
Second, and this may be the medication talking: Free Stephen A.
Smith has become such a self-parody that Saturday Night Live even “does” him, making him the Sarah Palin of sports commentary. He was only doing what he knows. A bird’s gotta fly. A fish has gotta swim. And Smith’s gotta irritate.
What an easy out for ESPN. It sets him up to be outlandish and edgy and then on that inevitable occasion when he steps into it, the network gets all high-minded. Hey, world sports leader, you court the opinions, don’t try to distance yourself now. Did Dr. Frankenstein ever suspend his monster?
Really, Smith didn’t offend me. I don’t listen to him. The democracy of the remote is powerful, indeed. I put him on permanent suspension a long time ago, which really is how these matters should be handled.
What a sad, stupid opinion this happened to be. It is impossible to see the video of Rice dragging the limp form of his soon-to-be wife out the elevator doors and believe that whatever might have happened moments before somehow made it less deplorable. Short of her coming at him with a chainsaw, and no weapon was visible in the video.
But the ultimate reason for letting Stephen A. off the hook for this one?
Roger Goodell must somewhat agree with him.
Why else would he have handed out such flaccid discipline for such flagrant domestic abuse?
Ah, but commissioner beware. Not of the public reaction that has been so unfavorable. But of Rice. You give that man a slap on the wrist, eventually he might just knock you out.
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