So you're policy is to wait until the fuck up royally before giving some gentle intervention, got it. He's 22, he's an adult not a kid. If he was you or me no big deal, But he's not. As you pointed out he relishes and seeks out stardom, guess what comes along with what he's seeking? He want's to party Friday nights or hang out with his posse at 230am on a game weekend, go the Paris Hilton route. But at 22 and having signed a contract with a team, emphasis on team. Yes he's living a life no one here can "possibly" understand, actually yes I can, at 18 I was clubbing, barring, hanging out at 2am, but it didnt' matter because I wasn't celebrity and didn't seek celebrity. And here's the point, it's about personal accountability, If you seek fame then you HAVE to accept everything that comes with it, the good and the bad. There are 18 year olds fighting in trenches that put their "team" first. He accepts his contract from his TEAM, he has responsibilities to his TEAM, if he wants to go the other route where he doesn't have obligations to anyone but himself then mabe the WWE or pro tennis.
I always laugh at "come on, Streebeck, let go to the car and find that notebook." Might be my favorite Aykroyd performance outside of Ghostbusters.
No. No you cannot. Oh snap, you're going soldiers in Afghanistan? Holy shit, that's a winner every time. Well done Captain Straw Man. _
When you insert American Combat Soldiers into a discussion of NFL diva millionaires you have claimed the moral high ground and the intellectual abyss. Well done. My brother is an ex-Marine fighter pilot. Or should I say a fucking Marine. I respect the shit out of our military, why Reagan is my favorite president. But when you insert combat soldiers into a discussion of Johnny Football I feel as if folks want him to throw down his contract and football helmet and pick up a Kevlar helmet and an M-16 and stand on that wall. Because he was in his apartment lobby at an hour some adults find unsavory. _
It's not a straw man argument, at least not any more than "He's just a 22 year old kid living the life you can't imagine". Have we really gotten so soft that 22 is just a kid? Really? That's just dismissive as all hell. Fact is whether he likes it or not he's got responsibilities to the NFL, and more specifically to the Browns and his team mates. Did he do anything awful? No. But when you're traveling around at 2am with your Entourage you're asking for situations like this, it's just a fact of life. 22 isn't a kid, it's an excuse. same with all the other NFL players and all other sports team players, except maybe Tennis since they're only liable for themselves and not their teammates and generally not under contract with anyone but an agent and some sponsors, who if the player misbehaves too badly will lose those sponsors. Sorry, when you have 18 year olds out of highschool doing real jobs and having real responsibilities the "he's only a 22 year old kid" doesn't fly. It's not like having money is a new thing to him as he comes from a very well off family, if he was a kid from the Ghetto who suddenly had money for the first time in his life I could understand it a little, but he's not. He's probably not a bad guy, he's probably a good football player, though we don't know anything on that yet...he could be the next Fran Tarkenton, he could be the next Tim Tebow, with the former being more likely than the latter but either extreme being unlikely. As for the "No, you cannot" comment, trust me when I was 18 I was running around in some very unique circles.
No I'm not comparing a NFL player to a soldier. I am however saying that if an 18 year old can volunteer for the armed forces, serve our country and put their lives on the line in doing so then it's perfectly within reason to expect an 22 year old to behave responsibly, this "22 year old kid" argument doesn't fly.
This is lol worthy. When people say "trust me" I laugh. I don't know you but there is nothing you ever did in your youth that compared to what Johnny Football did. You just didn't. _
And throw down his football helmet for a Kevlar helmet and stand on that wall. You sound like Herm Edwards doing an impression of Jack Nicholson doing an impression of John Wayne. Kudos, you've won the moral high ground. _
Those are your words not mine. Never once have I stated he should join the military, not once. Only that your "he's only a 22 year old kid" argument had zero weight in the matter. As for the Herm Edwards comparison, thank you for the compliment. At least I don't sound like a whiner who can't stand anyone who thinks football players shouldn't be held accountable.
YOU chose to bring combat soldiers into the discussion of professional football players, the ultimate red herring. Who's whining? He was in his own apartment building going to his own apartment. Not sure why someone needs to be held accountable for going home. _
Going home, key phrase....at 230 in the morning on a game weekend. Yes I did chose to bring combat soldiers in to it as an example that we expect 18 year olds to be mature and responsible and put up the highest level of commitment and that it is very reasonable to expect a 22 year old in the NFL to show at least a marginal level of commitment and be doing what he SHOULD be doing, especially when you WANT to get a starting gig. It's immature and irresponsible....but he is well on his way to being the next Boz. Being in the NFL is a privilege and if he wants his shot at starting he'd be well advised to tow the line.
Long term, he'd get further with the advice I'm giving than the advice you're giving. Mind you that's not saying a whole lot since you're basically encouraging him to just have fun and be a 22 year old acting like a High school Junior and he's not accountable, though admittedly that's setting a very low bar.
Hold on a second. I'm not giving him any advice. That's incredibly arrogant. He's an adult and will make his choices and he's got a Dad and advisers to give him advice. I'm just reacting to what should be a non-story. And you giving him advice is just as arrogant. Again, you have no ability to comprehend what he does with his life. Just because you had some wild times as a 20 year old qualifies you for nothing. I'll bet more NFL players than not (by a long shot) are out past 2:30 am two nights before a game. You're indicting him for something you can't comprehend yet you're making judgments as if he's your son from a middle or upper middle class family that works for an insurance company. He was at his OWN HOME for crissakes. Was it too late for your tastes-the way YOU think he should conduct himself? That's incredibly arrogant. Was it a brawl at a club or disco or concert or bar? No. It was at HIS HOME. Get over it. Kill him for his other indiscretions, this isn't one of them. Again, you're ONLY issue was that it was 2:30 am. NFL players keep different hours than you or me. Not a news story. Btw, my son turned 20 last night. We went to dinner then he went to a friends house with a bunch of folks and got home around 3:00 am. No fights, no brawls, no one ODed, no one sexually assaulted. And no one accosted him in the driveway. _
Wait, what? first you say he's a 22 year old kid and now your saying he's an adult? Which is it? is he responsible or not? Indicting is a very harsh word, Have I said he should be banned? suspended? He'll probably get fined by the Browns, but maybe not.
Happy Thanksgiving. Shouldn't you be shitting on an ex-Jet now rather than shitting on a 22 year millionaire NFL QB who stayed out too late for your moral tastes? I guess the lesson is Manziel is a douchebag (because you think that so) and sucky ex-Jet QBs suck today because of 3 years ago. Oh, Happy Thanksgiving. Hope you're happy with your miserable thoughts. It's a great day. _
