for april fools im going to honor a dude who said "love everybody" while nailed to sticks by refusing to sell lilies to men who kiss wieners
— Big Gay Jeb Lund (@Mobute) April 1, 2015
Apparently there is no off-season for NFL owners being colossal putzes, per David Roth at Vice Sports:
… There are all kinds of reasons to believe that Ray McDonald is a creep and a bad person; there is circumstantial evidence that suggests something even darker than that. The Bears were able to sign McDonald to an affordable one-year deal last week because all those things about him are known by everyone who cares to know them; they were willing to do it because [Chicago Bears chairman] George McCaskey, and the new defensive coordinator and general manager he hired, cared less about those things than they did the possibility Ray McDonald might be able to help the Bears on defense. This is not a very complicated thing to understand, but it is not an easy thing to explain without making it sound like what it is.
This is where it gets difficult for people like McCaskey, who understand that they cannot say what they think—which is that this is a competitive sport, and that after weighing their options they concluded that the benefits of signing an accused woman-beating rapist outweighed the costs—but do not understand how else to say it. At the highest level, the NFL pays people like Frank Luntz, a messaging specialist for Republican campaigns, to write talking points for Roger Goodell, which is why Goodell says that football is “better and safer” six different times in his interview with Peter King… But to the extent that progress has been made after the NFL’s most recent year of staggering profit and staggering disgrace, it’s that they are now obliged to go through this public ritual.
That is it, by the way. Despite having to justify it, NFL executives can and will still do what they were always going to do… George McCaskey knew what he had to do where the Ray McDonald signing was concerned, and sort of attempted to do it. If it didn’t work—and it really, really didn’t work—it is only partially because McCaskey is a ridiculous know-nothing clown.
That said, this is very much the work of that man…
McCaskey did not try to talk to McDonald’s accusers because, “an alleged victim, I think—much like anybody else who has a bias in this situation—there’s a certain amount of discounting in what they have to say.”… Which is not to say that McCaskey felt any special responsibility; to the contrary, he took issue with the thought of it. “To me,” McCaskey said, “there’s an element of reverse sexism there.”…
More at the link. As Mr. Pierce has said in other context, one despairs of the rebranding.
Baud
Maybe I’m too tired right now, but the writing in that excerpt seemed like Palin-speak.
Roger Moore
@Baud:
It could definitely use an editor. And maybe a different writer.
jl
I am more concerned that McDonald be held responsible for his actions, both past and present, than that he can never play football again because of allegations in the past (assuming that those allegations in the past were responsibly and completely investigated, otherwise he shouldn’t play until a good investigation is completed).
But at the end of the excerpt I read McCaskey say “there’s an element of reverse sexism there.”, so I don;t have much confidence McDonald will be held responsible for his future actions while playing for the Bears.
And McCaskey’s pic in the link screams ‘exasperated and sleazy junk bond salesman’ to me.
raven
lamh36
BillinGlendaleCA
@raven: So what does thrice married Newt say?
jl
@efgoldman: That is very true. There were men and women who just happened to be living with long time ‘friends’ though, who just happened to be of the same sex. That they were living very chastely goes without saying, of course. Because this was back in the ‘old times’.
scav
@efgoldman: Apparently there’s a profit to be made in bigbox mobs. Aisle three, bottom shelf. The house brand is on sale this week, two-for-one.
EriktheRed
Check out the asshole who posted the first comment after the story.
Baud
@EriktheRed:
Go ahead and check me out. I’m awesome.
Gin & Tonic
The people whose money supports the NFL know exactly what it is, and they don’t care. I don’t get the outrage.
jl
@raven:
‘ Newt Gingrich thinks the opposition to religious freedom bills in Indiana and Arkansas and the claim that they encourage anti-LGBT discrimination is an example of a liberal “lynch mob” ‘
Why would Lil’ Newtie bother to open his yap about it? Maybe he’ll run for 2016. That would be fun. Wouldn’t be a real GOP primary without Newtie.
schrodinger's cat
I made the mistake of reading Cardinal Chunky Bobo’s blog about the Indiana issue. My eyes started glazing over after about two paragraphs. So many words so little meaning.
Baud
@schrodinger’s cat:
I don’t read him. Is that unusual?
Cervantes
@raven, quoting:
Of course, he does. Of course, he does.
Anyhow, Anne Laurie asked:
A long and quiet moment with no Republicans in it:
OK, so maybe I lied: I guess Republicans do object to extraordinary migratory feats.
Anyhow, that was the abstract; the paper was published this week by the Royal Society: “Transoceanic migration by a 12 g songbird,” William V. DeLuca et al., Biology Letters, 11:4 (April, 2015).
lamh36
I freaking love the muppets!
Alright ole BJ fogies…I’m sure even ya’ll have heard of the Humpty Dance right…lol
Digital Underground | The Humpty Dance | Muppets Version: https://youtu.be/whFc4xtSD3w via @YouTube
the Conster
@jl:
LOL. My Republican FIL lived next to “the girls next door” for 35 years. The “girls” were both professional educators – a professor and a high level college administrator. It didn’t occur to him until “the girls next door” sold their house in the early 90s and moved away together, that they maybe weren’t just friends. No shit, he didn’t even consider the possibility, and why he and my MIL had never been invited over. He had a “light dawning over Marblehead” moment, because… girls. Mind.blown.
kindness
Ray McDonald will help the Bears defense, but will he help the Bears team? Hurt the Niners to let him go. But we had to. I figured someone would pick him up. Let us hope he doesn’t do anything really stupid now.
NotMax
@raven
A fallacy.
raven
@NotMax: Did you catch Elevator to the Gallows?
schrodinger's cat
@Baud: I don’t usually read him, so I don’t know.
jl
@lamh36:
Thanks. Catchy.
Why all the chickens, or are they turkeys? I saw one real live red rooster involved.
Tree With Water
..”the anti-football agenda.” ….It also advances the idea that the NFL is football, and that to criticize the NFL is to denigrate the sport to which this league has an exclusive franchise that it steadfastly refuses to earn. This is a false distinction, but a telling one”.
Between the concussion crisis, and what I assume will be the further alienation of its significant female fan base, the NFL is headed for a fall. The only question in my mind is how big will it be?
Gin & Tonic
@jl: There were men and women who just happened to be living with long time ‘friends’ though, who just happened to be of the same sex
Ages ago, when I was very young, my parents took my sister and me to dinner several times at the apartment of an old, dear friend of theirs, where he lived with his friend and roommate, “Bill.” The place was *fabulous*, of course, and I was fascinated by “Bill’s” patrician southern accent. I had no clue, of course. I just recall that many years later, in the course of some casual conversation, I asked my mother if they were gay, and she looked at me as if to ask “did I raise a total moron?” The patrician accent, it turned out, was because “Bill” was from old Charleston money (is there any other kind?) He ended up dying of alcoholism, I think, because he didn’t get along with his family (because of his sexuality.)
Zinsky
This misguided legislation is not about allowing people to exercise thier religious freedom. It is about allowing people to impose their religious beliefs on others. That is the antithesis of “freedom”. As with so many issues, modern conservatives have it 180 degrees back asswards.
jl
@Tree With Water: Football has never been the same after they outlawed the flying wedge Ruined the game. Used to be a real man’s game, not this sissy stuff we have today.
FlyingToaster
@efgoldman: Other than the retired
couple“brothers” who babysat us and let my dad park his Bug in their garage when the thermometer got below 0.BGinCHI
Generally I can’t stand the NFL, but when I do root, I root for the Packers.
Fuck the Bears. Almost as bad as the Cubs now.
gogol's wife
@raven:
I got through an hour and a half of Zazie dans le Métro (same director). I didna get it.
jl
@Gin & Tonic: I remember several pairs of family ‘friends’ who had some land up in the Sierra foothills. Used to deliver hay to two ‘old gals’ who ran a ranch together and had been ‘paling around’ together for years. Anyway, that is how people talked about it when i was a kid.
Violet
Kind of funny April Fools’ Day prank:
Redshift
@raven:
I agree with Newt that the outrage is much too selective. It would be nice if we could get this much intensity with blanket outrage at all Republican actions, but it’s still better than nothing.
That was what he was complaining about, right?
NotMax
@lamh36
Kermit… in drag.
NotMax
@raven
Nope. Naptime raged out of control.
jl
@jl: Only time I remember anyone going to speculating about one of these pairs, they got a chorus of ‘Aw hell, they own a damn ranch up there, where do ya expeck ’em to live? And they good people. What the hell… is it business a yours?”
grandpa john
@Gin & Tonic: My wife and I had a Friend named Bill who was also from old Charleston money. He lived with his business manager. This was doing our time on the Art and Craft show circuit. Bill was probably our best friend on the road, and always insisted to the show managers that we have our booths side by side. His craft was art he was that good at what he did and was friends with everyone he met. Haven’t seen him and years but still think about him.
He was a true example of the class and demeanor that many gay people have. he never pushed it or flaunted it, was always a gentleman and gentle person. He would be welcome in my house anytime.
CONGRATULATIONS!
When Mr. McDonald is proven guilty in a court of law, let me know, I’ll judge the team’s action then.
Innocent unless proven guilty.
NotMax
@jl
Remembering the touching episode of All in the Family revolving around Edith’s recently deceased aunt.
Doug r
@efgoldman: what’s with this having different players on offense and defense? And special teams?- don’t get me started
cokane
it’s really impossible to get thru David Roth’s writing, it’s just and endless wave of preening moralizing. Am I the only one who finds it insufferable?
Mike J
I still don’t like the idea of replacing the justice system with employers.
Mike J
@efgoldman: Which doesn’t make it right. I didn’t like the motel owner firing a clerk because she brought bad media attention on the place either.
Violet
Do you guys remember the post about the dog Nya who needed surgery because she had a diaphragmatic hernia and her insides had migrated into her chest cavity? The fundraiser finishes in less than 24 hours. Anything you can kick in would be appreciated.
The good news is, Nya is currently in a foster-to-adopt situation and her hernia has completely healed. Sweet new picture of her in that last link.
jl
@efgoldman:
What kind of language is that? Suppos’ a be:
” An’ youse can’ neven punch a guy inna mout’, or gouge his eyezzout, or twiss ‘is fukkinee, or hid ‘im widda b1ackjack upsida head, nor nottin’…”
And if I may say, I found your misuse of the last ‘or’ particularly vulgar and inappropriate.
Anyways, fuhball ain’ waddit yoousabee, fuh shuryah
Amir Khalid
@efgoldman:
In this case, the motel worker spoke to the reporter only because her boss told her to. When the story came out, the boss didn’t like it, so he fired her out of petulance.
Gin & Tonic
@efgoldman: Johnsons run a tight ship.
Groucho48
@Baud:
I think he’s talking about the racist, sexist pig who was the first commenter on the linked story.
burnspbesq
The U.S. Attorney for D.C. has decided not to prosecute Lois Lerner for contempt of Congress; says she properly invoked her Fifth Amendment privilege in refusing to testify before Darrell Issa’s witch-hunt.
Thr usual suspects are outraged.
burnspbesq
@Zinsky:
You must not have gotten your new copy of the Constitution–the one with the Establishment Clause and the Fourth, Fifth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments removed–yet.
negative 1
@jl: @CONGRATULATIONS!: Ray McDonald probably isn’t the poster child for this everyone is looking for. The first allegations never made it to court, and the second allegations seem so flimsy there’s supposedly a good chance that Ray may win his defamation suit. In neither instance is there any supposed evidence making him guilty. The Greg Hardy case won’t make it to trial either, but in that instance there is supposedly enough evidence for the NFL to warrant disciplining him without a trial, as they supposedly will.
This is why these accusations can be dangerous — there is no evidence that Ray McDonald did anything wrong, and there is some evidence that he is being falsely accused. You may suspect he is a creep, but that’s a wide gulf between ‘should have his career taken from him’ and ‘would never really want to be friends with him’. Either way, I believe innocent until proven guilty should be the law of the land — oh yeah, it was once.
kc
@Baud:
Maybe the author was getting paid by the word.