Done With The NFL

Imagine being so passionate about something that you created and operated a website about this topic for 23 years. 23! I mean, what websites can you think of from around 1997 that are still active today? Anyway, you spent countless hours establishing content, searching for videos, and moderating a message board for like-minded fans. Welcome to McMillen and Wife's Pittsburgh Steelers website! I only recently discovered this gem with nearly 50 years of videos and descriptions of Steelers games. It really is a fun place to explore, particularly if you want to watch complete Steelers games from the last few decades. The site also includes pictures of McMillen and his wife and various family members wearing Steelers gear. Basically, it's safe to assume that McMillen and wife are passionate Steelers fans. Well, until Monday. 

Did McMillen decide that he finally had enough of non-guaranteed contracts for players? NFL players have the shortest careers of any of the big four American sports leagues in part because of the high injury rates including head injuries. Was McMillen fed up with NFL players getting arrested (and sometimes suspended) for domestic violence, yet still being allowed to play again? You know, I'll let McMillen explain for himself.

Yes, it's the over-politicization of football which is why McMillen is done and not coming back. I'm sure that McMillen is tired of Presidents and former Presidents attending Super Bowls and even conducting the coin toss to start these games. Maybe he doesn't like Super Bowl-winning teams visiting the White House. Perhaps he's tired of military members and veterans being honored during every game. You know, it's possible that McMillen is absolutely distraught about the NFL and the Steelers raising awareness and funds for cancer, autism, veterans, and other causes. That's too political for McMillen. I mean cancer is terrible. I don't want to think about cancer when all I want to see is if the Steelers can beat the Browns. He probably also hated seeing Ryan Shazier on TV during Steelers games at various points over the last few years. He's fortunate to walk again. Why get reminded about that when all that you wanted was a reprieve from the realities of life?

It's not any of these things though, is it? It's about players trying to have a voice and creating awareness and change. I mentioned a few years ago that one of my fantasy football leagues ended because, as a veteran, one of the members didn't like the protest by some players against the flag. However, as we've seen even more clearly over the last few months, it's not really about the flag. Imagine being so upset about the Steelers holding a banner that says Steelers Against Racism that you can't watch the NFL anymore. Too political. 

Is McMillen so distraught about the Steelers having stickers on their helmets in memory of Antwon Rose II, that he refuses to watch TJ Watt, Bud Dupree, and the Steelers' pass rush? I don't want to get into the Rose case too much, because I'll admit that I don't know as much about it as I should. However, our country was founded with a judicial system and the right to a fair trial. Even if someone is presumed guilty of a crime, even a heinous crime, that doesn't give the police the authority to shoot an unarmed suspect.

I'm sure that McMillen has his reasons for not wanting to watch the Steelers or the NFL anymore. It could be a variety of all of this. Maybe it's as simple as realizing that he spent too much time on football and wants to enjoy quiet by doing jigsaw puzzles of scenic landscapes instead. That's not political and definitely provides a reprieve from the realities of life. In that case, good for him. 

Assuming that McMillen isn't watching the NFL anymore because of what he views as politics, he's not alone. If you're on Twitter and Facebook, you'll see plenty of posts criticizing the players. Apparently, as Mike Pence showed us, peaceful protests are fine and encouraged as long as they don't interrupt sporting events or are political.

Look, I'm not going to pretend that I understand what many players are going through. As a white male, I don't have the same fear and experiences that others have. Maybe you believe that the media is blowing things out of proportion. That it's just a few bad apples. I know that nothing I'm going to write here is going to change your mind. However, read what retired Pittsburgh Steeler Ramon Foster wrote just after the death of George Floyd. Listen to the incredible actor Giancarlo Esposito in the 30:00 to 37:00 mark of this interview. So when the Steelers hold up a banner or when NBA, MLB, and even NHL games are postponed in protest, it's hard to think that it's just isolated incidents. It's players saying enough is enough, and that change is needed in this country.

So if players standing arm-in-arm before kick-off, staying in the locker room during the national anthem, or even kneeling during the anthem is so political that you can't watch Patrick Mahomes throw touchdown passes, celebrate a Steelers win, or even feel awful for Steelers offensive lineman Zach Banner needing surgery and ending his season because it adds to your stress, keep working on those jigsaw puzzles.

Cameo

There is a website called Cameo where you can pay for personalized messages by celebrities. This is an absolutely brilliant idea. The phrase "absolutely brilliant" should only be said in a British accent. Anyway, I've explored the website a little lately, and I can probably spend many more hours there. Here's what I found so far.

The first item I searched for was Pittsburgh Steelers. Naturally, Hall of Famers like Jerome Bettis ($300), Rod Woodson ($175), Dermontti Dawson ($100) were the most expensive. I feel like Arthur Moats ($25) and my new favorite player Zach Banner ($35) are bargains. I also believe that either Merril Hoge ($60) isn't charging enough or Xavier Grimble ($60) is charging too much. As a bit of a tangent, a few weeks ago, Steelers Depot posted this quote from Terry Bradshaw on Twitter, "The most money I ever made was $300,000. And back then you were paying fifty cents of that to the government, so add it up. Everything I had, I had to borrow money. I even mortgaged my NFL contract to buy a ranch and a tractor and a cutter to cut hay. Why did I mention this? Bradshaw is charging $500 for a Cameo!

You may remember the song "Say Hey I Love You" by Michael Franti and Spearhead from about a decade ago.



I'll admit that I only know Franti from this song, so I was surprised that a Cameo from him is $175 while one from Mya, who may be best known from batting lead-off in Lady Marmalade, but who also appeared in movies and Dancing With The Stars is $150.

Flavor Flav was a member of Public Enemy and starred in the reality television dating show Flavor of Love. When I first drafted this post, a Cameo from Flavor Flav was $350. Apparently, there is now a sale on getting a message from Flav as the price is $250.

Let's say that you want to get a message from a former world leader. Well, you're in luck! Just get a Cameo from former President of Mexico, Vicente Fox for $255. Want to get a message from a former state leader who served time in jail? You're in luck again! Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is on here for $80 (or slightly less than a Merril Hoge / Arthur Moats combo). By the way, if Donald Trump loses in November, I can easily see him charging $1000 per video, and if that happens, I hope someone has him say "person, woman, man, camera, TV" over and over again. (This statement makes more sense when you watch the amazing rambling that starts around the 2:30 mark of this video.)



Pittsburgh Pirates fans! I know there are still some of us out there. 2018 first round draft pick Travis Swaggerty could be a bargain at $15. Former Pirate Aramis Ramirez is definitely a bargain at $15. 2020 opening day starter Joe Musgrove is $50. Trevor Williams was $25 and Cole Tucker was $50, but they're now both temporarily unavailable. Maybe they're too busy with the start of the season. Actually, if Musgrove has a bad start on Friday, I'm blaming it on the fact that he's too busy being on Cameo and not spending enough time watching videos to prepare for the game!

Andrew McCutchen is on there for $150. I mention this for all of the Penguins fans out there. Cutch was an MVP for the Pirates. Alex Galchenyuk played a whopping 45 games for the Pens this season before getting traded in February to the Minnesota Wild for Jason Zucker. In his 8 NHL seasons, Galchenyuk has 108 goals and 147 assists. That's not bad, but Galchenyuk has never been an all star. I mention this because, although his Cameo is temporarily unavailable, it costs $180 to get one from him. There's no world where anything associated with Galchenyuk should be worth more than anything associated with McCutchen. He's just so cool.

Otherwise, the Penguins are vastly underrepresented on Cameo. George Laraque is available for $70, Frank Corrado who played 7 games for the Pens is there for $10, while penguins at the Philadelphia zoo is listed at $40. Sadly, it doesn't appear that the penguins actually talk much in the videos.



Finally, I noticed that there is a category for bloggers. And there are 768 bloggers listed! 768! This can't be correct since there are only about 100 active bloggers still writing. Maybe this is the way that I can finally make big money from my blog. How much would you pay for me to make a video wishing you a happy birthday or anniversary? I mean, I know that priceless is the likely answer, but how about $2000? Maybe $1000? I mean, the most money I ever made was $300,000 before taxes. I borrow money and even mortgaged my blogging contract to buy a ranch and a tractor and a cutter to cut hay, so I think I'll start asking for $500!

One more finally, finally. I can't have a post about Cameo without including this song.



Although this post was not sponsored by Cameo, I really wish that it was. Maybe the company will see this and let me send a message for free. I mean, it wouldn't be at the Terry Bradshaw or Flavor Flav level, but someone from Below Deck Mediterranean would be fine.

DeSean Jackson

DeSean Jackson has been one of the most exciting players in football over the last decade plus. One of the fastest players in the NFL, he led the league in receiving yards per reception four times in his 12-year career. He also has 5 1,000-yard seasons and 3 Pro-Bowl appearances. In addition, Jackson throwing an interception helped me win a fantasy football championship. (Now that Andy Reid won a Super Bowl with Kansas City, people think he's a genius, but I'll always remember Reid having his wide receiver throw the ball on 3rd and goal on a Monday night game.) Plus, DeSean Jackson is part of one of my favorite movie quotes from the last decade from the movie Silver Linings Playbook:



I remember there being two words between the and man with the first word being mother and the second not being appropriate for children. Maybe the NSFW video isn't on YouTube. Maybe I'm remembering it wrong.

Anyway, I'm getting way off topic. Last week, DeSean Jackson shared two (now deleted) disturbing, anti-Semitic posts on Instagram. Jackson apologized for these posts, likely because he rightfully got called out by many people including his employer, the Philadelphia Eagles. Personally, I found the apology to be fairly weak and likely done because the Eagles, his agent, and/or others close to him told him that this needed to happen. On Friday, the Eagles fined Jackson and provided this statement:

"This has been a difficult and emotional week for our community and organization," the team said in the statement. "The Philadelphia Eagles do not tolerate hate towards any individual or group. We believe in respect and equality for all races, ethnicities, and faiths. We as an organization want to help be an instrument for positive change. This can only occur through strong, deliberate actions and a commitment to learn and grow. 

"We have had a number of constructive conversations over the last few days, not only with DeSean Jackson, but also with many other players, members of the organization, and leaders in the community. That has led us to the point where we and he are ready to take the next steps."

"Today we have penalized DeSean for conduct detrimental to the team," the statement read. "He accepted these consequences and apologized. In our many conversations with him, it has also been made clear that this is only the beginning. We have discussed a concrete plan for how we and he can heal moving forward. He understands that in order to remain on the team, he must also commit to supporting his words with actions. We have been encouraged by his desire to educate himself, but we all understand that there is still a lot of work to be done. We will continue to assist DeSean in this process, and we also know that all of us in our organization need to listen and learn more about things that are unfamiliar or uncomfortable to us.

"We must continue to fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination, while not losing sight of the important battle against systemic racism."

Obviously, what Jackson posted was wrong. My question is whether a fine is necessary. How does Jackson grow and learn from being fined? Wouldn't the fine cause him to be more resentful? Now, should he lose sponsorships? Yes. Companies don't want someone paraphrasing Hitler pitching their products. Taking Jackson off of the team's 2021 calendar or removing his jersey from the online team store? Absolutely. But a fine? It seems to me that Jackson needs education, not a fine. Fortunately, education is happening. Jackson spoke with Holocaust survivor Edward Mosberg who invited him to visit Auschwitz.

Apparently, Jackson also spoke with New England Patriots WR Julian Edelman, who offered to take him to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC. I hope he also talks with NBA Hall of Famer Ray Allen who is (or at least was) on the US Holocaust Memorial Council.

I do want to end on a positive here. I've seen several NFL players speak out last week, including this video by Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Zach Banner. I already liked him because of his personality and because he plays for the Steelers but now he's one of my all-time favorite players.