USA Today: Crackdown on Racially-charged Taunting spurred by Trent Williams

[tshile]

John Wooten called Wednesday's emphatic crackdown on eliminating abusive and racially-charged taunting "a tremendous victory for the league."

"It is going to change the culture," Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance that monitors the league's diversity policies, told USA TODAY Sports. "I applaud Jeff Fisher, Rich McKay, Ozzie Newsome and the rest of the competition committee for stepping up. The young guys coming into the league are going to know they can't call each other the N-word. It's another form of bullying.
...
Wooten said the incident that spurred his Fritz Pollard Alliance to write a letter to the competition committee to clean up the game stems from a November Philadelphia Eagles-Washington Redskins game when Redskins left tackle Trent Williams was accused of a racial epithet directed at umpire Roy Ellison, who is also African-American. Williams denied the charge.

Wooten said because Ellison reacted by yelling an expletive at Williams instead of throwing a flag for an unsportsmanlike penalty, the umpire was suspended for one game.

"If you talk to officials or (vice president of officials) Dean Blandino, the disrespect runs rampant out there," Wooten said. "It's horrible. Taunting calls have escalated."

Not anymore.
...

More at the link:
John Wooten: NFL's crackdown on racially-charged taunting a 'tremendous victory'

I only posted the part pertaining to Trent Wililams. John Wooten is the Chairman of an organization dedicated to pushing for tolerance and diversity in the NFL and aims to protect black players in the league. In the Trent Williams incident both individuals are black. The accusations are that Trent Williams used a racial epithet directed at the ref, and that this is what caused them to write a letter and ultimate push for this new rule change/direction.

It's a bit weird seeing as how Wililams was never punished (I don't believe he was fined?) and the ref was the one punished by being suspended for 1 game - but it seems a bit weird that Wooten would be making this up or didn't do due diligence on the matter.

Williams has denied the accusation.

 

[Fear The Spear]

Maybe Trent should just stick to smacking people when he's upset, as he did with Richard Sherman, rather than verbal ?
As he wasn't punished for the smack, was he ?

 

[tshile]

Yeah he was fined for that. The fine schedule for that uses odd numbers, think it was, 7800 or so.

 

[fansince62]

but using the N-word in the locker-room will be A ok?

 

[Special K]

Maybe Trent should just stick to smacking people when he's upset, as he did with Richard Sherman, rather than verbal ?
As he wasn't punished for the smack, was he ?

Yeah, he was fined some measly amount. Secretly, but not so secretly, hope he does it again

 

[tshile]

but using the N-word in the locker-room will be A ok?

I haven't heard anything about the locker room. Not sure how they could police it.

 

[Ax]

If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen.

Trash talking between competitors is only limited by their tolerance, or imagination.

Hell, it happens here. I know people who are much more offended by someone talking about their mother, than their race.

But, I'm sure the further pussification of man will continue. Some welcome it. I don't.

 

[fansince62]

I haven't heard anything about the locker room. Not sure how they could police it.

happens all the time. for me..it's a tough issue. there is basic respect. on the hand, I just don't like the speech policing function...especially when it's so situationally dependent. it's an impossible standard to apply.

 

[CounterTrey]

This is one I will never get. I'm not an NFL pro obviously but I am SUPER competitive and will run my mouth on the field when an opponent starts running theirs. But racism and cussing people out? Sorry that's over the top, childish and in my league warrants a foul and/or possible ejection. We have all kinds of jerkoffs who run their mouths incessantly either whining about calls or trying to get in opponents heads. But the racism doesn't fly (had a teammate call an opponent an "beaner" and we worked the guy six ways from Sunday for it and didn't invite him back to the team the following season), so i continue to remain perplexed as to why this is "necessary" for grown men who are supposedly professional. Freakin act professional and if you can't don't whine when you get nailed for it, this isn't Pop Warner, you're getting payed millions. act like you're man enough to handle it. I don't think acting professional weakens the league at all or is the equivalent of wussing down the league. The rules for contact with WR's and QB wusses down the league, eliminating the wedge or kickoffs altogether wusses the league down this makes it less childish and offensive...nothing more.

Oh I also don't see why this is such a hard concept to accept in terms of enforcement. It's simple really...ref hears it, you get the flag. Don't want the flag? Don't use the word. This isn't a free speech issue, it's a class issue. They are free to be racist douchebags all they want, they're just going to have to pay a fine for it now. No threat to their livelihood, no threat to their freedom or right to speak, just consequences for what they might choose to say. That's the way the whole rest of the business world operates. About time the kids came and sat at the adult table.

 

[Boone]

There's no such thing as 'free speech' in the workplace. Try your hand at 'free speech' at your job today and let me know how that work out for you

The problem with the NFL is that it has disregarded the basic evolution of workplace management for 30 years and it's now catching up to them.

 

[ntotoro]

There's no such thing as 'free speech' in the workplace. Try your hand at 'free speech' at your job today and let me know how that work out for you

The problem with the NFL is that it has disregarded the basic evolution of workplace management for 30 years and it's now catching up to them.

A workspace is much like yelling "fire" in a movie theater.

You can say it, but there could be possible consequences based on their rules. The first amendment doesn't apply to the private sector, only what a government's power is limited.

Nick