Content available exclusively for subscribers
The Jets have a potential PR disaster on their hands, and it will be fascinating to see what they do about it . . .
In the fifth round of the 2013 draft, the Jets picked University of Virginia offensive tackle Oday Aboushi.
A very upset Jets season ticket holder reached out to me today, and said, “Did you see the Aboushi story?”
I had not.
So I found it, and read it.
Here is a little of the column that the season-ticket holder was referring to.
This is some of what columnist Joe Kaufman wrote for a publication called Front Page Magazine –
“Aboushi has been touted as being the first Palestinian-American player in the National Football League (NFL), but his radical behavior since being drafted by the New York Jets less than three months ago could get him sent home early. His latest infraction was made as he gave a speech at a radical Muslim conference sponsored by a group denying Israel’s right to exist and associated with blatantly anti-Semitic and terrorist propaganda.
“When the New York Jets chose offensive lineman Oday Aboushi in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft, they did so because of Aboushi’s athletic skills. It seems, though, that his personal life was not a consideration, at least not enough to stop the team from picking him. Problems in the NFL usually revolve around drugs or alcohol abuse or players being bad influences in the locker rooms. Aboushi’s problem is an unusual one for pro sports. He’s a Muslim extremist.
“In January, Aboushi posted a photo to his personal Twitter page depicting an old woman looking down while three clearly Orthodox Jews converse with one another in the background. The photo, which is attributed to the anti-Israel publication Middle East Monitor (MEM), was part of a large-scale smear campaign against the Jewish state. The caption over Aboushi’s tweet reads, “88 year-old Palestinian evicted from home in Jerusalem by Israel authorities to make room 4 Orthodox Jews.
“On April 19th, just one week prior to the draft, Aboushi praised a conference sponsored by Islamic Relief (IR), a charity that the Israeli government has labeled a front for Hamas and that has been cited for both receiving and giving huge sums of money to al-Qaeda related groups.
“Only weeks after the draft, Aboushi tweeted the following: “65th anniversary of the Nakba and palestinians all across the world are still thriving.” For persons unaware of the term “Nakba,” the statement might seem innocuous, but for those who care about Israel, the term is a very dangerous and provocative one. The Nakba or Catastrophe is a derogatory reference to Israel’s May 1948 founding as an independent Jewish state. It is used to spread enmity against Israel and to fuel terrorist attacks from groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
“Lest anyone believe this was an honest misunderstanding on Aboushi’s part, Aboushi solidified his extreme anti-Israelism late last month when he was a featured speaker at a conference run by an organization which denies Israel’s existence and associates with those involved in violence against her citizens.”
You get the picture.
Look, I’m not going to get into the politics of the Israeli-Palestinian issue. That isn’t what this website is all about. People go to sports websites to get away from this stuff.
But I’m going to get into a potential big problem for the Jets.
Of course, Aboushi is entitled to his opinion and his First Amendment rights. That is one of the great things about living in a free country.
However, while Aboushi’s has the right to express himself, his actions present a potential public relations and business issue for the Jets.
The Jets have a huge Jewish fan base. The New York City metropolitan area is home to the largest Jewish community of the world outside of Israel.
The Jets have so many Jewish fans, they actually changed the start time of a game a couple of years ago to accommodate these fans on a holiday.
Once again, I want to reiterate, I’m not getting involved in the politics here, so please don’t right me nasty letters.
The fan who called me is Jewish. He and his son are very upset about this Aboushi story.
I’m telling you, there are fans out there who are going to turn on the Jets regarding this issue unless they do something about it.
Kaufman has called on the Jets to release Aboushi.
“Given the actions he continues to engage in and the dangerous persons and groups he chooses is to surround himself with, the Jets must change the game plan they originally had when they took Oday Aboushi in the 2013 NFL Draft and release this player. In the end, those individuals Aboushi truly wishes to protect may very well be the ones we have to worry about the most.”
I don’t think releasing Aboushi is the way to go, but John Idzik probably needs to sit him down, and ask him to back away from the political activism.
Not because Aboushi doesn’t have the right to voice his opinion.
But because the Jets are a business, and he could do damage to that business.
And Aboushi just signed a four-year contract for $2.36 million with the Jets. He works for Woody Johnson, so it doesn’t behoove him to damage the owner’s business.
Here are a couple of reactions to the Kaufman story from some fans –
Jack Diamond wrote – “The Jets are inviting publicity that will make the Tebow episode seem tame.”
Kamsinger responded – “Hate Speech is NOT FREE (speech). It’s incitement. Jets should lose this 5th round lowlife.”
The Jets are having a hard enough time selling tickets right now, they don’t need extra challenges like this.
One factor that will help Aboushi and the Jets a little on this front – I don’t see any sportswriters criticizing Aboushi or the Jets over this.
I don’t think they will go there, out of fear, or their own politics.
I think the criticism will come from some political writers.
It will be interesting to see how the Jets handle this.
But they probably need to do something before it mushrooms.
July 10, 2013
Premium will return by 9:3o pm on Thursday.