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The NFL Players Association is a very important union.
In such a violent sport, with 100 percent injury rate, and many players having lifetime health issues after playing, you need a strong union to protect their rights.
But one issue I have with the NFLPA is that sometimes, they seem to often get involved fighting frivolous issues instead of fighting more vigorously on the big ticket issues.
Like for instance, instead of being so concerned with cutting back on off-season work, an initiative that is bad for their young rank and file which needs the reps, how about negotiating better college bargaining agreements that give the players a bigger piece of the pie and guarantees more of their money?
I’m sure many of you have seen the report that came out this week ranking the working environments for all 32 NFL teams, based on players’ surveys, and the Jets ownership got an “F.”
Why?
“They talked about the culture — it’s a problem, top down,” NFLPA chief strategy officer J.C. Tretter said at the combine. “[The players said,] ‘It’s a culture of fear here.’ And I think that stood out in those grades.
Yes, the Jets have had a culture problem for the last couple of years.
No doubt about it.
But to call it a “culture of fear” is absurd.
How do you have a “culture of fear” when players aren’t held accountable?
When was Michael Clemons ever held accountable for his behavior on the field – like fights and jumping on piles late drawing flags?
After the pile jump, I made a point of looking at the sidelines through my binoculars from the press box to see if a coach talked to him. Didn’t see one. It was like nothing had happened.
Last summer, in Charlotte, when the Jets trained with the Panthers for a day, Clemons got into a fight in practice with running back Michael Boone. He wasn’t even pulled for a play to cool down. He was right back out for the next rep against the Panthers’ offense. It was shocking.
Remember in the summer of 2022, in a Jets-Eagles preseason game, Jets linebacker Quincy Williams hit Eagles QB Jalen Hurts after he had taken multiple steps out of bounds on a first-quarter scramble? He was given a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness and was fined $10,609 by the NFL.
It was a troubling play, especially in a preseason game and involving the other team’s franchise QB. The Eagles went nuts on the sideline.
Williams wasn’t pulled, at least for a few plays. He stayed in for the rest of the series.
Williams is a good player, and not a dirty one, but this was a terrible play, a poor decision, and in “cultures of fear” you pay a price for this. Your butt goes on the bench for a while.
I used to joke when Bill Parcells was coaching, if a player committed a dumb penalty, he would put into Mapquest – “What is the best route back to the sidelines to avoid Bill Parcells.” Why? Because he would rip you a new one.
Parcells had a “culture of fear.”
Bill Belichick had a “culture of fear” in New England where he won six rings.
Bear Bryant, Bobby Knight, Vince Lombardi – “cultures of fear.”
The Jets did have a culture problem last year. The players were right to say that in their survey, but fear had nothing to do with it.
How do you have a “culture of fear” when players never fear for their jobs when they repeatedly screw up? Who did the prior regime ever cut anybody for repeated bad plays to send a message? I will hang up and listen.
Look, one of the reasons Aaron Glenn was hired was to bring accountability and discipline to Florham Park, something that was lacking under the prior regime.
In fact, you could argue there will be more of a “culture of fear” under Glenn than they had last year.
Yes, the culture was messed up, in part due to non-football people meddling in football decisions too much, but it was not a “culture of fear.”
If you were ever in the Jets locker room during the week, even during long losing streaks, it was a light, happy atmosphere, guys having fun with each other and playing corn hole and ping pong.
It wasn’t like they were fearful of anybody coming in the clubhouse and saying – “Knock it off.”
Last thing – you know who had a “culture of fear” – George Steinbrenner, with all those great Yankee teams.
Everybody was always fearful of “The Boss.”
“Cultures of fear” in pro sports aren’t always bad – it often leads to more accountability.
February 27, 2025
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