The Naked Redskin

It seems to me that today’s athletes are less and less concerned with their images. Professional athletes are supposed to be role models and conduct themselves in a good manner in the public eye. Whether it be football or baseball, these sports are America’s favorite past times. These athletes worked so hard to get to where they are, I just don’t understand why they would say something stupid in the media to damage their reputations.

Michael Vick was the quarterback or the Atlanta Falcons before he was arrested for dog-fighting and gambling. This man was a star in the eyes of his fans, but when the public became aware of his acts, his reputation was ruined. Another example is the Vince Young situation. This rookie quarterback for the Titans has been in the media for the last week because of his so-called depression. Although Young denied that he was depressed or made any statements about the situation, the story came out in the media. So even if the allegations are not true, in the public eye, Young seems like a depressed rookie who can’t handle the big leagues. Also, I want to discuss Clinton Portis from the Washington Red Skins. A former Red Skin named Brian Mitchell was conducting his radio show and began to talk about Portis in a negative way. Now instead of handling himself in a professional way, Portis called the radio station yelling at Brian Mitchell. Obviously this was not a good move on Portis’s part, and he could have handled the situation much more maturely. And lastly, but probably the most absurd, is Chris Cooley’s blog. Cooley displayed plays from his team while posing naked and then posted the picture on his website. Obviously the picture was taken down, but not before fans and media could get a hold of it. There are two problems with this issue. First, why would Cooley ever post pictures of his playbook before he was about to play? Second, why was he naked? The entire situation was ridiculous and made Cooley look very immature and asinine.

I don’t know why people work so hard just to throw things away. Vick may play football again, but it will be after his 23 month jail time period. Young will come back and play for the Titans when his body heals but from now on, his mental state will be challenged. Portis’ career won’t be affected by his conflict, but his actions cannot be taken back. And as for Cooley, he will now be seen as the Naked Redskin. Now after all that work, determination, hours of practicing, and years of staying healthy, these players still risk their dreams for stupid minor details. It doesn’t make sense to me, but then again I’m not a professional athlete, so who am I to judge…