Statute of Limitations?

Howland937

Active member
So I follow sports, even though I can't stand professional athletes for the most part.
An NFL head coach just resigned his position because of language he used in private emails (not a public employee) prior to accepting the job he just left. His disparaging remarks dating back as much as 11 years ago became a scandal after they were released to news outlets, resulting in his resignation. The language is labeled as "insensitive, misogynistic, anti-gay, and racial tropes".

Whether you care for the coach (I don't) or not, how many of you would like to be judged by today's standards for language you used in the past? A lot of phrases that were commonly accepted 10 years ago no longer are. It's hard to keep track of what words, hand gestures, and facial expressions are offensive these days...much less predicting which ones may be a decade or more from now.

And yet folks are always judging the past by the standards of the present. The heroes of yester-year don't hold up under the scrutiny of today's values. If you believe in heaven, it must be disappointing knowing that virtually none of our forefathers or ancestors will be there awaiting your arrival, as they've been condemned to hell for not meeting (insert non-binary human pronoun thing here) current interpretation of worthiness. They've all committed unforgivable sins, because at the time they weren't considered sins and therefore didn't seek forgiveness.
 

Howland937

Active member
He was just the latest example. Dave Chappelle is another, but you can go right down the list.
Most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the majority of our former presidents. When held to today's standards, our nation's heroes are villainized for things that were considered normal and accepted for the time.
 

wiscoaster

Well-known member
This is one of the reasons why it should be recognized that there actually are absolutes: things that don't change their realities with changing times, and therefore have the same meaning today as any time in the past.
 

theotherwaldo

Well-known member
Just wait.
Next, anyone that has ever driven a non-electric car, flown in an aircraft or wore leather shoes will be de=humanized and de-platformed... .
 

roscoe

Well-known member
He forwarded images of women (WFT cheerleaders) photographed nude/topless without their consent. That is probably prosecutable. He was a mediocre coach (who inherited his best team from Tony Dungy, a much better coach) and general loudmouthed moron, so good riddance.

But you all are missing the real story here. That story is the other 650,000 emails the NFL acquired as part of the WFT investigation that they are not releasing. Like, the original emails with the images sent to him from Bruce Allen, that Gruden forwarded to his buddies. The NFL is declining to release all that material.
 

wiscoaster

Well-known member
But you all are missing the real story here. That story is the other 650,000 emails the NFL acquired as part of the WFT investigation that they are not releasing. Like, the original emails with the images sent to him from Bruce Allen, that Gruden forwarded to his buddies. The NFL is declining to release all that material.
Ya, probably taking their cue from how the DOJ handled the Hillary and Hunter emails ....
 

Howland937

Active member
Without a doubt, what Gruden did was immature at best. Some of his actions may very well be criminal as well. He didn't get thrown to the wolves because he forwarded titty pics though. It wasn't due to insensitive comments about POC either. He was offered up by the same organization who has historically been everything he's accused of because of his comments about the commissioner.

When certain behavior is largely accepted for years by certain people, they should never have the right to brow beat anyone just for being a little later to the party than they were.

As for the emails, they leaked what they needed to fit their narrative. Its the same NFL that's been granted exclusion from anti-trust law by our government. Why wouldn't they use the same tactics?
 
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