Is NFL's Crackdown On Apparent Gang Signs An Overreaction?

NFL Cracking Down On Players Making Potential Gang-Related Hand Signals

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING? ESPN.com’s Jeff Chadiha said, “I’m sure there are some players in the NFL who do flash gang signs, but I just don’t see why this is a huge deal. The average fan is not going to understand a sign or be scared by it. ... I give the NFL credit for being proactive, I just think there are bigger issues for them to focus on” (“Jim Rome Is Burning,” ESPN, 7/17). In Nashville, David Climer writes, "Where do you draw the line? One man's gang sign might be another man's shout-out to his pals back home." Climer: "Frankly, it's hard to believe that NFL [HQs] can get up to speed on our changing culture in time to make any difference." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell may have "brought in experts on gang issues to review the tape, but Goodell doesn't have a lot of street cred on this subject" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 7/18). But Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti said, “If there’s a perception problem a league has to address it.” ESPN.com's Jackie MacMullan: “To me it’s just another example of Roger Goodell taking the pulse of his league and making sure they do things the right way” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 7/17). Boston Globe reporter Nick Cafardo: "This is one thing that’s caught their eye. You have the resources to do it, so why not check into it?” (“The Globe 10.0,” NESN, 7/17).

NFLPA: With the NFLPA players' exec committee recently holding a meeting without Exec Dir Gene Upshaw and President Kevin Mawae, SI.com's Ross Tucker wrote, "The players need to remember what Upshaw did in the latest round of negotiations and allow him to do his job this time around as well." However, the union should not be precluded from "beginning to search for his eventual successor." Upshaw has been "clear he opposes the naming of the successor, apparently because he thinks it will weaken the union's position in negotiations." He also appears to "feel threatened by the idea of working with his eventual replacement." But Tucker wrote it makes "perfect sense to begin to find and groom Upshaw's eventual replacement now, so he can learn under Upshaw's stead and take part in what will likely be very contentious negotiations as the owners attempt to take back some of the gains the players have made" (SI.com, 7/17).

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