Hot Topic: Ray Rice Suspended by the NFL and Contract Terminated by the Ravens....

I am aware it has been a long time since I have posted to this blog.  I recently started up a food blog From the Keyboard to the Kitchen, and I have been putting a lot of my blogging efforts there.  Mainly because I really have not had a whole lot of ideas for what to post on here.

At least... Until today.  I was on Facebook when a friend messaged me to talk about Ray Rice, since he had just been suspended not minutes before this conversation.  It didn't occur to me that people had a different opinion on the situation until she said something to the tune of "I saw people arguing that it was his personal life and he shouldn't be punished professionally because of it."

................. I just need a minute to think about this, because that sentence got me horribly fired up.

I suppose I could understand that argument, maybe for any common person.  Your average Joe as it were...

But for a professional football player? A celebrity? Not only does he represent the Baltimore Ravens organization, he represents the NFL.  So you're telling me, that a man who represents two organizations of that size, shouldn't be punished for knocking a woman out and dragging her limp body off an elevator? That's alright for him to do, and still continue making all the money that he makes?

Exactly where would he learn his lesson from this? Oh yes, Goodell, let me give you a round of applause for your whopping two game suspension.  Here. Let me just give you a ruler and you can crack it across his knuckles while you're at it.  That'll teach him!

No.  False.  This is ridiculous.  This man got into a career that put him in the spot light.  It made him a celebrity. Ray Rice, just like any other human being on this planet, needs to be held responsible for his actions. You know what I like most about all of this? Even the other football players in the league feel this way! My favorite tweet so far came from Chris Harris from the Denver Broncos....

The NFL should have zero tolerance for domestic violence. There is never a reason for any man to be violent towards any woman.
— Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisJr) September 8, 2014

 Honestly, I can't even say that is my favorite tweet so far.  There are so many players who are outraged by the way the NFL has responded to this incident.  

Domestic violence is a major issue in the world.  For people to argue that "what he does in his spare time shouldn't effect his playing career"... I have no words for you. I'm not saying you're supporting what he did, but I'm saying you need to rethink the people your children are looking up to as role models.  

Let me share some domestic violence facts for this post... I gathered this information from Safe Horizon and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

1. One in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime 
2. An estimated 1.3 million are victims of an assault by their partner each year.
3. Domestic violence does not just happen to women - it happens to men too.  But the percentage of women impacted is significantly higher than men.
4. Children who witness this behavior are more likely to repeat it.
5. Children are also likely to intervene, which in turn puts them in harms way. 
6. Less than one fifth of the victims who reported an assault by their partner sought medical treatment.

Those facts don't even begin to cover the amount of information that is available about domestic violence here in the United States.  It is a real issue, right here in our backyards.  In our neighborhoods. In our cities.  And you want to try and tell me that what celebrities do in their "down time" shouldn't impact their careers? You want to tell me that this should be brushed under the rug and ignored? 

Let me put it this way.... I don't care who you are.  Domestic violence is a serious issue, and one that has gone so far as to kill people who are too scared to seek help because they are afraid for their lives, as they obviously should have been.  It is something that needs to be stopped.  If an organization like the NFL is going to permit men to play, and not enforce a zero tolerance policy, then you can bet I am walking away from their organization.  Letting that happen is indirectly saying "It's ok! It doesn't matter what you do when you're off the field! You still have a job when you show up."  Honestly, that is not alright with me.  Not with the money those men make and the lack of consequences they get for it happening.  

I could go on forever on this topic.  Please feel free to argue or add your own commentary.  I've always been open to any additional comments.  But just the inkling of an idea that people think he should still be allowed to play, simply infuriates me.  

Just some stories to share from the wide world of sports...

I apologize that it has been so long since my last blog post.... Life has been a bit on the insane side.  I still have every intention of posting those extra videos with the more detailed THON interviews (if you don't know what I'm talking about, you better click this link and visit the post, because you're missing out!).

I just wanted to share two links to stories that I felt were incredibly awesome stories that recently occurred in sports!

• Derrick Coleman meets two fans - For those of you who don't know me - I took three years of American Sign Language classes in high school.  Although much of what I learned as far as communicating has escaped me from lack of use, I still remember learning about deaf culture.  One of my the people I did a report on in that class was former NFL player, Kenny Walker.  Personally, I think there is something incredible about a person with difficulties hearing becoming a professional football player - be it offensive or defensive.  If you don't know anything about the Seahawks player Derrick Coleman, I suggest you look him up. 
  
  I love this story because even though I am not a member of the deaf community, and I know nothing of what it would be like to be deaf, I think it is great how he is representing the community, and that he got in touch with these girls who are supporting him.  I feel like this is just such an incredible story, and it is one that shows that not all athletes are getting into trouble, like Aaron Hernandez and A-Rod (even though neither of these two have been proven guilty as of right now).

   

• NBA has first female PA - For those of you who remember the post, I won't kill you with rereading the story, for those who don't remember the post, here is a brief story of what I learned about women in sports.... They aren't wanted... Women are looked down upon in the sports field, even in this day in age. And after my harsh awakening to that fact, I turned away from wanting to enter that field. However, I wanted to share this video with you all.  The NBA just had a first.  The Sacramento Kings had the first ever female NBA PA, Jaime Coffee.  I don't care that she was just a fill in, I think this is a huge step for women in the sports field.  And I am incredibly excited that this happened!

Rocky Bleier - The Unknown Sponsor of my Athletic Career

Cheating and steroids makes you a coward.  Being an underdog who becomes successful based on worth ethic and heart makes you a hero.

Over the past week or so I have tried to come up with a blog about how upset I have been with sports lately.  I've deleted a handful of them because I felt like all I was doing was attacking PED's, the athletes that take them, and writing what I felt it takes to make a real athlete. What sparked this topic was the MLB's recent Biogenesis sweep, and NASCAR's recent Chase for the Sprint Cup scandal.



Instead of talking about things that have made me upset with sports, I decided to write about a man who I have always idolized and who I consider to be a hero in the tainted world of professional athletes. That man, is Rocky Bleier.

Rocky Bleier - Photo Courtesy of blogs.militarytimes.com

Rocky's story is one that you can read up on if you're interested, by looking online or purchasing his book Fighting Back.  Or even by watching the short YouTube film below.


Many people may wonder how the heck it came to be that my sports idol is someone who played years before I was even born.  Well, it so happened that when I was in the 8th grade, my dad gave me his book.  He figured that because I was not only into football, but into history as well, that I would find his story interesting.  Needless to say, my love for Rocky Bleier was born that day.     I was completely blown away by the fact that a man could have part of his foot blown off by a grenade, struggle with just the simple task of being able to walk again, and still had the heart and determination to push on and get back to where he was physically before the accident.  He was told he would likely struggle to walk for the rest of his life.  His book talks about the struggle he went through every day to try and prove the doctors wrong.  The important thing is - he did it.  He fought back, and pushed through everything, so that he could rejoin the Steelers and go back to being a professional football player.  Not only that, but he assisted the Steelers with their four Super Bowls in the 70's era.   When did I really realize how much his story impacted me?  I was a thrower on the track team in high school.  My freshmen year I injured my shoulder, and didn't tell anyone for a few days.  The only reason people found out was when it became blatantly obvious that I was struggling to move my shoulder, let alone try to throw an object.  A few people tried to tell me I need to stop throwing, and that my shoulder was never going to fully heal.  I was only a freshmen, and I really wanted to throw.  I was never an athletic person, and I had finally found an event that not only was I good at, but I loved. Throwing became my stress reliever, my passion.  I couldn't give it up just because of a busted shoulder.   So who did I think of? Mr. Rocky Bleier of course.  Now, I am in no way shape or form comparing my minor shoulder problem to having half my foot blown off in war.  But I can tell you that his story is what drove me to not only stick with it and battle through it, but it drove me to accomplish two goals that I set as a freshmen.  The first, was to break the Templeton High School discus record, and the second was to get Female Field Athlete of the Year by my senior year.  
Unfortunately, during my final meet of my senior year, I injured my shoulder pretty bad.  I was on my third of four throws in the shot put, when my shoulder just snapped.  They thought it may have just been a bicep tear, but they weren't sure.  I came to Slippery Rock University with every intention of competing with the Rock Athletics Track Team, but my body had other plans.  My shoulder continued to get worse, and I ended up home for the Thanksgiving break, and found out that I may have torn the biceps tendon, needed surgery and would probably never throw again.  The pain I felt was almost unbearable - more mentally than physically.  It took months, but I finally came to terms with the fact that I would more than likely never throw again.  For once, I felt like I might have a small taste of what Rocky felt.   In the end, Rocky's story is what made me push through everything.  If it wasn't for his story when I was younger, I may not have accomplished everything I did while I was in high school.  I probably would never have even tried to compete at a collegiate level either.   I haven't touched a shot put or a discus since my surgery (which for anyone who cares ended up not being as severe as they thought.  They said I could possibly throw again, but it would take time to build back up.  After finally coming to terms with losing throwing, I didn't think it was something I could put myself through again).  I have hopes that one day I can pick it up again, just for fun.  But still to this day, I thank Rocky Bleier for being a crucial reason why I stuck out what I did.  He was the reason I pushed through my high school years, when people thought I couldn't do it.  Because if Rocky could win the Super Bowl after being told he may never walk again, I could push through a small shoulder injury and accomplish my dreams too.   Rocky, is an example of a hero that I think every young athlete should have.  Someone who they can look up to, who can inspire them to do great things, and who accomplished things based upon their hard work and determination. If you're lucky, you might even get a chance to meet that athlete that inspired you, and even thank them for it.  Just like I got to do with Rocky last April.

Rocky Bleier and me at Steelers Fan Blitz 2013 - One of the greatest moments in my 21 years of living on this planet.

 

So my question for all of you out there is this: WHO inspires you? WHY do they inspire you? The person might not be a professional athlete.  It could be a genius like Steve Jobs, a musical inspiration like John Lennon.  Please comment on this blog post and share your stories!