honestly don't know if I would have had a few years ago.  I, like everyone else here, love football.  I admit  never played it anymore than with friends in the yard, and therefore do not have the "football lockeroom" experience to bring to the discussion.  I also recognize that what I am seeing that bothers me has likely been around for some time but is only now getting more publicity and therefore becoming more of an issue, but just because something has always been a certain way does not mean it is always should be that way.  In short, my revelation is this.  Why does football push people to accept things that should not and would not be tolerated in most other situations?  

Concusions have clearly become a major issue, and efforts to make the game safer are derided by some as the "pussification" of the game compared to how it was when they played.  We all recognize that football is dangerous, and nobody is forcing anyone to play it, but in any other circumstance where a career is inherently dangerous would we seriously entertain the discussion of whether making it safer is worth trying?  I don't think so.  

Coaches often brag about the number of hours they spend at the office.  Today I read an article about the two recent head coaching health scares in the NFL with John Fox and Gary Kubiak and it retold the stories of Joe Gibbs removing clocks from offices so nobody knew what time it was and John Gruden earning the nickname 3:11 because that is when he woke up so he could be the first one in the office and work more hours than anyone else.  It even quoted his wife who discussed how she rarely saw him while he was a coach.  Now you possibly have two families who may have potentially never seen their husbands/fathers again due to health issues, which very well could have been brought on or exacerbated by the stress and hours of their jobs.  All of this for football, which is ultimately just a game.  These coaches are not curing illnesses, defending our freedom or leading nations.  They are football coaches.  I do not believe many jobs require a person to sleep at their office most nights in order to be successful, this is a myth that the coaches have convinced themselves of.  Perhaps I am swayed by my good fortune to have a job that provides me with the ability to contribute successfully while also having the ability to be a present and active husband and father, I don't know, but it just seems screwed up to me that some coaches get off on how much they work.

Then we have the Richie Icognito/Jonathan Martin situation.  There are players who are suggesting that they wish Richie Incognito wasn't suspended.  He isn't being chastised loudly by people within the game just yet, only by fans and those who cover it.  Why?  Because he is viewed as a good "in the trenches" player.  It is similar to the player who has a rap sheet of some sort, be it legal or a team violation rap sheet, but keeps getting more chances because he is good.  While America is the land of second chances, and I love that about our country, I question whether trying to ignore the behavior of some people, such as the hazing that is apparently inherent in the game is not a good thing at all.  

I've always said that I have long viewed sports as a diversion.  The Gators lost this weekend and while I was disappointed with the result, it did not cloud my weekend in any way whatsoever.  However, I nonetheless can't help but think more about these issues as I watch the games.  And for the record, I still watch and enjoy.  The Bears lead the Packers 14-10 right now in the second quarter and both back-up QBs are in the game.  There is a football game on and I'll likely watch it until the end because I enjoy the game.  I just don't enjoy a lot of the issues we have to confront in it.  

Just my very long two cents, maybe I'm the only one out there thinking this way.