posted by Jake

The NFL has been called a lot of things under Roger Goodell, maybe the most clever is using ‘NFL’ as an acronym for ‘No Fun League’. Well they can add another to that list, it is the ‘Not honoring Fallen heroes League’. Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America and several NFL players plan to pay tribute to those we lost on that day, that is if the NFL lets them. It is important to remember that this is also the organization in which you will be fined $25,000 for wearing high-top shoes to honor the passing of Johnny Unitas. Because much like a shitty club - the NFL has a strict dress code. The rule actually states that breaking the uniform code is looked as as a form of ‘showboating’. Chicago linebacker Lance Briggs was the first to tweet out pictures of the Reebok apparel he plans on wearing to break uniform, tweeting:

Reebok great job on these gloves and shoes..looks like I’m getting fined this week. Lol! By far the best fine I will ever have to pay. Thanks…Fines for gloves could be as much as 5k..the shoes 8-10k I think. not 100% on the shoe fine.

Briggs is not the only player planning on showboating… and by ‘showboating’ I mean honoring the victims of 9/11. Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles, Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley, Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (who may want to update his Twitter machine photo), and almost all of the San Diego Chargers.

The worst arguement for the NFL fining these players has been that, ‘it will be a slippery slope’. If we let players honor the victims of 9/11 then someone could wear a black armband commemorating the 5 year anniversary of the time they dropped a box on their foot and lost the nail on their big toe. If we let gays get married random bands of citizens are not going to start butt fucking farm animals on the front steps of a church, and if we allow NFL players to honor the victims of 9/11 on Sunday we will not have nothing less than complete anarchy. The ‘slippery slope’ is easily the most intellectually weak and logically flawed arguements available.

To be completely honest, I do think there are better ways for millionaire athletes to honor the victims of 9/11 than tweet about how great Reebok is for doing this, plus what does wearing gloves and shoes that say, ‘never forget’ really accomplish? That’s not the point. The NFL has to do the right thing and not fine these players. Or fine them then have Roger Goodell pick up the tab, or maybe the best option if you plan on charging them, fine them and donate the money to 9/11 charities. By fining them the NFL is acting like the players are openly mocking the uniform code for the league, when in truth their doing their part in honoring the most horrific thing to happen on American soil… that is until Jack and Jill gets released.