Off topic I just wanted to say to everyone that puts the time and effort into cheesehead tv , thank you all your your time and effort , it's the first thing I read in the morning , there seems to be a growing number of critics showing up here and I just wanted everyone at cheesehead tv to know that I appreciate all of you .

We truly don't know who these players really are. What demons they have to battle or what personal issues they have to deal with. The truth is we have no idea what anyone is dealing with or going through.

In the case of Ahman Green I don't feel its really worth talking about until everything comes out or until it gets into the court system. None of us knows what actually happened in that house. My feeling is why go and accuse Ahman of something that maybe not completely true. Until we know what exactly happened we are just speculating.

In the case of Guion, with the new information that came out yesterday. I changed my mind on him. I was giving him the benefit of the doubt with seeing what his breathalyzer test results were. But after reading that he was in bad shape, refused a blood test and was found with marijuana on him. I now think it is time for the Packers to let him go.
Again in the case of Guion, I did not want to overreact. But now its pretty clearly that the situation was much worse then I first led to believe.

Motivation and/or intent are among the most difficult factors to determine and identify for a person's actions. They are as diverse as each individual. In the case of NFL players, particularly those who have played for a few or more seasons I think/wonder about the affects of CTE in their lives and decision making, especially as they get older. Regrettably we don't know enough about this injury/disease to determine if or how CTE affects a person's decision making and their thinking. Does it turn some players more violent. Would some of these players ever have become abusers if they did not play football? We're not likely to find out at least in the near future. I'm not trying to condone or make excuses for Ahman Green or any of the acts of domestic violence or any other abuse/violence committed by NFL players. In the end we are all accountable for our actions. But think of the victims who might have been spared or could be spared in the future if the NFL would admit to the problem and take it seriously enough to commit the resources which might lead to equipment improvements and the prevention of concussions. Does Green have CTE? 9 seasons at RB in the NFL would likely do that to a player. Did Green show tendencies towards violence or abuse previous to this issue? Is this how CTE is manifesting in Green after all these years retired from the game? Don't the victims and potential victims deserve the benefit of the doubt? Don't the players that we cheer for deserve help if this is a legitimate issue caused by playing in the NFL. For me it would be good to know, especially if the players and their victims could be helped. Thanks, Since '61

Perhaps someone can research this, but I recall hearing the NFL stating that the percentage of its players convicted or accused of crime is actually lower than the national percentage. Maybe this is considering the demographic comparison, but either way, it's worth looking into. It's certainly more newsworthy to fans when it happens to a player than it is to "Mr. Random" three states away.
None of this changes the main point of the article which I agree with. We do not know these players.
The following idea related to this blog may not resonate with most, but here goes: most humans are allowed by society to change their minds or decisions. You open the refrigerator wanting milk to drink but see the orange juice and drink that instead. You like taking Cleveland St. to work but decide to change it up today, and so on. But when Favre changed his mind about retirement, he gets vilified. Why? Just like this blog suggests, we don't treat players as humans. Favre changed his mind and apparently wasn't allowed a human set of emotions and decision making experiences.

I discouraged my kids from idolizing sports figures and other celebrities unless they have some actual idea of what type of person they are off the field. Speaking for myself, I only had two sports-related idols growing up, both by all accounts impeccable people off the field: Bart Starr & Bobby Murcer.

I love football. Generally speaking, I don't love football players. I certainly don't love the NFL.

Maybe it's a bit "cold," but I have very little PERSONAL allegiance to any player. Almost none, really. I can't say that I much admire their ability and I certainly don't idolize them. Running fast, throwing footballs and tackling guys just aren't skills that are worthy of very much respect. In my mind, being a great football player isn't any more "respectable" than being a good plumber or computer technician. I would consider it less "respectable" than being a great teacher, EMT, firefighter, cop, etc, whose job it is to actually help people directly.

I was fully on board when the Packers decided to move on from Favre. To me it's positively silly to say, "Oh, but it's BRETT FAVRE....." Hey, I loved watching him play the game. Would I like him as a person? Honestly, I don't know, but frankly the chances aren't that good.

If there is an athlete that uses his position to help kids, start charities and social programs, etc, I will certainly stand up and applaud... and to be fair, there are plenty of players who do this. But what I really admire is that they have leveraged their football fame into something that is more meaningful than football.

I do not subscribe to the theory "where there's smoke, there's fire" ... for football players or for anyone else. I won't assume that an accused player must have committed a crime because he is a football player and "we all know how they are." Rubbish. We have courts to settle these matters. Unless I'm called to jury duty, it's not my job to render a verdict, and for better or worse, people are considered innocent until proven guilty. Football players should be under the same rules and laws (and protections) as anybody else.

That said, it is perfectly within the fans rights to vote with their wallets. If I know that the owner of the local KFC is a convicted sex offender, yeah, I might head on over to Pizza Hut. And if there are too many convicts hanging out at Lambeau, Camp Randall isn't all that far away.

So yeah... I like football. It's a hell of a fun game to watch. Football players? Let's just say its on a case by case basis.