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December 24
1965 - Signal newspaper owner Scott Newhall shows up for a duel (of words) with rival Canyon Country newspaper publisher Art Evans, who no-shows and folds his paper soon after [story]
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Commentary by Betty Arenson
| Friday, Nov 3, 2017

The NFL’s Houston Texan players are upset with the words of their owner, Bob McNair, who said, “We can’t have the inmates running the prison.” He made the comment after the recent meeting of NFL owners over the whole debacle of players kneeling for the national anthem before games.

Reasonable people sincerely know McNair did not intend the words literally. The words are an old phrase or mix of phrases like “the inmates running the asylum.” It’s all to tell that the wrong people are calling the shots. The team is a business and he is the owner – the boss.

Irrespectively, McNair apologized.

It’s dissonant to think these big men take physical hits with impacts of a moving Volkswagen or more, yet are shaken to the core by a comment. Yes, words do absolutely hurt, as too often intended, but surely this wasn’t such a scenario.

The men on the Texans team profess to take it personally. Addressing their objections with taking the words literally, implying crimes and criminals, the Texans do have a pretty clean record, considering the criminal activity, arrests and personal low-lives of many NFL players overall.

Travis Henry: prison for cocaine trafficking with an aside of fathering 11 children by 10 different women.

Plaxico Burress: prison for an illegal weapons charge. He shot himself in the leg at a nightclub.

Dante Stallworth: short jail term after killing a pedestrian while driving under the influence.

Eric Naposki: prison for murder.

Jovan Belcher: murdered his girlfriend, who was the mother of his 3-month-old baby; admitted it, then committed suicide.

Rae Carruth: prison. Murder-for-hire of his pregnant girlfriend. The baby survived.

Aaron Hernandez: prison for first-degree murder, then committed suicide.

Robert Rozier: prison. Suspended from the NFL for drug problems. Joined a black supremacist group that would kill white people and deliver body parts to the cult leader. Convicted of seven murders.

Cecil Collins: prison. Broke into a woman’s home to “watch her sleep” (must be more to that story).

Dwayne Lewis Goodrick: prison. Hit-and-run that killed two people.

Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson: prison for drugs and sex with teenage girls.

Travis Deion Henry: prison for cocaine; also claimed to be broke after having nine children with nine different women, all a few months apart.

Ryan Chief Leaf: prison for multiple theft and drug problems.

O.J. Simpson: enough said.

Keith Wright: home invasions, robberies, rapes, kidnapping, etc.; sentenced to 234 years and 8 months.

That’s but a brief a rundown of some of the culprits.

Business Insider published a story dated June 28, 2013, by Sportsgrid that stated the number of arrests of NFL players, at that time, from 2000. The Minnesota Vikings had the most, with 40 arrests, and that number rose to 44, according to a report of September 12, 2014 in the New York Times.

Of all the 30-plus teams, the Houston Texans were in a tie for last with eight.

With that, the Texans are a pretty clean group. However, it seems their anger would be more effectively directed at their wayward and scandalous fellow NFL players than at one guy who made a comment that may well be on point, all things considered.

 

Betty Arenson is a Valencia resident who believes in the Constitution in its entirety and that laws should be upheld and apply to everyone equally.

Comment On This Story
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11 Comments

  1. DP Rickmers says:

    Team Owners don’t own the Players. They are
    contracted under a collective bargaining agreement. Betty needs to loosen her hood
    and make a list of all the players threatened
    at gunpoint by police for being black.x

  2. R. Muller says:

    Something tells me I’m going to put your belief that your belief that the Constitution applies to everyone to the test…and soon.

  3. SCVLoves says:

    The analogy was a poor choice of words, no sugar coating what he said or obviously implied. Your need to feel you had to speak upon a issue that is unimportant really shows how distracted you are about more important issues in America. Hate has recently become a popular trend amongst Americans and this is only feeding it. Talk about something positive instead, God Bless.

  4. Bill Hinze says:

    Great commentary Betty, Dead on!

  5. Mike says:

    If your a bleeding heart, and read this…you feel bad for the big strong men who grew up poor…if on the otherhand you actually use your brain…they are criminals…who have been spoiled as kids like you cant believe, due to athletic skills that dominate their childoods…resulting in out of balance egos.. so let these “men” speak their minds…all i hear is whining super spoiled brats…doing “social work”. The owner on the otherhand looks to be clueless…disrespecting his hard working team.

  6. DennyNNWofLA says:

    Once again you fail to acknowledge the whole point of the ‘Take a Knee’ protests which is about racial injustice. You instead present a pejorative list of player indiscretions. Two different things, Betty. And can you, or anyone, please tell me why we have to go thru this display of Nationalism and military glorification just to watch a sporting event?

  7. SCgal says:

    And yet NOT one of them colluded with a foreign government to disrupt and damage the democratic process known as the US Presidential election, lied to Congress, evaded paying taxes, bragged about sexually assaulting women, threatened to start a Nuclear War with North Korea, failed to denounce Nazis after they marched in Charlottesville and murdered an American citizen on American soil. But wait, there’s more: lied about Obama’s birthplace, embraced racism, misogyny, sexism, bigotry; plans to deny health care from 26 million needy seniors, elderly, and those with pre-existing conditions, and wants to give the top 1% the biggest tax cut while destroying the remnants of the middle class. Gee, Betty you want to tell us who the real criminal is now.

    • Mike says:

      Scgal…your out there in…obama/hillary fantasy land…time for your medication.

      • SCgal says:

        Mike, no meds needed here; you however need to wake up. Trumps is a dangerous, unstable narcissist whose only concern is his brand. If Russian interference in our last presidential election does not bother you, or the fact that Trump is unfit to hold office, well sleep tight. I’d rather RESIST than live in denial.

      • DennyNNWofLA says:

        ‘scuse me, Mike-
        That should be ‘you’re’ meaning- you are.
        And no, she is 100% correct, besides being literate.

  8. Mike says:

    Scgal, nothing but cnn talking points i get it.
    Good Luck anyway.

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