Cowards and bullies

The day began with KOMO radio commentator Ken Schram—the one who is just slightly “left” of right-wing extremist John Carlson on this “news” station that allegedly reflects the prevailing attitudes of “progressive” Seattle—scapegoated the one or two “illegal students” who may have received college scholarships in someone’s racist fantasy as the people responsible for this state’s pathetic support of higher education. It ended with revelations that “anonymous” New York Jets players—“well respected,” according to a New York Daily News story—were defecating on quarterback Mark Sanchez, supposedly for being “lazy” in practice and not having a rapport with his receivers—presumably head cases like Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress.

On the possibility that the Jets could dump Sanchez and trade for Peyton Manning, a “Jets source” told the newspaper that “Come on. That's a no-brainer. If you have a chance to get a healthy 36-year-old Peyton Manning and you don't do it, then you're stupid. If I could get a healthy 36-year-old Peyton Manning, then, hell yeah, I would trade Sanchez." One of the “anonymous” players who criticized Sanchez asserted "How can we when he's not improving at all? He thinks he is, but he's not. He has shown us what he's capable of."

However, this same player unwittingly indicted the whole team’s incompetence by claiming that if Manning were the “field general,” everyone would be certain to be “lined up” where they were supposed to be. Some people suspect that this “player” who was trying to pass blame is Santonio Holmes, who was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers for just this kind of locker room gangsterism—and may not be long for the Jets after his antics on the field against the Dolphins in week 17.

The whole thing had the stincture of hypocrites when there was plenty of blame to go around for the Jets’ sad season, and Jets fanatic Mike Greenberg ripped the anonymous players and sources as classless, gutless and pathetic. After spending all year pushing each other over to get in front of a microphone, “Look how small they look” now. Offensive linemen Nick Mangold and Wayne Hunter also took exception to the anonymous commentary; talking to ESPN, Mangold disputed the claim that Sanchez did not practice hard, and "If there's really a problem, if there is something wrong, you should man up and own up to what you're going to say. When no one has their name attached to it, I think it's kind of an easy way out to air your personal grievances that should be kept in the locker room." He also “vowed to take care of that problem.” Hunter also said he would back Sanchez. “The whole offense is at fault. I need to get better at my craft and I will. Players need to be held accountable. Play calling can only go so far without execution. For our own teammates to call out Mark in the media is selfish and to remain unnamed is cowardly." Another “source” admitted that Sanchez "didn't have much confidence in what he was about to go do. You could tell throughout the week in practice. He never felt comfortable with some of the things we were doing."

After ESPN posted the report on its website, the comments from readers came fast and furious—some of them immediately deleted. “Racism is not cool people okay” wrote the ESPN moderator. Some questionable comments, however, that did get through:

“Time to swim back across the Rio.”

“I have hemorhoid right now, it has a better arm than Sanchez.”

“Well Dirty comes from a long line of proud mexican-americans with a background in recycling.”

“Sanchez's mouthpiece makes me want to punch him in the face, your name is sanchez we know you're a mexican.”

“Of course he's lazy. He can fail at his job and get paid millions. If real workers had that chance.....”

“Hes Lazy and getting paid bank at the same time.... Good for Sanchez..... Not all of us can be lazy at work and still get paid millions...”

“Hey Sanchez! When the NFL doesn't work out. You an always come trim my shrubs.”

Not all the commentary resorted to racist stereotypes; after all, Sanchez has acted with more class in the face of all the criticism than you would expect from your every day prima donna. And he has not acted like a despicable heel, like another diva wide receiver did when viewing a catered locker room buffet: "What the [expletive]? Who ordered this crap? I wouldn't feed this to my dog":

“I think the ‘some players’ are one player and it's Santonio Holmes. I'm not a Sanchez fan but he had a reputation at USC as being a very hard worker and highly motivated. Could be wrong but doesn't sound like him.”

“While this may shine a light on how Sanchez is viewed by his teammates, it reveals more on what kind of ship Rex Ryan is steering in NY. Players shouldn't go to the papers to badmouth a player. No matter how he acts. That's something an 18 yr old girl would do to try to win Prom Queen.”

“Sanchez almost took Jets to promised land as a rookie. You gotta surround Sanchez with positive players, not the plague like those making these comments then hiding.”

There were others who didn’t understand what the fuss was all about:

“Why does this mediocre, irrelevant team who hasn't won anything in over 40 years still hog up so much gosh darn ESPN programming time?!!!!”

Johnette Howard of ESPN New York also derided the notion that Peyton Manning would want to play for the same franchise that Brett Favre was unwillingly traded to, and faked retirement (again) so that he get on another team:

“Just forget it. Wipe it out of your mind. He's not coming to New York, and the fact that it's even being treated as a realistic possibility is just one last desperate gasp of Jets hubris playing out from muscle memory before everyone snaps back to reality and admits the obvious. Any NFL player with attractive options -- which Manning will surely have if he's given a clean bill of health -- would be nuts to come to the mess that is the Jets' franchise right now.”