Tell the Detroit Lions what you think of this POS at http://www.detroitlions.com/footer/contact-us.html. I did.
"He broke Joe Paterno’s leg, calls it ‘proudest moment’ in college" in the Centre Daily Times reports that DeAndre Levy said that the "proudest moment in his career" was when he collided with Penn State coach Joe Paterno after play, and broke Paterno's leg--a very serious injury for a man in his 80s, and the kind that might constitute felony aggravated assault if done intentionally. While Levy did not do it intentionally, the fact that he said he was proud of it puts it at the same ethical and moral level.
It is rogue players like Levy who give professional football its thug image, and any player who is proud of hurting opposing players and coaches sounds like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off at the wrong time and in the wrong place, namely during a game and in front of a referee who will flag his team for a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. In any event, I am thinking very strongly of writing to the NFL Commissioner to question whether Levy's continued presence on any NFL team is consistent with the professional and sportsmanlike image the NFL seeks to project.
I looked up the NFL's sportsmanship rules, by the way, and found this: "It is important to note that the unsportsmanlike conduct rules apply to all personnel in the team area, including players, coaches, team employees, and officials. Lack of respect or other unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated during games or at other times, including postgame interviews. " That is, the rules (other than those regarding physical contact, of course) apply off the field as well as on it. In addition,
Personal Conduct Policy
"All persons associated with the NFL are required to avoid “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League.”
"Persons who fail to live up to this standard of conduct are guilty of conduct detrimental and subject to discipline, even where the conduct itself does not result in conviction of a crime."
and cites: "• Conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL players."
Based on that latter item, I will indeed bring this player's conduct to the NFL's formal attention.
"He broke Joe Paterno’s leg, calls it ‘proudest moment’ in college" in the Centre Daily Times reports that DeAndre Levy said that the "proudest moment in his career" was when he collided with Penn State coach Joe Paterno after play, and broke Paterno's leg--a very serious injury for a man in his 80s, and the kind that might constitute felony aggravated assault if done intentionally. While Levy did not do it intentionally, the fact that he said he was proud of it puts it at the same ethical and moral level.
It is rogue players like Levy who give professional football its thug image, and any player who is proud of hurting opposing players and coaches sounds like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off at the wrong time and in the wrong place, namely during a game and in front of a referee who will flag his team for a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. In any event, I am thinking very strongly of writing to the NFL Commissioner to question whether Levy's continued presence on any NFL team is consistent with the professional and sportsmanlike image the NFL seeks to project.
I looked up the NFL's sportsmanship rules, by the way, and found this: "It is important to note that the unsportsmanlike conduct rules apply to all personnel in the team area, including players, coaches, team employees, and officials. Lack of respect or other unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated during games or at other times, including postgame interviews. " That is, the rules (other than those regarding physical contact, of course) apply off the field as well as on it. In addition,
Personal Conduct Policy
"All persons associated with the NFL are required to avoid “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League.”
"Persons who fail to live up to this standard of conduct are guilty of conduct detrimental and subject to discipline, even where the conduct itself does not result in conviction of a crime."
and cites: "• Conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL players."
Based on that latter item, I will indeed bring this player's conduct to the NFL's formal attention.
