TROUBLES IN THE NFL

Granato's view: A simple solution to the NFL's anthem problems

Granato's view: A simple solution to the NFL's anthem problems
Roger Goodell needs to step up. NFL.COM

We’ve done it again. I didn’t think we could, but we did. We’ve made one of the simplest things in the world as complex as advanced calculus (another thing I never understood.) Last year we couldn’t decide which bathroom we should use and it became a national issue, one that ended up costing North Carolina hundreds of millions of dollars in event revenues. This year we can’t decide whether to stand or kneel for the national anthem and it’s costing the NFL’s network partners hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising revenues.

Darren Rovell wrote this week that the networks will lose as much as $500 million due to lower ratings for NFL games. Is the kneeling issue completely to blame? No. A boring product, injuries to key stars, oversaturation of the product in the marketplace and other factors are all playing a role. But yet another controversy can’t be ignored. Domestic violence by NFL players and how the league reacted to it dominated the headlines a few years ago. For two long years it was the tedious and idiotic deflategate controversy that deflected the talk from the play on the field. Now it’s the anthem and all that that means.

I can’t tell you how many times over the last couple of years I’ve heard “you don’t understand.” Sure, there are things I can’t understand. I can’t understand what it’s like being African American in 2017. I don’t know what discrimination feels like. I know what it is but I can’t feel it. I just can’t. Thankfully I don’t know what it’s like to be a parent whose son or daughter has fallen defending our country. I don’t know what it feels like to see that casket draped in the American flag. I’ve seen it. I just don’t know the heartache it brings.

What I can understand is how passionate each side must feel about their position on the issue, how badly African Americans want equality, and how much that flag must mean to someone who lost a loved one defending it. The kneelers and those who support them will tell you though that’s it’s not about the flag. It’s a silent protest against racial injustice. As Americans we have the right to peacefully protest however we see fit. The kneelers have that right. By the same token the anti-kneelers have the right to feel that something they believe in and have always defended unwaveringly is being disrespected.

Unfortunately this has sidetracked the issue. Do we spend more time talking about how to cure social injustice or that NFL players are disrespectful. It’s not even close. What is supposed to bring attention to the issue has drowned it. It’s become all about the flag and that’s bad business for the NFL. A recent poll showed that 49% believed that kneeling was a negative. In any business if half the people have a negative opinion of one of your practices you have to change that practice.

That’s where Roger Goodell comes in. Under his leadership the league has become as profitable as ever but it’s also taken its biggest hit public relations-wise. The shield is tarnished. His bungling of the domestic violence issue, his high handedness in the deflategate controversy and now his virtual silence in the anthem protests have been killing the league. A report this week said he refused to demand the players stand even though that’s what the owners told him to do. His inactivity in this wave of controversy speaks volumes about his inability to lead in times of duress.

Demanding they stand is probably not the answer though, not with the makeup of the league. Jesse Jackson and Stephen A. Smith among others have referred to the slave mentality of the league. While many think it’s ridiculous and insulting to those who had to endure real slavery, ordering that they stand would only enhance this belief. So what can possibly be done? How can he stem the tide of negativity that has engulfed the league?

To me it’s a simple answer. Play the national anthem before the players leave the locker room. Being on the field for the anthem is a policy not a rule. It states in the NFL’s game operations that players are strongly encouraged to stand at attention with helmets in hand for the anthem. Until 2009 players in primetime games were not on the field for the anthem due to television timing concerns. If something so mundane could keep the players off the field certainly something that 50% of your audience feels is detrimental to your image can too.  

Instead of a negative approach the league should promote positive initiatives. If the players are adamant about social change then NFL sponsored town hall meetings with players, police and local youth may open a dialogue that could promote change. NFL sponsored after-school activities might keep kids off the streets and out of trouble.

The NFL can pay for police training that would discourage a shoot first attitude. They could sponsor alternative lifestyle programs in our most dangerous areas. Instead of losing hundreds of millions by sitting on their hands they can take a hands-on approach that might win fans back.

I know I’m not the only one who’s sick of this subject. It’s tiresome. Both sides have made their point. It’s time to take action, Roger Goodell. It’s time to play football without political agendas. It’s supposed to be entertainment. Let’s get back to having fun. Here in Houston we understand that time won’t come until Deshaun comes back, but we can wait.

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Welcome to Houston, Nick! Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

Nick Chubb didn’t expect to be a Houston Texan. At least, not until he got the call on a quiet Saturday at home and was on a flight the next day. It happened fast — too fast, even, for the four-time Pro Bowler to fully process what it all meant. But now that he’s here, it’s clear this wasn’t a random landing spot. This was a calculated leap, one Chubb had been quietly considering from afar.

The reasons he chose Houston speak volumes not only about where Chubb is in his own career, but where the Texans are as a franchise.

For one, Chubb saw what the rest of the league saw the last two seasons: a young team turning the corner. He admired the Texans from a distance — the culture shift under head coach DeMeco Ryans, the explosive rise of C.J. Stroud, and the physical tone set by players like Joe Mixon. That identity clicked with Chubb. He’d been a fan of Ryans for years, and once he got in the building, everything aligned.

“I came here and saw a bunch of guys who like to work and not talk,” Chubb said. “And I realized I'm a perfect fit.”

As for his health, Chubb isn’t running from the injuries that cost him parts of the past two seasons, he’s owning them. But now, he says, they’re behind him. After a full offseason of training the way he always has — hitting his speed and strength benchmarks — Chubb says he’s feeling the best he has in years. He’s quick to remind people that bouncing back from major injuries, especially the one he suffered in 2023, is rarely a one-year journey. It takes time. He’s given it time.

Then there’s his fit with Mixon. The two aren’t just stylistic complements, they go way back. Same recruiting class, same reputation for running hard, same respect for each other’s games. Chubb remembers dreading matchups against the Bengals in Cleveland, worrying Mixon would take over the game. Now, he sees the opportunity in pairing up. “It’ll be us kinda doing that back-to-back against other defenses,” he said.

He’s also well aware of what C.J. Stroud brings to the table. Chubb watched Stroud nearly dismantle Georgia in the College Football Playoff. Then he saw it again, up close, when Stroud lit up the Browns in the postseason. “He torched us again,” Chubb said. Now, he gets to run alongside him, not against him.

Stroud made a point to welcome Chubb, exchanging numbers and offering support. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s the kind of leadership that helped sell Chubb on the Texans as more than just a good football fit — it’s a good locker room fit, too.

It appears the decision to come to Houston wasn’t part of some master plan. But in retrospect, it makes perfect sense. Chubb is a player with a no-nonsense work ethic, recovering from adversity, looking to write the next chapter of a career that’s far from over. And the Texans? They’re a team on the rise, built around guys who want to do the same.

You can watch the full interview in the video below.

And for those wondering how Joe Mixon feels about Nick Chubb, check out this video from last season. Let's just say he's a fan.


*ChatGPT assisted.

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