Lions Strike Back at Tags
Tuesday July 29, 2003
Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford lashed out at NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue for his decision to fine team president Matt Millen $200,000 for violating the league's seriously flawed minority hiring guidelines.
Ford told reporters at the Lions training camp on Monday, "I think it's a shame. I think it's totally unwarranted. I think he's made a scapegoat out of the Detroit Lions."
From the transcript of quotes in The Detroit Free Press, it's obvious Ford is fuming over this situation. My question in this matter is, how do the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and Jacksonville Jaguars escape scrutiny?
They all hired white coaches after either making a mockery of the system by parading black candidates in front of the media with no intention of hiring them, or doing token interviews with minorities by telephone to get around the regulations. The Lions did as much as these teams by inviting the guys they felt were the top-five minority candidates to interview for the job. It is not Matt Millen's fault if they turned him down.
The NFL has a very serious issue with this policy which obviously was not very well thought out before being put into practice. Any policy that fines someone for being truthful about their intentions while looking the other way when others lie and manipulate the system is seriously flawed!
Ford told reporters at the Lions training camp on Monday, "I think it's a shame. I think it's totally unwarranted. I think he's made a scapegoat out of the Detroit Lions."
From the transcript of quotes in The Detroit Free Press, it's obvious Ford is fuming over this situation. My question in this matter is, how do the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and Jacksonville Jaguars escape scrutiny?
They all hired white coaches after either making a mockery of the system by parading black candidates in front of the media with no intention of hiring them, or doing token interviews with minorities by telephone to get around the regulations. The Lions did as much as these teams by inviting the guys they felt were the top-five minority candidates to interview for the job. It is not Matt Millen's fault if they turned him down.
The NFL has a very serious issue with this policy which obviously was not very well thought out before being put into practice. Any policy that fines someone for being truthful about their intentions while looking the other way when others lie and manipulate the system is seriously flawed!
Comments
No comments yet. Leave a Comment