The Responsibility Project^®. Exploring what it means to do the right thing

Up for Debate: Spying on the Team

97 Comments

December 8, 2008 by Kathy McManus

Should an employer try to control employees’ after-hours lives to make them act more responsibly?

"The image-conscious National Football League is cracking down on players’ off-field behavior with a new personal conduct policy, which, according to The Wall Street Journal, has NFL teams hiring former FBI agents and police officers to spy on players.

Video surveillance cameras in locker rooms. Guards posted in hotel hallways to ensure players don’t sneak out. Bed checks.

The current efforts to manage the morals of pro-football stars include the Seattle Seahawks declaring an entire downtown entertainment district off-limits to team members, and the Denver Broncos’ security chief wrangling a network of dozens of bartenders and bouncers who call him when players show up, divulging details of the women they’re with and how much they’ve had to drink.

With at least 57 NFL players arrested this year alone, the NFL is determined to protect its image by fining and suspending players not just for committing crimes, but for any act that’s deemed harmful to the NFL’s “integrity and reputation.”

Critics of the crackdown say fines and suspensions are excessive and unfair, particularly in cases where a player has been accused of but not found guilty of a violation of law.

Dallas Cowboy cornerback Pacman Jones was suspended indefinitely by the NFL after an alleged tussle with a bodyguard, even though no arrest or charge was made. He missed six games before recently being allowed back on the playing field. And when someone intentionally spilled a drink on Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Langston Walker at a bar recently, he worried how the NFL would have reacted if the situation had escalated. “When you start not to trust your own organization or governing body,” he said, “who can you trust?”

Tell us what you think: Can personal responsibility be forced or enforced in pro football? Are NFL players being held to an unfair standard of off-field responsibility?

97 Comments

What do you think? Leave a comment

• December 9, 2008 by Vix

  I believe that the NFL players need to go further: Do the players have a responsibility to be good role models? YES, so many people look up to them that I believe they have a responsibility to set the example for their fans to follow. Does the NFL have the right to impose rules for how its players should act? YES, I think so as a term of employment or a condition of their contract. Does that mean the NFL has the right to spy on the players? SURE, why not, these are professional athletes. They are being paid millions to perform both on, and off the field. The NFL is protecting its investment.

  Reply

  • March 23, 2009 by sonny

    How far do we go? do we continue to allow infringement into our personal lives? We don't as a people hire spies to look into the lives of our politician,doctors,pastors and officers of the law. Why are we so eager to allow this type of behavior, happen to athletes. Is it because of the money that they make? Do we feel that in condoning this type of practice, we can still somehow have control. If we were so worried about the behavior of role models, we as a people would have made it mandatory for people in public office to be spied on daily. The real truth about this whole matter is, we feel that some how we have a right to feel this way because somehow if we were in the position of an athlete, we would definitely behave ourselves better. No, its because we can relate to an athlete, its something thats still attainable. We wish for our children to be athletes, we want them to have those goals and aspire to be great in that realm. As far as being a great community leader, a politician, a doctor,an officer of the law, we can't fathom that. That's how misdirected this subject is, we talk freedom but never realize on a daily basis we give ours up. Athletes today, you tomorrow. Where does it end? We should not look to our athletes as role models instead, look to those who run our country for accountability. Anyways, most athletes don't warrant the label of a role model. How about we have them spy on you? would you warrant that title?

    Reply

    • September 7, 2010 by candace

      Recently a quarterback for a professional football team was accused of some pretty offensive and ungentlemanly behavior. I could say alot worse. I have been a fan of the team of which I am speaking for 43 years. Since I was 7 years old. They have suspended him for 4 games. I almost quit pulling for this team. Know what stopped me? The rest of the team did not chose him for Captain this year. And I knew that my team had integrity, class, sportmanship, and ALL that good stuff!! Now, do I think a football player should be accountable for their behavior off the field. ABSOLUTELY!!!! I watch football and LOVE it! No one should be allowed to have that kind of behavior and there be no kind of punishment at the game level. For which you're being paid ALOT of money to do.

  • January 11, 2011 by Tom J

    Should they spy on them? I say no, HOWEVER if the players cannot be trusted to stay within the rules, they need to be watched or punished. I'm very tyered of hearing these wealthy players apologizing after they are caught. At that point.......let him go. No one is irreplaceable.Let him find a real job out in the cruel world, where they can drink all day if they choose to.

    Reply

• December 26, 2008 by

  Unfair? No, not at all. They need to be responsible to keep an image.

  Reply

• December 30, 2008 by

  Yes, The players need to be the same as "normal" people when they off the field. Just because someone has a big name/money, that does not mean you can act irresponsible or be above the law! Kids do look up to these people and mimic their actions. The players should be proud to be role models especially now when kids need them more than ever. Yes, the players are human & make mistakes but if they care about "themselves" at all, that's all it would be & not a way of life!

  Reply

• December 30, 2008 by

  I do think for any organizations image to remain that way, there is a need for character accountability. However, I also believe that the NFL has to do it's homework as well. There should be some type of background check system set up as to where if in college they had these character problems that their initial contract would reflect what they get paid. Even a program for the younger kids coming in from college to help groom these young men into not just good football players, but also into excellent people. Let's face it, some of these just haven't been reared up or even trained to have good character, let alone having millions of dollars to prove it!

  Reply

• January 12, 2009 by

  All professional people should be held accountable on or off the field. As a teacher, I was held responsible for my conduct after school hours in the community. Clergy are held responsible for their conduct when off duty. The military holds its people responsible for their conduct after duty.

  Reply

  • May 3, 2010 by Rily Broussard Jr.

    Yes, all professionals should be held accountable! Not just certain people. Such as the personal racist attack led by some of those commentators of the NFL network during the draft! How many players came under real personal attacks because of something they may or may not have done? Is snobbish behavior considered bad behavior? Is a simple innuendo enough to label a person as being uncoachable? Or may or may not be a good person? Listening to some of those commentators, I would think that they were interviewing for the priesthood rather than pro football. Ironically, only the minority football players had some kind of character flaw? What it was I still don't know. I'd think that they need a personal conduct policy too! The so-called experts that is!

    Reply

• January 14, 2009 by

  As with any celebrity they are held to a higher standard of conduct, but they they are also entitled to privacy also, as guaranteed by our constitution. I truly feel parents are meant to be the set a role model for our children. We aren't to give up this position and pass it off to someone else, and then blame them when something goes wrong. Should not these players at least have the same rights to a private life as we do?

  Reply

• January 16, 2009 by

  Now if record labels and movie/television producers would just get on board with this, there might actually be a handful of celebrities out there for people to "look up to".

  Reply

• January 17, 2009 by

  Yes! Clubs have every right to expect the highest standards of conduct, on or off the field. If the situation was reversed, I'm sure they would demand the same. DCK

  Reply

• January 17, 2009 by

  Players are "role models". They have to be held to the highest standards. It's part of the job! DCK

  Reply

• January 19, 2009 by elizabeth

  Many people want to blame working mothers for the destroying the American family. Well, I have news for you...it's professional sports and the 24/7/365 broadcast of the gods of the gridiron. How come there are so few bad boy stories about hockey players, or soccer players...maybe because they are grounded in some basic personal morals and social norms. Good luck changing the norms of football. The NFL will have to work on their little league programs as well. Dispelling a sense of entitlement is no small undertaking.

  Reply

  • January 28, 2009 by

    I do not think that . I think it is OK for men to watch football on the weekends, so I do not want to hear stuff like this.

    Reply

• January 23, 2009 by

  As professional business men and athletes, we have the responsibility to protect the professional image shown to the public. Image is very important to any business that has to deal with the public on a day to day basis.

  Reply

• January 23, 2009 by

  We are failing as parents if we let our youth's respect for what somebody can do physically supersede what we do everyday as a parents. Why should we expect somebody else to set a positive example for our kids? With that said, clearly with the type of money invested into pro ballers, of course owners will feel some responsibility to keep them out of prison and in a positive light in order to sell more seats, ,jerseys, hat etc. But bottom line these are adults and have the rights to self-destruct if they want. Think how much different your life would be if every little conflict that you found yourself in was reported all week on ESPN?

  Reply

Tell us what you think.