A Smart NFL Rule Change

It has become something of a pastime to bash the new rules of the NFL in recent years.  The head-targeting rules, the defenseless receiver rules, and the roughing the quarterback rules immediately come to mind.

The NFL, however, looks to be close to expanding its rules in a very specific way.  The Fritz Pollard Alliance, a group of NFL stakeholders that promotes diversity within the league, has proposed to the competition committee that referees hand out a 15-yard penalty for every use of the N-word on the field.  That’s for the first offense, and the second offense results in an ejection for that player.  These are exceptionally harsh penalties, but all signs point to the competition committee proposing this rule to the owners later this summer.

I’ve pondered the rule change for most of the last two days.  I will admit to being immediately skeptical of any new NFL regulation.  I am also somewhat suspicious of any attempt by anybody to police the words said in the workplace, because that certainly may lead down some unseemly roads, such as eliminating “your momma” jokes or even political statements of any kind.

That said, this new proposed rule is a good idea.  The N-word, while used more often than folks like to admit, is universally reviled.  On a weekend drive today, a radio host discussing this topic grew very uncomfortable when he thought a caller had said the N-word, when in truth the guy had just said “ninja.”  Riley Cooper’s incident last offseason when he used the word while yelling at concert security guards certainly did not increase his favorability ratings, and the resulting media storm made it tough to watch his 2013 season without thinking back to a poorly-chosen moment to be insensitive.  Watch the recent film 42 and the scene in which an opposing manager lampoons Jackie Robinson from the bench, using the N-word several times, will make your skin crawl, regardless of race.

And yet, the N-word has some serious cultural staying-power.  Many hip hop artists use the word in their songs, some lavishly so.  They may not be at the forefront of people’s minds, but some less than admirable organizations still exist that use the word constantly.

It is possible to make the argument that the N-word, with such widespread use, is almost unenforceable.  Some may say the NFL is getting too aggressive, as greater societal change is not going to necessarily happen because one sports league has decided to penalize one word.  For example, the NBA’s fine of Kobe Bryant in 2011 for calling a referee a “word-meaning gay person” likely did not stop people on the streets from using the word.  Amazingly, the N-word can still be said on radio broadcasts under FCC rules.

I tend to agree with the argument that you can’t really enforce against people saying a word in their privacy, and truthfully, you shouldn’t.  But let’s not conflate that argument with the idea that a private employer cannot penalize its employees for words spoken at work.  How many of you could go into work on Monday hollering the N-bomb and still have a job by the end of the week?  Not many.  In this instance, we are not discussing FCC regulations or some large governmental program…the NFL’s workplace is on the field, and this rule acts as a huge discouragement against using a word that, for the most part, most Americans can’t say at work.  Anyone has the right to use the word, but that right does not extend to an absolution of the consequences.

In addition, the NFL has for a long time penalized bad language.  Last year, official Roy Ellison was suspended for one game after the NFL deemed he had directed a profane and derogatory statement” at Williams.  The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty can include a penalty on the coach of an NFL team for using the magic words to a ref (watch any mic’d up tape of Jon Gruden as coach and you’ll see it takes a lot to get that flag, but it happens).  The NFL has accepted the premise, like most other leagues, that not all language is acceptable in the field of play.

The N-word is, I think, an unacceptable word, because it links African-Americans with the evil of slavery.  The historical considerations about slavery do not interest me in this case…the ownership of other persons is, decidedly, wrong, by any standard imaginable.  A word, expression, colloquialism, or euphemism that might potentially be linked to the violence and shame exacted on blacks in that period should be eradicated as much as possible.  I can truly think of no other word still in use today that can link directly to violence or slavery.  Some words may certainly put down respective groups, but none of those in common usage link to violence in the same way the N-word does. (Please note: I am not an anthropologist or etymologist, so this may not be a scholarly discussion of what the word actually means.  Still, any research I’ve looked at shows the term as originating in a derogatory fashion.)

For those who are, I’m sure, thinking on hip hop artists, the N-word is unacceptable even from a solidarity standpoint.  One reason this rule makes sense is that the Fritz Pollard Alliance, primarily composed of black NFLers, proposed the rule to the competition committee.  They are aware that the N-word is disrespectful, and are also against its use.  While there are many other black leaders and individuals who will assuredly have a different opinion, I am willing to jump on board a rule change promulgated by those black individuals who have played or been around the league for years.

I would, however, caution the NFL about this course of action.  It is possible perhaps to over-police and there should be some kind of standard that the league uses in the future.  For instance, I would not support a penalty on every use of the F-word or other similarly profane four letter words.  No one expects these guys to play football like daisies, saying please and thank you every time a tackle is made.  The N-word, however, has a deeper meaning than any normal cuss word.  In addition, unlike other words currently being discussed in the NFL arena, black people are universally offended by its use, so the league is not making up that the word is offensive.

For these reasons, I will get on board with this proposed penalty.  I would suggest a slight tweak that will ease the NFL into this type of rule, since it will likely be very hard for players to avoid its use in the heat of the game right away.  But, given that, the intent is to eliminate a vile word.  In addition, this new rule will not change the nature of the game, unlike the targeting rules or the “baby-the quarterback” shenanigans.  People will hit and run just as hard without the N-word in play as they have up to now.  If the game remains unchanged and the penalty strongly discourages the N-word, it’s something to support.