FanPost

A Potential Priefer Defense


I'm not saying I believe this, but it is sometimes informative to consider things from an alternative viewpoint. To have some empathy. To play Devil's Advocate.

What if we look at this situation with the idea that words can't hurt you. What if we just consider an NFL locker room somewhere where people are free to say anything they want, with the knowledge that no words will help them catch a pass, or block a punt.

An NFL player's life is one of physical actions. Words are cheap, and essentially meaningless. The locker room is full of large violent men who are often on extreme drug cocktails, legal and otherwise. They enjoy taking the piss out of each other.
I don't know if anyone has ever heard of this concept before, but sometimes people say things just to get each other's goat. Things that they don't believe but that they know will upset someone.

What if Priefer's comments were just aimed at Kluwe to piss him off? Would this be different than any other offensive ribbing statement players constantly make? Do we really think that Priefer is secretly planning to get a nuclear weapon and attack homosexuals? If so, we should go to his house and look in the basement. Are there guns there and a map of the local gay bars?

It seems that everyone knows that Priefer was just attacking a weak spot of Kluwe's to rile him up. Just like every player does to every other player, and that Kluwe has done to other people as well. Joking about, and pretending to be a child rape victim.

What if we just said, "The NFL locker room is super nasty! Anything goes, and we all just need to accept that and move on."

Would that be bad? Should we put microphones in all the locker rooms and require players to never say anything offensive to anyone?

Hate speech and violence towards gay people is a real problem of course, as society changes and comes to terms with its homophobia. Anything that helps mitigate this conflict is welcomed, but is an NFL locker room the right place to continue this fight through a lawsuit?

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.