NFL Rookie Hazing: Is It Necessary?
NFL hazing has been going on for years. There are stories of bad haircuts, waiter service during dinners, picking up the tabs at expensive restaurants and even things that I can't write here as this is a rated-G blog.
Despite it happening for years and years, most rookies will put up with the fuss because they don't want to be "that guy."
Well, in Dallas, that guy is Dez Bryant, the heralded rookie out of Oklahoma who refused to carry the pads of veteran wide-out, Roy Williams.
The twist? Bryant could be taking William's job as a key wide-out for the Cowboys.
According to ESPN, Williams gave his pads to Bryant after Sunday's morning practice, but Bryant declined to carry them. Williams threatened to go to "step two" when talking to reporters.
"I'm not doing it," Bryant told ESPN. "I feel like I was drafted to play football, not carry another player's pads."
"If I was a free agent, it would still be the same thing. I just feel like I'm here to play football. I'm here to try to help win a championship, not carry someone's pads. I'm saying that out of no disrespect to [anyone]," he continued.
As I mentioned, hazing is common practice in the NFL. For example, ESPN reported that Bill Parcells used to make first-round picks bring him water during breaks in practice. The Cowboys' rookie offensive linemen are given awful haircuts by the veterans at some point during each training camp.
"Everybody has to go through it," Williams told ESPN. "I had to go through it. No matter if you're a No. 1 pick or the 7,000th pick, you've still got to do something when you're a rookie."
The real issue here is that hazing, while fun to some, is demeaning to those being hazed — no matter if you're a professional football player or a high school football player. It's still one group of people picking on another just because they feel it's their right.
On one hand, this type of behavior might build team chemistry but again, it doesn't provide a great road map for young athletes in terms of appropriate behavior.
Regardless of how this plays out in Dallas, it'll be interesting see if this gets elevated to the point where the NFL needs to address this issue in one way or another. They can either let it go and continue with the "tradition" or use it as a platform to educate young athletes and fans about the dangers of hazing.
What do you think?
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