Zach Banner Steps Up

I am now a very big fan of Zach Banner. He really impressed me with the way he stepped up and responded to DeSean Jackson's anti-Jewish post on social media.

 

Cam Heyward spoke out against such comments as well. I was great to see with so few non-Jewish players in the NFL reacting at all to Jackson.

 

I don't watch the NFL nor come to this site for political or moral veiws, majority of minority, we all share this earth. These opinions mean nothing for or against. Play football and entertain me, that's what I pay for from the nfl, not opinions either or any way.

 

This place has become a political forum as of late.

 

Not much Steeler football to talk about?

 

It's a coming and I can't wait!!!!!!!!

 

I think it is a bit of a stretch to say this thread is political. Banner and Heyward both said that Jackson was wrong. They both talked about the importance of accepting everybody and not tolerating bigotry toward anyone. That's more about human decency than politics.

I didn't see until this morning that Banner had also posted the Stronger than Hate logo as well. I know Banner and Heyward both referred to the shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill. I am actually a little disappointed that Tomlin hasn't had anything to say. I remember that hit home for him because he lives a short distance from the synagogue.

This certainly isn't political for me. I'm Jewish. I found it to be uncomfortable that only Jewish players seemed to be speaking up about Jackson, though apparently I had simply missed what Banner and Heyward said at first. Both made reference to the shooting, which literally hit home for me. I grew up in Squirrel Hill. I attended services at Tree of Life until my family moved and later returned for my daughter's baby naming ceremony. Some of you may remember that the shooter walked in on a baby naming. I still have family friends who attend services there. It only took me a few minutes to find out they were okay, that they hadn't been there, but I still take what happened there very personally.

Maybe this is political to some others, but it is not that way at all to me.

 

I think we tend to use "political" a little loosely these days because so much of what we're living through is being politicized. This might be more of a general football topic, but it's relevant enough to be here. We don't have, and for a while might not have, actual football to dissect and argue about. So IMHO, this is as relevant a Steeler topic as any right now.

I'm glad you shared your connection to this. It humanizes you more than just letters on a page grouped together in words and sentences which solicit positive, negative, or apathetic responses. I still think you're full of it most of the time, but I need to remember that you're a person on the other side of some crazy opinions.

 

What are you going to do if the players take a knee during the national anthem?

 

NFL should nip it in the bud, play the anthem before the players come out. Focus on the crowd & let whoever wants to participate come out & enjoy. It has never been a mandate to stand up for your country here. That's fascism or communism.

 

I still know you are full of it most of the time, but there is still a human being behind your unsupported opinions, too.

I specifically posted about Banner and Heyward, two Steelers. I don't know how anybody could see it as not being a Steelers-related topic.

 

I agree with this, but I doubt it will happen. Instead, the league is going to play the anthem with the players on the field and it is going to let them take a knee if they choose to do so. Even just following your suggestion, which is a good one, would likely bring a serious backlash from the players. They would argue that the league stubbornly kept doing it the old way while not letting them take a knee, but now it makes a change when public sentiment is much more strongly on the side of the BLM movement? That would not go over well at all.

By the way, this was political. In my defense, I was just jumping in on a tangent others started.

 

When this became a topic almost four years ago we did manage to have some solid discussion about it that at times trended slightly political and it could go for a page or more with some good points made but ultimately tempers would flare and we would need the mods to give us a warning and then we moved on. I remember asking Sarge(CoastalSteeler may he rest in peace) about why he felt so strongly about it. He gave his reasons and why he felt like he did and you really couldn't find fault with his views. I think the same goes for your posting here. You have some very personal reasons why this is important to you and yes it is Steeler and football related because it does deal with how players view the world in which we live. I dont think there would be much debate on the topic or need for the mods to lock the thread because there shouldn't be a huge variety of opinion on the matter.

 

When Kapernucklehead did it, it was the wrong thing to do, rude and insulting to all the people we were standing for. His actions were self centered and wrong. He is paying the penalty for his mistake. He should.

Now, the NFL and NFLPA people have professionally discussed this. The Steelers gave discussed it. If it is done professionally and with class it is ok. I will stand in unison with the players if it is done this way and for the right reason.

The country could use a group hug.

 

Good points Scribe. Being force fed movements & political agendas during my " hide from the ugly world time" is nothing I'm looking forward to.

 

Dumpster fire. Not political my ass. F$ck off if you dont think it is. Shut this crap down or move it because it isn't about steelers football.

 

I see the possibility of the speech and debate club rebounding.

Go Steelers

 

That's funny. You don't seem to be a moderator and you are free to not read the thread.

The thread is about a Steeler, Zach Banner, doing something I thought was impressive. Then I discovered that another Steeler, Cam Heyward, also spoke up. One is a young guy I don't know much about aside from what I saw on the field last season. The other is one of the team's leaders. That stuff is absolutely relevant to the team.

 

Yeah that's what they do in college football, the players are in the locker room when it's played, maybe the NFL should do the same no more controversy.

 

read what I wrote above.

 

You know what's funny? You trying to convince anyone that your bullsh!t is not political. And no sh!t I'm not a mod, thanks for the insight. You knew exactly what you were doing when you posted this. Stop trying to play dumb. I get so tired of you treating everyone else around here like they are intellectually inferior to you. You aren't as smart as you think you are.

 

I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. I'm telling the truth. I started this thread because Banner impressed me and because I've been very disappointed in the lack of response from NFL players who aren't Jewish. I was also happy to see Heyward speak out and say he won't tolerate nonsense like Jackson's. I abhor bigotry in all forms and being Jewish, I take what Jackson posted personally. Those are not political statements. Those are about human decency and being happy to see a couple of Steelers speak out in a positive fashion. There have been times in my 40-plus years rooting for the team that guys on the team embarrassed me. I'm honest about those, too.

i have treated everyone with respect on this thread. Hell, that's what this thread is about. I poked fun at your response because it seems as if you were just looking for an excuse to be negative because it's me. Now you are showing me I was right. If you don't like the thread topic, please just move on. Thank you.

To be clear, I am talking about the actual topic of the thread, not the tangent about kneeling during the anthem. That is a political discussion and I admitted as much. It has absolutely nothing to do with my intent in starting the thread. Others took it in that direction.

 

That would have said more about you than it does about me, so that was probably a wise decision. It does fit into my point that non-Jews have largely given Jackson a pass.