The above Tweet from Chris Kluwe has incited quite a bit of debate over the last few days. The Vikings' punter is referring to a clause in the potential new CBA that would award Vincent Jackson and Logan Mankins unrestricted free agency or $10 million, as well as an exemption from the franchise tag for plaintiffs in Brady vs. NFL, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. Kluwe has been on a media tour of sorts to explain his statements, and I believe he's done so with intelligence and grace.
Then this happened. That's former NFL tight end Nate Jackson absolutely ripping Kluwe's statements. It brings up a player's point-of-view on the lockout and paints Kluwe as a traitor to the cause. Of course, that couldn't simply be left alone, so Kluwe responded in kind.
Both letters bring up some very interesting points. There's Jackson's statement that calling certain players 'greedy douchebags' is basically agreeing with the owners and hurtful to the ongoing CBA talks. However, Kluwe responds with a more realistic statement of the definition of greed. The argument about the media's portrayal of the lockout is an absolute moot point. As a fan, I can say with absolute certainty that I don't base my opinions off of Jason Whitlock's Twitter feed or Peter King's weekly column. We're adults. We can make our own judgments. Finally, Jackson's pseudo-macho posturing about how punters are gay little sissyboys and all they do is kick, why don't you go play soccer and drink a cup of tea you homo is nothing but neanderthal gibberish. Kluwe proved to be the better man by asserting his right to free speech.
The lockout cannot be observed in a vacuum. This is two sides arguing over $9 freaking billion. If the owners exhibit greed, that doesn't mean the players are therefore incapable of greed themselves. This lockout is a mess and it's important to keep things in context. Some people might think Kluwe turned his back on his fellow players. However, in doing so, he put an intelligent spin on an argument that regular people like us can understand. The money being argued over is beyond the grasp of most of us. That's why I've become so jaded by this lockout that I barely even care how it shakes out anymore. As long as there's football this September, I'll be satisfied. Kluwe is telling us to keep things in perspective, and doing so just makes me depressed. So good job owners and players; you killed my youth and innocence. As far as I'm concerned, they can all go do something to themselves that starts with and 'f' and rhymes with 'duck.'
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