Even in the NBA’s thrilling playoff thick, what a Miami Dolphins GM asked Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant managed to outshine basketball headlines. Like Bryant, I, too, would’ve been mad as hell had a potential employer inquired if my mother engaged in prostitution. More than one NFL organization has probably dismissed Bryant’s lesbian mother as a “ghetto whore,” the stereotype likely thrust upon her for giving birth to three children by the age of 18 and getting busted for selling drugs.
With his lofty title no indication of executive finesse, ignoramus Jeff Ireland was hands down, out of bounds. I understand interview thoroughness is imperative, especially when billions of revenue dollars and international scrutiny are at stake. However, if these questions don’t fly in the typical employment arena, why should they take wings in the gloried NFL? Naturally, the question prompts more questions: Since when is the NFL not an employer and are white footballers subjected to the same humiliation, provided their backgrounds are blemished?
The GM’s slip from political correctness showed oceanic disrespect to limited ownership partners Venus and Serena Williams. Palm Beach Gardens, FL’s tennis diva duo joined a short list of celebrities in the Miami Dolphins venture last year. Several news reports reveal that this is not the first time such an appalling question has crossed the NFL’s business table.
While previous cases involving NFL players Michael Vick, Plaxico Burress, Donte Stallworth and Ben Roethlisberger confirm Roger Goodell's quickness in laying down the moral gauntlet, we can only hope that the commissioner maintains similar speed in reprimanding Ireland harshly.
To get the scoop on Dez Bryant and his harsh beginnings, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/25/sports/ncaafootball/25okstate.html?pagewanted=print.
If you’d like to sift through the NFL’s filthy Interview Process dirt, check out
http://kevin-blackistone.fanhouse.com/2010/04/29/nfls-despicable-interview-process/
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