Here we go again.
One by one, former NFL players are revealing that bullying and control plays a big part in being on the team.
Looking at the picture above, are you having a hard time visualizing this man being bullied?
Yet, this latest admission comes from former NFL player Terry Crews, better known for his role as young Chris Rock‘s father Julius on Everybody Hates Chris. He has also played small, but humorous roles in the comedies “Soul Plane” and “Friday After Next.”
Crews was a guest on Arsenio recently and spoke about his experiences with bullying in the NFL.
The picture of transparency, Crews talked about Jonathan Martin being vilified, but praised Martin for doing the smart thing and walking away from the abuse.
On the show he asked the audience if they knew what is was like being with a group of friends and everyone is laughing. Then one day, you realize that the joke is on you. This is how he described Martin’s incident. Though the audience thought is was funny, Crews likened the NFL to being in “jail with money.”
This gets sadder and sadder.
Admitting that there is a culture of control [in the NFL] that is built on intimidation, humiliation and violence. He says that because of the player’s strong desire to play in the NFL, this control makes them feel like there is nothing else for them. But he does point out that the moment one realizes that he can walk away from the game, the NFL has no power over you.
He commended Martin for doing the right thing, the smart thing by walking away.
Crews said his bullying actually came from a coach, who initiated the bullying first by refusing to call him by his name Terry, as opposed to Tyrone, which the coach said “he liked better.” He went on to tell how the coach would publicly humiliate him during film sessions, speeding past his performances and saying “It doesn’t matter what he did (referring to Crews), he’s not going to be here.” Crews took it as a challenge and thought that maybe the coach was trying to toughen him up. But instead, he ended up getting cut from the team.
Furious about getting cut and realizing the things he endured from his coach, his first reaction was to resort to violence and seek revenge against his coach. But his faith in God and the support of his wife of 24 years, made him realize that the world had more to offer him than the NFL; and resorting to violence was not an option.
Check out his passionate conversation with Arsenio in the video below.
SOURCE: EURweb.com
Article and Picture Courtesy of EUR Web
Video Courtesy of The Arsenio Hall Show, YouTube and EUR Web
Terry Crews Says the NFL is “Like Jail with Money” was originally published on wzakcleveland.com
