It's OK for the NFL to get you drunk, but not Charles Woodson

The hypocrisy of the NFL is totally absurd. On one hand, they have beer commercials advestising the NFL after nearly, every commercial break but Charles Woodson isn't allowed to promote his own line of wine because it might reflect poorly upon his persona with the kids? Give me a break!!! The NFL doesn't have the right to tell an athlete what they can and can't promote considering that it isn't anything illegal. There is nothing wrong with Woodson promoting this product except that the NFL hasn't invested anything towards it therefore, since they're not getting any revenue, why should an NFL player? Absolutely laughable.

posted by BornIcon at 08:42 AM - reply - flag:

Wow...Just, wow. I have no way to describe the idiocy of this.

posted by hawkguy at 08:49 AM - reply - flag:

The NFL doesn't have the right to tell an athlete what they can and can't promote ... The NFL has the right to impose all kinds of rules on its players, per the contracts they sign to play in the league. But this is hilariously two-faced. Is there a product more closely associated with the NFL than beer, aside perhaps from Tough-Actin' Tinactin?

posted by rcade at 09:09 AM - reply - flag:

The NFL has the right to impose all kinds of rules on its players, per the contracts they sign to play in the league. I can understand imposing rules & regulations for any illegal, criminal activities and/or drug & alcohol abuse but to try and stop this man from promoting his line of wines is hypocrisy at it's finest. The NFL can promote alcoholic beverages all day long but the moment a player decides to promote an alcoholic beverage, then it's wrong? For God's sake...think about the children

posted by BornIcon at 09:17 AM - reply - flag:

Let me see if I've got the NFL's thinking on this straight:Charles Woodson gets a DUI coming home from his own charity golf tournament. No Big DealCharles Woodson arrested for public intoxication. No problemCharles Woodson promoting his own label of wine. Very big problem, children might be watching!Is that about right?

posted by Jugwine at 09:24 AM - reply - flag:

MLB is not on the same page, I guess. Although it is for charity.

posted by tselson at 09:40 AM - reply - flag:

The hypocrisy is evident from the wording of the note, no promotion of alcohol (emphasis mine). This is nothing but an anti-competitive move on the part of the NFL. Are they afraid that Charles Woodson's wine might cut into beer sales? Perhaps the NFL execs are sitting in the board room, passing around a brown paper sack containing a bottle of 24 when they make such ludicrous decisions. We will sell no wine before its time. - Orson Welles You will sell no wine before we get a cut of the profits. - NFL

posted by Howard_T at 11:04 AM - reply - flag:

According to Forbes magazine, Molson-Coors Brewing Co is the 'official' beer sponsor of the NFL through 2010. The article stated that AB and SABMiller were in contention, but that Coors was selected "after intense competition". I cannot fathom how the NFL could be any more obtuse on this issue. Hypocracy; sure. Downright stupidity; absolutely. I can't find the hard data at any link to back this statement up currently, but I could swear I remember reading somewhere (I think it was the Sporting News but I can't find it) that more than 12% of the advertising revenue for the networks during NFL broadcasts in 2007/08 came from alcohol producing companies. Although this revenue is for the networks, not the league, if the NFL was serious about protecting our youth from the perils of alcohol advertising, it seems as though they would have some issue with the networks. Nearly 1/8 of the ads during NFL broadcasts hawk booze if this number is true. Physician, heal thyself.

posted by knowsalittle at 11:05 AM - reply - flag:

This whole thing does seem quite absurd, but I would ask if this stipulation is part of the CBA. Crazy as it may be, if it's in there, Woodson's beef is with the Players Association, not the NFL. If it's not in there, then the NFL has no right to make such a statement. (I think you guys have pretty well hit on the hypocrisy and sheer ridiculousness of this situation, so I don't really feel the need to rehash that.)

posted by bender at 11:20 AM - reply - flag:

Are they afraid that Charles Woodson's wine might cut into beer sales? I can see it now.... Football Fan #1: I AM SO READY FOR FOOTBALL!!! Football Fan #2: DUDE, SO AM I!!! FF #1: ALRIGHT!! NOW, I KNOW WE HAVE OUR TRADITION BUT THIS YEAR, WE'RE CHANGING THINGS UP. FF #2: AND HOW IS THAT? WE' RE GONNA BECOME IDIOT FANS LIKE OVER IN PHILLY? FF #1: YOU'RE SUCH A CRACK UP...NO, THIS YEAR, INSTEAD OF BEERS AND A DOG, WE'RE GETTING CULTURED. FF #2: HOW EVER DO YOU MEAN? WE'RE GONNA START WATCHING MORE GOLF? FF #1: ACTUALLY, THAT'S NOT A BAD IDEA...BUT NO, THAT'S NOT IT. WE'RE GONNA START DRINKING WINE AT THE GAME. FF #2: UMMM...WHAT?!? WINE? BUT I LIKE A COLD BUDWEISER WITH MY DOG. FF #1: DUDE, TRUST ME. A NICE GLASS OF CABERNET SAUVIGNON GOES GREAT WITH A HOT PRETZEL AND MUSTARD.

posted by BornIcon at 11:42 AM - reply - flag:

The NFL sent Woodson a note saying that any interviews supporting alcohol would be seen as an endorsement and "may have a detrimental effect on the great number of young fans who follow our game." Well, if I was Charles Woodson, I would say to the NFL "So what?" I would then ask for an example of an interview I have given in support of my product. If they were able to bring something up, I would counter that my interview was not in support of alcohol, but in support of agriculture, more specifically, grape growing and vineyards. In any event, I would just keep countering everything the NFL did and said and stretch this thing out til they got tired of it. I say fight stupidity with it's equal measure. The wording of the article didn't exactly state what the consequences of Woodson's business venture were. Fines? Dismissal from the league i.e. suspension? Or some toothless warning like getting a note sent to you?

posted by THX-1138 at 12:26 PM - reply - flag:

It's absurd. Beer outsells wine in every stadium except Candlestick by a 20 to 1 margin.

posted by irunfromclones at 12:37 PM - reply - flag:

Beer outsells wine in every stadium except Candlestick by a 20 to 1 margin. This is meant to be a simply silly comment. Where is Candlestick? Do they play football there? Sorry, irunfromclones.

posted by knowsalittle at 12:48 PM - reply - flag:

Maybe the NFL would like some cheese with that whine. Ridiculous.

posted by BoKnows at 02:14 PM - reply - flag:

Anybody remember the game in Cleveland, where the players on both teams were pelted with miller lite bottles? Hipocrisy at it's best.

posted by volfire at 04:59 PM - reply - flag:

Does the NFL ban players from promoting products that compete with any of the other "officially licensed" products? That is, if the Chevy Silverado is the official pick up of the NFL, can a player be banned from doing an ad for a Ford F150? From a little research it appears that Woodson is only selling about 200 cases of his wine, or as my Vikings like to put it "about one boat trip's worth" If the rule is truly to ensure that kids don't get the wrong idea, the NFL is being ridiculous. No kid is going to go for high end boutique wine over a six pack of Coors. If it's just about a non-compete clause, then they had better be consistent.

posted by dviking at 05:17 PM - reply - flag:

I say fight stupidity with it's equal measure Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience. -Mark Twain

posted by MeatSaber at 05:52 PM - reply - flag:

I liked how the blurb just below this story was the cornfield celebration of Favre, with that great line of "THANKS... FOR STABBING US IN THE BACK, YOU EGOMANIAC". :)

rcade: The NFL has the right to impose all kinds of rules on its players, per the contracts they sign to play in the league.

I'm sure the law being an ass and all I'll be sorely disappointed, but how much has this been tested or shown? I mean I'm so not a lawyer it's not even funny, but my primitive understanding is that you can't sign a contract that gives away your rights (you can't sign a contract that puts you in indentured servitude, etc) because those contracts or stipulations will simply be voided when a court reviews them if a contract violation is taken to trial. It's not enough to simply say "You signed a contract"; some contracts have elements that will not be permissible, or will not be enforced if there is a contract dispute. For example, lots of people sign NDAs or non-competes, but those NDAs only cover elements related to the job. I'm fairly certain an NDA wouldn't hold up that prevented you from talking about something completely unrelated to your job, and Charles Woodson is not working for a rival winery/brewery. He's a football player. All the major leagues have these asinine contracts that basically say "You not only have to do X, Y, and Z while on the field/gridiron/court/ice, even off the field/gridiron/court/ice you have to do A, B, and C". It has always seemed sketchy that the leagues can have contracts that govern off-field or even off-season behavior, but the usual claim is "well, they signed a contract". However, the NFL is the only game in town, unlike say signing an NDA with Microsoft versus Google. So what if the NFL had a clause saying "You must vote Republican" or "You aren't allowed to respect an establishment of religion that isn't Christian"? Because some of their restrictions on a player's speech or action outside of their job seem indefensible. And given that sports franchises get semi-official monopoly status (and in the case of MLB, actual grandfathered in status) that lets them extort new stadiums and exploit their exclusivity, it seems all the more troubling that these leagues can do things like crack down on a player's side business. What about what dviking says- could the league legally prevent a player from doing endorsements for products whose competitors signed a deal with the league? What if the player endorsement came first, then the league signed a deal- would the player be forced to give up the endorsement? I'd really like a lot of the professional sports leagues bullshit to be fact-checked in court, from their treatment of players to their quasi-monopoly status to their RICO-esque use of extortion of cities to get new stadiums and tax breaks.

posted by Hal Incandenza at 06:17 PM - reply - flag:

MeatSaber "Be stirring as the time; be fire with fire; Threaten the threatener and outface the brow Of bragging horror" -Shakespeare-King John "as the trappers on the prairies fight fire with fire, so I fought tobacco with tobacco." -Henry Tappan-A Step from the New World to the Old, and Back Again What does Mark Twain know.

posted by THX-1138 at 06:22 PM - reply - flag:

THX-1138: Oh yeah? Well... But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Some best-selling fiction book whose name escapes me...

posted by MeatSaber at 09:16 PM - reply - flag:

The NFL does everything in their power to get you drinking beer, short of sending Shawne Merriman to your house to actually pour it down your throat. ...short of ? ... then who in hell was that?

posted by bobfoot at 09:28 PM - reply - flag:

MeatSaber "I am defenseless. Take your weapon. Strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!" Emperor Palpatine-Episode VI-Return of the Jedi

posted by THX-1138 at 09:55 PM - reply - flag:

Are you guys like boyfriend-girlfriend? Steady dates? Lovers? Come on, sporto. Level with me. Do you slip her the hot beef injection? The Breakfast Club -1985

posted by BornIcon at 09:05 AM - reply - flag:

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee -Jules So there! :P

posted by steelergirl at 09:41 AM - reply - flag:

Sometimes my nose bleeds when I pick it too much. Or not enough. Ralph Wiggum

posted by tahoemoj at 11:48 AM - reply - flag:

"Look at 'em, Fink. Look at all the steaming weinies. And you know what they're saying? They're saying, 'This is the year Fink beats The Stomach.' -Bill Murray as Trip-Meatballs

posted by THX-1138 at 01:54 PM - reply - flag:

Just another example of "the man" trying to keep the black vintner down.

posted by budman13 at 02:04 PM - reply - flag:

I love when serious threads devolve into high comedy... =D Oh, I get it...that's very clever. How's that working out for you? -Tyler Durden

posted by MeatSaber at 06:33 PM - reply - flag:

I love when serious threads devolve into high comedy... This was a serious thread? Things are going to start happening to me now. - Steve Martin - The Jerk

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

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