Are Cleveland Browns players suffering serious injuries in after practice "opportunity periods" because former ballboy Eric Mangini hopes that ridiculously tough drills will convince players that he is a tough guy like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood or Woody Hayes instead of Burgess Meredith's version of The Penguin? I'm very concerned that the answer to that question is a resounding "YES!"
This week the Cleveland Browns were required to meet with NFL Players Union officials over concerns about player safety related to Eric Mangini's now infamous "opportunity periods". This season alone, at least two players have been maimed with serious injuries in these drills.
The Browns have been hush hush about providing details into the after practice drills but from the sounds of it, the opportunity periods are an excessively violent drill that young players must "volunteer" for to show their bloodlust and to impress their "leader", who dangles the incentive of increased playing time in front of those who complete the drill most successfully.
People from Ohio love football and we love tough coaches. I personally own nearly every film, book, article and piece of memorabilia about one of football histories toughest coaches, Woody Hayes. Hayes was known to have brutally tough practices, but if you dig deep into his preparation and read the many books Hayes wrote, you'll find Hayes was thoughtful in planning practices that did not unnecessarily risk the safety of his players. So yes, Hayes was tough, but he was also wise. What about Mangini? Well, Eric Mangini is clearly no Woody Hayes. Hayes' toughness seemed natural, it came from a place deep inside him. People call this character. Mangini's toughness appears to be more the play-acting of a person who is just not up to a challenge, and has to demonstrate false bravado for fear that everyone will realize he is without substance.
The opportunity periods must be completely devoid of the kind of careful planning that Hayes was known for. Frankly the drills sound depressingly similar to Michael Vick and dog fighting. Vick went to prison for organizing dog fights that maimed and sometimes killed animals. As a dog lover, I felt compassion and anger when I read what those poor animals endured. Reading Jamal Lewis' complaints about Mangini, it occured to me that perhaps if we knew every detail about the Brown's opportunity sessions, we might all feel the same shame and pain for the human beings that Mangini might be abusing.
When all the details finally come out, we may be faced with a Mangini scandal. From what we already know about the two serious injuries that occured during the opportunity periods, it's apparent that at a minimum this represents irresponible behavior by Mangini, who is entrusted with the duty to safeguard his players health, not to brazenly abuse them. Yet another sign that the Cleveland Browns are on the wrong path!
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