Dear Editor:
I was returning on a flight home from San Francisco Dec. 4 and read an article in USA Today, by Nancy Armour concerning the five Rams players that entered the field of play with their hands held up. The title of this article was "Nothing to Regret" with the subtitle of "Gestures such as the ones Rams players made are necessary."
Jared Cook said, "Think about it: What real role models do we have these days? Young men are looking around for guidance and people to look up to, and they have none. So why not be the voice and start here in your community when something so serious is going on eight miles up the road?"
Unfortunately this gesture is based on a false premise. There has been no evidence that Brown had his hands up in surrender and said don't shoot I give up, like those using this gesture, are insinuating.
Question for Nancy Armour - why is it okay for these players to use this gesture and Tim Tebow was ridiculed and looked down on when he went to one knee in honor of God, when scoring a touchdown? If you remember the NCAA and NFL has made it against the rules to have logos on the black marks under the eyes of football players. Tim would have Scripture verses on his; who else could these rules have been directed too?
Sounds like a double standard to me, how "bout you? Not too long ago there was the high school football player that knelt down to give thanks after scoring his first touchdown during a game and the ref through a flag and penalized him 15 yards for excessive celebration. Is there a pattern here?
Regardless if Tim Tebow is qualified as an NFL quarterback or not, the sports media minimized him, ridiculed him, and for all intents and purposes caused others to make fun of his role model stature in college and pro football. From what I have observed, people are uncomfortable with individuals with high personal and moral standards.
The kind of role model Tim Tebow is, should be the one we all aspire to be like, not like the five Rams who used a narrative based on a false premise.