Stay Out of Lockeroom by Ritchie Owens

In the past week, I have seen various female reporters and woman’s groups getting fired up over the decision or lack thereof the NFL made to not punish the Jets for the alleged incident after last weeks loss.  And by no means am I condoning any behaviors that can be conceived as harassment.  The issue, to me, is that she and her colleges should never have been in the locker room in the first place.  After all, even families aren’t allowed in the locker room post-game.

Here’s the solution to the problem, remove ALL reporters from the team locker room and place them in a separate room to do their interviews!  There you go equal access.  Because it’s not about a Woman’s right to go into a Man’s locker room, it’s about the right to have equal access to players regardless of gender. As a former player, I think that it is ridiculous to have to speak to people while you are fresh out of the shower, trying to get dressed, etc…  And let’s be honest, most reporters are only there to interview the same 5 or 6 guys every week anyway.

Contrary to what some reporters, male included, are calling a, “gender neutral area“everyone‘s “work area“.  I say it is not.  A reporter in a locker room is a courtesy not a right.  You do not work for the organization that you cover.  Ask anyone who has every showered in a health club or any other open shower setting if they would mind if a few dozen members of the press could come in get some interviews.  It isn’t a public area.

I remember being in the locker room and feeling very uncomfortable with the fact that there were women (and to a greater extent people with cameras and whatnot) in there while I was showering, and changing.  And yes, I have caught females in the locker room stealing glances or even straight out giggling to someone else.  To be fair, I did not know what they were saying, but the timing was suspicious. Please understand that there are more than just reporters in the locker room, its camera people, sound people and whoever else happens be associated with the production that day for various news agencies that has access to team facilities.

An incident that occurred while I was in the locker room that involved a female (I don‘t know if she was a reporter) showing myself and a couple of teammates a photo of a very well muscled teammate of ours.  Once over our initial shock of this woman who had the audacity to show us this picture and actually ask us if we knew who it was, we promptly reporter her to our public relations staff.   This woman was summarily ejected from the locker room.  To this day, I still don’t know who that woman was.

My whole point, ladies and gentlemen, is this.  It’s not about what is right or wrong.  This isn’t a matter of a woman being denied her rights.  This is a matter of what is proper.  Men aren’t allowed (with good reason) into woman’s locker rooms because is it not proper?  Therefore, women should not be allowed in man’s locker rooms.  Now since we don’t want to deny our sisters equal access to players, all reporters should be made to wait in a designated “interview room”.  I don’t understand what is so hard about that to figure out.

Ritchie Owens is a former Defensive Lineman in the NFL who played for 10 seasons.  He Currently hosts his own show ” Sack Sound with Ritchie Owens” on the Sports Journey Broadcast Network.

Downtime Before NFL Training Camps Start by Lloyd Vance

Anyone looking for something to watch until NFL training camps start in late July, may get their fix from watching the movie Any Given Sunday

The early summer period before training camps start in late July — the Cleveland Browns will be the first to open camp as both have rookies reporting on July 23 — is considered “Downtime” around the NFL. 

Many people that work around the league, including players and coaches, take this time for a well-deserved month of re-charging before training camp begins.  Organized Training Activities (OTAs) for most teams have shut down with many players returning to their hometowns, attending charitable events like golf tournaments, running football camps, or simply taking a vacation. 

However as a self-described football junkie I have chosen to always be tuned into football even if the NFL is dormant.  There are several football related diversions to soothe my NFL fix including NFL Network (“NFL Football 24/7″), NFL Films documentaries/features, player holdout news, player camps, football related movies to watch (my choice is Any Given Sunday), the NFL Supplemental Draft, and minor league football.

Unfortunately there is no longer NFL Europe  – there have been rumors that after the CBA is finalized that the NFL may look to establish another prospect league.  But after a year hiatus, the Arena Football League  is back  plus the Canadian Football League (CFL) is beginning.  Even though these leagues are not NFL caliber, it is fun to watch when the NFL is quiet.  Yes, I am football crazy enough to watch the AFL, CFL, or put in a DVD of the NFL’s most disliked series Playmakers.

Conversely the only people still focusing on the daily grind of the NFL at this time are GM’s and Head Coaches.  Some may try to vacation and take their mind off the sport, but most decision-makers that I have talked to hate this time of the year.  They usually spend this “off” month putting the final touches on their training camp preparations while nervously checking news outlets to make sure that none of their players run amuck during their time out of their team’s reach (i.e. “Police Blotter Time”). 

Sadly it seems every week that there is another NFL player related story where a situation occurs that could possibly lead to a “hangover” going into next season (think Ben Roethlisberger’s “bar” activity).  Even with Commissioner Roger Goodell talking tough and always being ready to come down hard on trouble players, unfortunately some players just seem to find trouble…checkout the website NFL Crimes Newsblog. 

So as I always say, “The NFL Never Sleeps”.  Some events before training camps start are the Rookie Symposium,  2010 NFL Supplemental Draft, and many others on the 2010-11 NFL calendar that will briefly take over the spotlight. 

Until then NFL players should enjoy the little bit of downtime that they have left — just not too much though, i.e. STAY OUT of TROUBLE — since the reality of hot two-a-days in the sun of training camp will be here before we all know it.

 

Lloyd Vance is a Sr. NFL Writer for Taking It to the House and Sports Journey Network , who is also an award-winning member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)