[sportscurmudgeon]

FRPLG:

If you want to console yourself by blaming the media for this, you can do that; but realistically, the Washington media - as it pertains to the Redskins - are pussycats. The media in NYC and Philly - just to name two other nearby outlets are monsters next to the sycophants here in DC. Don't confuse the political reporters here with the sports guys; they aren't nearly the same.

Danny Boy is one of several owners in the NFL who are always under scrutiny and take a large measure of criticism. But if you think Danny Boy is any more a "marked man" that Al Davis or Jerry Jones or Red McCombs - just to name three others - you're feeling a bit too sorry for yourself. All of these owners who seem to be "sh*t magnets" bring that on themselves with their behaviors so none of them really has a lot of complaining room. Danny Boy fits right in with that cadre of NFL owners.

Here is what bothers me the most about this story.

It is understandable that LaVar Arrington is frustrated by his injury and its failure to heal completely and quickly. Every injury he ever had before this one behaved that way. So, this one is not doing what all the other ones did and that is frustrating. No problem there.

It is understandable that he will try to find an explanation for the fact that this injury is acting differently. In addition to the knee itself, who or what else is there to blame? The surgeon? The training staff? The coaches who work with him? His teammates? Opposing players? The practice facilities where he reinjured the knee? The intergalactic visitors from the Xygork Nebula? There aren't many places for him to vent his frustration and he picked the coaches/trainers/organization as the target for the venting.

OK, I can live with that but then he went just a bit further and brought up "the grievance" and the fact that the date for the hearing was put off at the team's request and they have not rescheduled a date. THAT is what bothers me.

There is a difference between saying that he is frustrated with the coaches and/or the trainers and he is now going to focus only on getting his knee better on one hand and saying that the organization is "against him" and that they are manipulating his grievance procedures and that proves his point.

THAT aspect of this disagreement is far more disruptive and debilitating than any disagreement he might have with Joe Gibbs or Gregg Williams or Bubba Tyrer because winning a few games will cure all of that. But that six million dollar dispute is obviously still a big deal with him and that is not going away any time soon - - since no hearing date has yet been scheduled.

Now that is disturbing...