Whaley started the internet on fire today

[OpIv37]

He was defending Watkins by pointing out that football is violent and injuries happen. People are going nuts with the hot takes here.

Exact Whaley quote: "It's a violent game that I personally don't think humans are supposed to play."

Nothing in that statement has anything to do with defending Watkins. It's a general statement and a very damning one.

[Figster]

What he said was not wrong. He makes money off of something that he feels hurts people by his own admission. That has nothing to do with any choice or projection by me- it's the reality and that's what's wrong.

We live in a world that is entertained by violence and destruction. Athletes are payed to perform these acts of violence to entertain us. Its no secret man is not made to get punched in the face yet millions of dollars is won or lost every day humans inflicting bodily harm on other humans.

Do you realize how many occupations are in one form or another dangerous to somebody's health?

[Generalissimus Gibby]

This organization is just getting more bizarre by the day.

When they hired Rex I knew we were heading towards being a reality show. Now this team is its own version of MTV

[The Jokeman]

Hence the Brandon comment. He's never had any interest in building a winner. He's only interested in creating the illusion of a winner to play off the passion and loyalty of Bills fans.

Brandon is the marketing guy so what you just described of selling this team to fans to buy into this team is his job!

[OpIv37]

Brandon is the marketing guy so what you just described of selling this team to fans to buy into this team is his job!

Yeah but he gets the fans to buy into teams that aren't worth buying into. He's a snake oil salesman: spend as little as possible on the product on the field while convincing fans it's worth buying.

[OpIv37]

We live in a world that is entertained by violence and destruction. Athletes are payed to perform these acts of violence to entertain us. Its no secret man is not made to get punched in the face yet millions of dollars is won or lost every day humans inflicting bodily harm on other humans.

Do you realize how many occupations are in one form or another dangerous to somebody's health?

All of that is true. None of it excuses Whaley for making money off of something he admits is harmful to people.

[Joe Fo Sho]

the problem isn't that he spoke an unpleasant truth. The problem is that he understands the unpleasant truth but chooses to make money off of it anyway. If he had any moral compass, the unpleasant truth would have compelled him into another line of work.

Moral compass? Please.

By this logic the President of GM should also be fired and no one should replace him. The automotive industry should be shut down due to vehicle emissions and risk of injury. Vehicles are responsible for far more injuries/deaths than the NFL. Humans are not meant to drive cars. They're also not meant to fight in the UFC or even eat french fries for that matter. Why does everyone have to be responsible for the actions of others all of the sudden? If you don't want to risk injury, don't play in the NFL. If you are willing to risk physical damage to your body/brain, Doug might be willing to give you a paycheck. Big deal.

To think anything negative about Whaley's comments is just finding another reason to moan and ache about the Bills.

I design industrial machines that are installed in factories all over the world. Many of them are in 3rd world countries obviously, because of the labor costs. I'm not the one who decides where the machines are installed, who we sell them to, and I don't have any control over the factories working conditions. Should I feel responsible for the workers who don't make a livable wage who work 16 hours a day in poor conditions? Should I quit and join the Red Cross?

[trapezeus]

I am not a whaley apologist(he can build a d, but he can't build a team), but his statement out of context is misleading. he was making the point that missing 3 games in 2 seasons isn't a lot. its a brutal game. and he has a point that guys that play 16 full games year in and yr out are minorities.

his phrasing was awful.

[Mahdi]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/fo...icle-1.2648308

"A question about Sammy Watkins, who is recovering from a broken foot, made Bills GM Doug Whaley turn philosophical about the sport he's involved in.

"This is the game of football," Whaley told WGR 550 radio on Tuesday. "Injuries are part of it. It's a violent game that I personally don't think humans are supposed to play."

Whaley's comment is very honest and very fair...

Many people including football players have said similar comments in the past.

What Whaley is getting at here is that football is a game that the human body will always take a beating from because the collisions are violent and our body's are not made of steel. It's a gladiator sport which is what makes it what it is as the most popular sport in America.

Whaley is saying nothing new here....

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Exact Whaley quote: "It's a violent game that I personally don't think humans are supposed to play."

Nothing in that statement has anything to do with defending Watkins. It's a general statement and a very damning one.

Oh come on, Op, you're supposed to better then this. That's not an exact quote, it's one line cropped out of a paragraph answer.

You can listen to the interview yourself here: http://www.wgr550.com/Whaley-Lawson-...der-i/22753385

The Howard Simon Show: Do you worry about the number of injuries he [Watkins] has had? Is he injury prone?

Whaley: I wouldn't say that. You look at his game log, and he's only missed three games. So is he's injury prone? I wouldn't say that. With a guy like this, we hope it gets limited in the future, but this is the game of football. Injuries are part of it. It's a violent game that personally I don't think humans are supposed to play. And these things are going to come up, but we trust in our medical staff and we trust in each individual athlete to do what they have to do to get back on the field.

[OpIv37]

Moral compass? Please.

By this logic the President of GM should also be fired and no one should replace him. The automotive industry should be shut down due to vehicle emissions and risk of injury. Vehicles are responsible for far more injuries/deaths than the NFL. Humans are not meant to drive cars. They're also not meant to fight in the UFC or even eat french fries for that matter. Why does everyone have to be responsible for the actions of others all of the sudden? If you don't want to risk injury, don't play in the NFL. If you are willing to risk physical damage to your body/brain, Doug might be willing to give you a paycheck. Big deal.

To think anything negative about Whaley's comments is just finding another reason to moan and ache about the Bills.

I design industrial machines that are installed in factories all over the world. Many of them are in 3rd world countries obviously, because of the labor costs. I'm not the one who decides where the machines are installed, who we sell them to, and I don't have any control over the factories working conditions. Should I feel responsible for the workers who don't make a livable wage who work 16 hours a day in poor conditions? Should I quit and join the Red Cross?

That's a bit of a dubious comparison. GM's cars and your machines serve a fundamental purpose. Sure, some people will misuse them, but people misuse everything. It doesnt change their purpose or benefit.

Football is just entertainment. It's completely unnecessary. It has no fundamental purpose other than entertainment, and if Whaleh truly believes humans shouldn't do it, then he should go make his money off of one of the million other forms of entertainment that humans were meant to do.

[OpIv37]

Oh come on, Op, you're supposed to better then this. That's not an exact quote, it's one line cropped out of a paragraph answer.

You can listen to the interview yourself here: http://www.wgr550.com/Whaley-Lawson-...der-i/22753385

The Howard Simon Show: Do you worry about the number of injuries he [Watkins] has had? Is he injury prone?

Whaley: I wouldn't say that. You look at his game log, and he's only missed three games. So is he's injury prone? I wouldn't say that. With a guy like this, we hope it gets limited in the future, but this is the game of football. Injuries are part of it. It's a violent game that personally I don't think humans are supposed to play. And these things are going to come up, but we trust in our medical staff and we trust in each individual athlete to do what they have to do to get back on the field.

Nothing about that supposed context changes the fundamental nature of what he said.

[Albany,n.y.]

50+ years ago on The Jetsons, the football players of the 2060s were all robots.

[Forward_Lateral]

In 10-20 years there will be no such thing as football. It will either be some version of flag football, or something along those lines.

[Joe Fo Sho]

That's a bit of a dubious comparison. GM's cars and your machines serve a fundamental purpose. Sure, some people will misuse them, but people misuse everything. It doesnt change their purpose or benefit.

Football is just entertainment. It's completely unnecessary. It has no fundamental purpose other than entertainment, and if Whaleh truly believes humans shouldn't do it, then he should go make his money off of one of the million other forms of entertainment that humans were meant to do.

It's not a dubious comparison at all. Football might be entertainment, but it's affect on the human race is minuscule compared to the automotive industry, not to mention it only hurts people who sign up for it. Cars injure far more people and have an incredible affect on our environment, but it's OK because we can get from point A to point B fast. Plus, if you can make billions of dollars on it, it's fine right? Where do you draw the line?

Entertainment that injures hundreds yearly versus fast transportation that kills 1.3 million people per year (3,287 people daily) and injures/disables 35 million more yearly. Those 3,300 people that are killed daily are expendable though because I don't want to have to walk to work?

Don't underestimate the purpose entertainment serves in the daily lives of the people who are fortunate enough to enjoy it.

McDonald's is completely unnecessary and has a worse affect on the human race than the NFL. Should the McDonald's franchise owners close their doors so they can sleep better at night?

Should the clerk at Foot Locker quit because the shoes he/she sells are made using child/slave labor? Do Nike shoes serve a purpose that justifies that?

Where's the line? Doug Whaley deciding which handful of people should make millions of dollars and who shouldn't is nothing comparatively.

[OpIv37]

It's not a dubious comparison at all. Football might be entertainment, but it's affect on the human race is minuscule compared to the automotive industry, not to mention it only hurts people who sign up for it. Cars injure far more people and have an incredible affect on our environment, but it's OK because we can get from point A to point B fast. Plus, if you can make billions of dollars on it, it's fine right? Where do you draw the line?

Entertainment that injures hundreds yearly versus fast transportation that kills 1.3 million people per year (3,287 people daily) and injures/disables 35 million more yearly. Those 3,300 people that are killed daily are expendable though because I don't want to have to walk to work?

Don't underestimate the purpose entertainment serves in the daily lives of the people who are fortunate enough to enjoy it.

McDonald's is completely unnecessary and has a worse affect on the human race than the NFL. Should the McDonald's franchise owners close their doors so they can sleep better at night?

Should the clerk at Foot Locker quit because the shoes he/she sells are made using child/slave labor? Do Nike shoes serve a purpose that justifies that?

Where's the line? Doug Whaley deciding which handful of people should make millions of dollars and who shouldn't is nothing comparatively.

Do you see McD's executives speaking out about the obesity epidemic? Do you see Foot Locker's CEO taking a stand against child labor? Do you see GM officials warning people of the dangers of climate change?

[Bill Cody]

Nothing about that supposed context changes the fundamental nature of what he said.

I think you're being a little harsh. I think what his comments refer to specifically are the recent reports on concussions in the game. It's a picture that wasn't known much about until now and we still don't know enough. A lot of people in the game including players probably have serious concerns about the future of the sport. No doubt many privately agree with Whaley, they just didn't say it out loud. Whether Whaley were to make an ethical stand or not the real mercenaries are the NFL itself. They're like the tobacco industry, they know a lot more then they're saying and they could do a lot more to improve safety but it would shave profits. Like playing with triple lined helmets that wouldn't look nearly as cool on TV.

Maybe by being willing to say out loud that the Emperor has no clothes Whaley will make it safer for others to speak out about a conversation that needs to happen. Because the league doesn't care one whit about the cattle with numbers they profit so handsomely from, the fact that they were just recently accused of trying to influence the concussion research tells you that. It's all about power and profits. Whaley is a tiny tiny cog in the wheel. So let's not single him out for saying out loud what, in my opinion, a lot of football people actually think. With no serious action by the league on safety Whaley's comments will be looked back on as more prophetic than unethical.

[OpIv37]

I think you're being a little harsh. I think what his comments refer to specifically are the recent reports on concussions in the game. It's a picture that wasn't known much about until now and we still don't know enough. A lot of people in the game including players probably have serious concerns about the future of the sport. No doubt many privately agree with Whaley, they just didn't say it out loud. Whether Whaley were to make an ethical stand or not the real mercenaries are the NFL itself. They're like the tobacco industry, they know a lot more then they're saying and they could do a lot more to improve safety but it would shave profits. Like playing with triple lined helmets that wouldn't look nearly as cool on TV.

Maybe by being willing to say out loud that the Emperor has no clothes Whaley will make it safer for others to speak out about a conversation that needs to happen. Because the league doesn't care one whit about the cattle with numbers they profit so handsomely from, the fact that they were just recently accused of trying to influence the concussion research tells you that. It's all about power and profits. Whaley is a tiny tiny cog in the wheel. So let's not single him out for saying out loud what, in my opinion, a lot of football people actually think. With no serious action by the league on safety Whaley's comments will be looked back on as more prophetic than unethical.

Yeah well, if you want to stick to the tobacco industry analogy, Whaley's the guy making huge profits selling cigarettes at his corner store while complaining about the health effects of smoking.

If he cared that much, he'd sell something else.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Nothing about that supposed context changes the fundamental nature of what he said.

That's not "supposed" context Mr. Weasel Words, that's the actual context. He was asked if Watkins was injury prone. He said he disagreed, because football is a violent sport that humans are not built to play, so injuries happen. And despite that, Watkins still has a good injury record, so he thought it wasn't an accurate description.

Claiming he's making some grand pronouncement about the sport and then further claiming that he's somehow unethical for continuing to work in the NFL is just ridiculous hyperbole.

[Joe Fo Sho]

Yeah well, if you want to stick to the tobacco industry analogy, Whaley's the guy making huge profits selling cigarettes at his corner store while complaining about the health effects of smoking.

If he cared that much, he'd sell something else.

When did Whaley complain or even make mention at all that he cared?