I’ve always had a great deal of respect for Eagles fullback Leonard Weaver. He has always shown a great deal of intelligence and class in the time I’ve known him, but his comments on CSNPhilly.com supporting Adrian Peterson’s comments about “being treated like a slave” are ridiculous.
Do these guys know what the “institution of slavery” was? Do they know how well they live in comparison to rest of America, not to mention the rest of the world?
Do they know the savagery of captured at gunpoint or with a knife at your neck, then being shackled in the bottom of a boat for months as you sailed across the Atlantic Ocean? Do they know about the slaves living and sleeping in their own urine and excrement for months?
In addition to the urine and excrement, they were living with dead bodies lying beside them for months as they were being taken against their will from their homeland. The majority of the slaves died during the trip across the Atlantic Ocean.
Then once they arrived in American they were then forced to work like animals for the rest of their lives for someone else without any compensation.
What do today’s NFL players have in common with slaves of the 1700’s and 1800’s? They have virtually nothing in common with them.
First of all, like the rest of this great country, NFL players play the game because they choose to play. Nobody forces them to play and they’re compensated handsomely for their work.
What is the difference in this business battle and a player having an agent negotiate his contract? If one of the owners of the football 
team doesn’t agree to their salary proposal, do they start comparing their situation to slavery.
Other than the skin color of some of them, I see nothing that the NFL players have in common with slaves? It’s an insult for Peterson and Weaver to refer to slavery in this situation and it’s hurting the public relation’s battle that the players are waging with the owners.
The NFL players are destroying themselves and their reputation by making these foolish comments. I think every person of American of African descent is owed an apology by these guys who have made these asinine comments.
In my own mind I tried to disregard Peterson’s stupid rhetoric by figuring that his words had been said because he was in arguing, but the nerve of Weaver to come back and support those foolish comments are beyond the pale.
In each and every way, I beg to differ with the comments of Peterson and Weaver.
Intelligence no longer exists in society.
this is something me & you totally agree on G. I would be willing to do anything under the sun including bending over in order to play the game and make millions of dollars.
It’s a bit sad to see one of my favorite players say something that is just so out of touch w/ the average citizen.
There’s plenty of slavery still going on around the world. Does Weaver not know how lucky he is to be in this country, I always though he is a guy who gets it. He can just go a little South to Mexico if he wants to see real slavery and how far removed he is from it. Hell, America’s lower class lives above 96% of the rest of the world. These Americans have big screen tv’s, cell phones, and often don’t go to work, yet still get paid by the government to do nothing. The problem is people don’t take pride in having a job, they think getting paid to do nothing is the goal.
I thought Weaver was a smart dude who knew his Black History. Guess not
If Weaver’s Knee and Nerve Damage don’t improve, he will be finding himself
on the unemploymeny line come Summer Time or even sooner.. He should be spending his time brushing up on his other skills that he has for the long-term. His career as an Eagle and as an NFL player are in serious jeopardy…
I wouldnt compare it too Slavery. Its more like pimps and hoes. The Ballers are the hoes and the owners are the pimps. That would have been a better way to put. Bitch betta have my MONEY! *pimp slap*
slaves with $100,000 wheels & beautiful women on their shoulder
@vricchini…. LOL…… Good one….
For Weaver to follow Adrian Peterson’s comments is just flat out plain stupid….. They see the TOP OF THE LINE DOCTOR’S…… Break a leg and there walking within 2 months?????? I know If I break my leg I’ll damn near lose my JOB…. LOL…. What slaves you know pick and choose what car to drive during the weather change???? What slaves you know who basically get treated like royalty with VIP honors in clubs/events……. Slaves shouldnt even be mentioned in this whole ordeal!!
This is why it’s hard to be sympathetic to the players. The whole “woe is me” thing does go over well with people. Ask Donovan McNabb.
not*
I agree totally G. Its disheartening to realize how out of touch with history some of us African -Americans are. It is such an insult to remotely refer to slavery. More than that however, they are not only out of touch with average African- Americans; but Americans in general..
Owners show ownership…… Which is true in some cases…… But the players are acting as if this is the 1950’s and 1960’s when we were fighting for our rights to have freedom of expression….. I’ll ride with the players at all cause but this case here makes my stomach bubble……. We all know that an athlete’s name on a jersey isn’t the players…….. It’s property of the NFL…..
jroc, I agree they are acting like they are doing something heroic. They are merely fighting for better or fair compensation like any union does. It’s not heroic. And acting like they are victims and using slavery as an analogy is just plain disrespectful and irresponsible. I get what they are trying to articulate but they need to be more mindful in how they are trying to relate it. Don’t act like you’re just like “regular workers” when that sheds a good PR light on you but then try to separate yourself from “regular workers” when people start comparing you to them and make an argument against you. You are not like “regular workers”. So don’t try to relate in any way because you aren’t doing anything any more noble that UPS and SEPTA going on strike.
Chile Please
@Scorp….. Now thats real talk scorp……. I a lot people who work their entire lives and hate what they are doing….. But they have to make ends meet just to survive in this eat or be eatin world we live in….. The NFL players do something in which millions of people would love to do……. A job that most athletes that are good…… but just didnt make it to the NFL level will sacrifice anything just to be apart of the NFL!!!!! People have jobs to survive…… The NFL players have jobs that they passion for!!!!!! Big difference between all this slave talk non-sense!!!
+++ I KNOW!!!! LOL
If the players want to talk this slave non-sense……. They should be talking about us the FANS……… Whatever little bit we have…… We try to satisfy ourselves/children with sports memorabilia for our team of choice……. We pay for the sunday ticket, jersey’s, hats, etc……… Yes the players are putting there lives on the line and careers…… ANd so are the troops overseas who experience the aftermath in being in a real war……. Some dont even make it home….. To put slavery in this whole issue is just ignorant!!!!!
Theres natural disasters in this world……. Especially on the west coast and if I were a player “Kevin Kolb” perhaps….. I’ll ask the Eagles to try and keep me on the East coast…….. LOL……. You’ll lose everything God forbid if something else happens…….
To mention slavery in this context is to take away from the horror that took place in this country only 150 years ago. It is comparable to to using the word “holocaust” lightly. Don’t lessen the reality or meaning of slavery in the United States. Right on, G!
Apparently Weaver has apologized. Here are his comments:
“Now, that I have seen it, I will say that it was hard for me to watch and after thinking about it, I’ve come to the conclusion that I represented my family, friends and organization the wrong way. I’m sorry for those words I used and if I offend anyone, please forgive me,”……
“To all my fans whom I’ve disappointed I’m sorry.”
When did a slave have the chance to make millions of dollars, let alone be given the choice to do anything. Alot of these guys would’ve lasted in the 1960’s when athletes HAD to take up a cause or during Jim Crow. Try being Jack Johnson in the early 1900’s. And I’m speaking as a Black man to many Black athletes that don’t have a clue. You don’t want others using the “N-word” but you take the darkest period and our history and compare it to a friggin’ game. I just wrote a piece on Bill Russell – now ask him about his time in Boston during the Civil Rights Movement and you’ll rethink that whole slavery comment.
I’m sorry “wouldn’t have lasted in the 1960’s”
@Ron Glover….. I agree…… We are now in the SOFT ERA…….. You would think with all this technology players and people of all sorts would manage situations in a different manner….. I just hope 50 years from now we wouldnt reflect on this time frame because they say history repeats itself…..SMH!!
It is reasons like this why we will never move forward as a society–I am not talking about Weaver’s comment. I am speaking of the way of thinking in which words are automatically given a connotation of race, as opposed of their exact meanings. The history of slavery pre-dates its inception in America. Slavery was rampant all over the world and not just with Africans. If you look up the definition of slavery… you will not see the term African American… you will see:
“bondage: the state of being under the control of another person”
Weaver did not, NOT ONE BIT, attribute the term slavery to the time point in American culture where African Americans were degraded beyond belief. This spin you have given his comments are ridiculous.
Slave, slavery, enslaved… are ALL terms that do not explain a race. You and the other social media-ites are making Weaver’s comments a racial issue, not Leo himself. If you really are that sensitive to a word, perhaps you should contact Merriam Webster and get the definition changed to:
“bondage: the state of an African American held under the control of another person”
I’m not saying that everyone has to be a freedom fighter there are so many causes out here to take a stand for. Hunger, our wayward youth, it’s obvious that parents and grandparents are struggling to do the job…
Oh… and they way he used “slave” would be correct. You can argue the idea that “slaves don’t make millions”… but that still wouldn’t make the way he used the English language wrong.
Ron, I appreciate your posting. Using words like “slavery” lightly only further takes us away from our responsibility to vigilantly oppose racism. The impact of slavery on America should not be minimized. It’s not about making $4 million instead of $2 million. That’s why I oppose use of the N word by anybody. It is inappropriate at all times. Same with joking about “white people’s” lack of athletic abilities that one sees at this website. Racial stereotyping is bad for America and Americans, even when trying to be humorous. Although people will definitely argue, sometimes “political correctness” is not a bad thing.
aneyeforaneye- Since I’m an African American that’s what I relate the word “slavery” to. Same as if I was from Jewish descent, there are words that only Jewish people will relate that to no Webster didn’t make a specific word for any race or creed. Weaver knew he used the wrong word hence the apology. And whether “slaves make millions” or not isn’t an arguable point.
So you believe that NFL players are in “bondage: the state of being under the control of another person”
@Ron
If the word “slavery” was created specifically to reference what Africans experienced in America’s past, then I would be more than understanding of hostility felt toward Weaver’s comments. This idea that a person cannot openly compare something to slavery without being thrown to the wolves is a bit ridiculous especially when you take it to the Level that G did. If you can sit there and honestly think Weaver was specifically referencing the hardships of an American slave and not just the word’s definition for comparison… something is wrong.
I do see slavery as a “hot topic” but where we are as Americans now, this incessant belief that any word that could be related to the degradation of race should not be used, only heightens racial climates and brings us back even more.
How do you know he “knew he was wrong?” Perhaps, he thought “hey, people are really taking this to a level at which I did not mean… let me apologize.”
I see nothing wrong with Weaver calling NFL players slaves. Despite what they make, I believe they are being treated like property.
I see nothing wrong with Weaver calling NFL players slaves. Despite what they make, I believe they are being treated like property.
“And whether “slaves make millions” or not isn’t an arguable point. “
I was mocking earlier posts.
If we can’t get passed A WORD, how does anyone expect to rise above racism.
I guess weaver is trying to keep himself relevant by making these comments. He apologized for saying it but I’m trying to figure out why they even interviewd this man in the first place. He’s still injured and may not even return to the team. Weaver needs to focus on recovery and recovery alone.
aneye for… do you think the utterance ‘911’ only refers to calling the cops or ambulence? Or are you intelligent enough to acknowledge that cultural contexts of language extend beyond a concrete dictionary definition? If it’s the later, I think you can better understand that Weaver/AP most likely WERE referring to the American slavery of Africans/African-American’s in their comments.
aneye – you really think AP/LWeave would tell you that they were going off of webster and not trying to be metaphorical!? For real!?
Yeah he’s trying to back off big time now. Saying he misrepresented his family, his team and his heritage with poor choise of words. His PR guy must’ve told him what a dumb thing to do it was. At least he’s apologizing and retracting unlike AP who hasnt done anything. Doesnt make it right to say, but better than AP.
I believe in an instance like this… if it is not a direct comparison, then it is all specualtion. Obviously, specualtion is factual and concrete on this website.
eye4eye: G is the smartest, most forward thinking, least BS guy in the Philadelphia media.
GCOBB, I must commend you for posting this. I know since you are a former player, you mostly support the player’s side in all of this CBA crap. I would probably do the same. But I am a fan and you are correct when you said that these players, such as Weaver, are ruining their public relations battles. They are destroying any chance that they had of an NFL fan asiding with them on the CBA. Weavers comments are a pure example of why more and more fans are taking owners sides these days just because their so sick of what these players(just employees) keep saying.
Weaver you are a complete fool for saying this, regardless of your apology(that you probably only made because depending on your messed up knee your going to need some sympathy when you can’t play anymore and need to find a real job that’s not paying you millions).
What even makes you more ridiculous is that the Eagles FO that supossedly treated you so poorly to the point where you state you felt like a “slave”, awarded you with one of the highest paid contracts for your position. You barely played a game after you signed that “slave wage” contract and will probaly never play again. But you sir..still get the 6.5 million that is guaranteed to you for doing nothing. That 6.5 million came out of the pockets of Eagles fans all over the country. That 6.5 million would be more than enough for any hardworking Eagles fan to live with for the rest of their lives and then some. But for you its just “slave wage pay”.
eye4eye: G is the smartest, most forward thinking, least BS guy in the Philadelphia media.
Ok… How come people can conclude and assume that Weaver directly referred to African Americans with his slave comment? If that is the case then I can assume G failed English because of all of his spelling mistakes. Seriously, if I had as many spelling/grammar mistakes in my work emails, I would be fired.
W/e
If Weaver and the others are enslaved they went voluntarily on the prospect of becoming millionaires, and a lot of them have so attained that status. But they are enslaved to the owners, degraded themselves at the combines, looked over picked and prodded at for money. So in that sense he has a point, but again he went voluntarily and for the almighty dollar, so screw him and his complaining
jakedog, I don’t even think the ‘degraded themselves at the combine’ – it was a job interview. we all do/did the same (comparitively) at job interviews…
aneyeforaneye, not buying it. When someone says “modern day slavery” that automatically means comparable to past slavery. So…. what past slavery to do you think Adrian Peterson was referring to? And Weaver piggy backed off Peterson’s comment so he was agreeing with the “modern day slavery” comment. So you can try to admonish him and AP all you want but the fact of the matter is that AP was referring to slavery as in american history and Weaver was agreeing with him.
I heard or read that both Weaver and Adrian Peterson thought that the award winning mini-series “Roots” was about the hair coloring/styling of Black Females
Hair and Root Colors.
When the word Slave is used in THIS COUNTRY …..it is more often than not
referring to the African Slave…THIS COUNTRY knows no other SLAVE but the African…And nobody can honestly say when the word slave is used that Africans are not thought of…so all of that Webster Dictionary definition meaning says this or that can be DISMISSED…meaning GTFOH
I’m Black and offended that ANYBODY has the ballz to try and defend the use of the word
And just the fact that he backed off the comments and spoke of disrespecting his family, friends and anyone offended shows exactly what he was talking about. Don’t give Weaver all that credit. If he was really talking about the dictionary’s definition of slavery and not a comparison to american history of slavery, then there’s nothing to back off and apologize about.
He could came back and said, “I’m sorry if I offended anyone but what I meant was the actual meaning of slavery and not what it meant to our history”. But he didn’t because he and everyone else knows what he meant. Having said that, he apologized, so it’s all good from my standpoint. Not going to hold that against him/
GLI…. exactly.
scorp and GLI – exactly
I don’t know that I completely disagree with Peterson’s or Weaver’s assessment. I also don’t think that it’s a coincidence that the term “Slave” has been tossed around relative to professional athletes more than a few times in recent history. (the Lebron James debacle comes to mind) Certainly the violent component of doesn’t exist, but the question of whether the owners view players as “Property” definitely needs to be on the table. Players for all intents and purposes are viewed as property exclusively owned by a family and they can be bought sold or bartered just like property.
Slavery/serfdom, as terms, do not inherently include physical, emotional abuse and torture within the definition. Abuse and torture are things that are added locally as is the case of enslaving African people here. There’s really no other term that can be used to sum up the commodification of a human for the purposes of work, so there really wasn’t another to put it as to not offend those of fragile constitution.