It would be an understatement to say this has been an offseason Roger Goodell would like to forget. Get to training camp everyone. Peyton Manning, start throwing to Wes Welker. Tim Tebow, do anything.
For a time, it seemed the biggest wave made in Steelers’ camp was Mike Wallace sending a few choice words from Miami. Sticks and stones, right? All things considered, everything was calm.
Enter photos of Maurkice Pouncey wearing a “Free Hernandez” cap.
Ka-boom.
Predictably, fans were none too pleased with the perceived support of the former Patriot facing murder charges. Neither was the team who reportedly talked to him shortly after the photos surfaced. An even more predictable apology was issued by Pouncey via Twitter, no doubt aided (written) by the team.
Our Derek Markovitz wrote a column on the incident, essentially calling Pouncey unprofessional and having a focus centered on money, not the team.
And there are definitely some points I can jump onboard with. Wearing the cap was senseless. It was stupid idea that no good could result from it. Spoiler alert, none has. It’s important the team talked to him in an effort to make sure controversy like this doesn’t stir up again.
But back up and face reality for a moment. Maurkice Pouncey is not going to be suspended by the team, the league. He will not be cut. His next contract will not hinge over this.
Put it in perspective. This offseason has seen two players charged with murder. Approximately 30 others taking a mugshot. Pouncey wore a hat. In utter poor taste? You bet. But it’s still just a piece of clothing.
Lost all respect for the Steelers’ center? Save that for the players accused of murder. Otherwise, you’re equating the two events as equally egregious. They’re anything but.
Remember Pouncey and Hernandez were teammates and friends. He doesn’t see him in the same scope that the average fan does. It’s not just some ego-driven football player that thought he was invincible. It’s a person he knows personally and spent the ups and downs of football with. A sport analogous to war. Teammates are soldiers. They support one another.
Does this make Pouncey’s actions acceptable? Of course not, nothing will. It’s not an excuse but an explanation for what he did.
He is about to celebrate his 24th birthday. Meaning, he’s still a young and yes, dumb adult like the rest of us. Prone to making mistakes. His just get magnified on a national scale.
Knowing all that, it seems almost unfathomable he realized the implications of what the hat could mean. Some fans have speculated it leads to ties of gang life himself. Absurd ideas, of course, based on zero evidence. It’s Occam’s Razor. It’s not part of a larger storyline. Just an awful decision. Nothing less, nothing more.
There’s plenty of time in his career to reflect and grow as a person. Just ask Ben Roethlisberger. He did it; why can’t Pouncey?
The team certainly won’t punish him severely over it. He didn’t do anything illegal. There is no record of repeat offenses that we saw in Santonio Holmes. Plus it’s no secret that star players like Maurkice got more leniency than those on the bubble. Hypocritical? Yes. Unfair? No doubt. But it’s the way the league works and the quicker that fact is accepted, the quicker the notion of a suspension can be pushed aside.
None of this will matter come July 26th. The team will report to St. Vincent College. Peter King will probably again praise the beauty of the campus. Mike Tomlin will definitely be decked out in pants and a long sleeve shirt.
The fans will run, pads will pop, and eventually football will return to Heinz Field August 10th, the first preseason game against the New York Giants. Maurkice Pouncey will be the anchor on an offensive line brimming with potential.
What matters is Pouncey has been a Pro Bowler while donning a Steelers’ helmet.
Not a hat.
