Unbelievably, people will choose a word or label to best fit their agenda and sentiments.
In this instance, the word some chose to use to describe the incident between Coach Reid and Travis Kelce is “assault.”
The word “assault” has massive egregious, nefarious, criminal connotations and implications.
Yet, the very man, Coach Andy Reid, the man involved in the incident calls it a “bump.” Yet, the media labeled it “assault” to ensure plenty of mileage for those that revere and embrace negativity and drama.
If this were a true “assault,” the game should have been abruptly canceled and the sideline where the incident occurred, treated as a crime scene, and cordoned off with yellow tape.
You can go to jail for “assaulting” someone. Not for bumping someone to get their attention in the biggest commercial sporting event on the planet with, like you alluded to 120 million people watching, the game in jeopardy of being lost, the losing of which deeply affects Coach Reid’s legacy and many others.
So, he startled him with a bump or a push. Definitely not an “assault.
Much like if any of us felt the bus we had boarded, a fast moving Greyhound bus, (“Go Greyhound and leave the driving to us”) headed due south, and it begins to swerve and sway dangerously, and we notice that the bus driver is “highway weary,” nodding off, falling asleep. Dammit, which one of us would not yell at him, lose our composure momentarily, and somehow jar him, push him, bump him, to wake him up to the impending danger that affects him and the bus load of people and their families? That is not called an “assault.”
If the man (Coach Reid) who was bumped into, calls it a “bump,” he is describing his experience of the physical contact. Baffles me how non-experiencers of the event have the audacity to reinterpret the event to support their beliefs, feelings, agendas and needs. Those watching on their screens are merely onlookers with not an inkling of the dynamics between the coaches and players.
THIS IS FOOTBALL!!!
My “football buddies” are unlike any other of my friends. After 50 years, we curse and ride and push and talk straight to each other, hiding nothing, not holding our cards close to our chest, transparent, loose, real. Outside of that camaraderie, that “football” demeanor with regular folks would be considered crude and vile.
I think that the use of the word “assault” with respect to the incident between this coach and this player is disingenuous.
The dictionary definition for “assault” is “Assault:
A violent physical or verbal attack; a threat or attempt to inflict offensive physical contact or bodily harm on a person, as by lifting a fist in a threatening manner, that puts the person in immediate danger of or in apprehension.”
Another AI source indicates that “assault” typically implies the intention to hurt or harm someone. It involves a deliberate act of violence or aggression towards another person, whether physically or verbally. So, in most cases, when someone is accused of assault, it suggests that they had harmful intentions towards the victim.”
I think we can agree that Kelce in no way meant to “assault” and injure his beloved coach, Andy Reid.
I am not condoning what occurred as acceptable behavior, but it has occurred in the past without backlash with other players and coaches.
One such incident happened during a game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots in 2015. In an intense situation on the sidelines, Seahawks cornerback, Richard Sherman, known for his passionate and emotional style of play, was seen grabbing the arm of his defensive coordinator, Kris Richard, during an intense moment trying to make his point in an urgent game situation. There was physicality and it was confrontational. It wasn’t blown out of proportion, and later explained as Sherman’s desire to emphatically communicate and provide input into the game.
Another incident that was heated between player and coach occurred between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills in 2017. On the sidelines, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was seen out of control, yelling at his offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels to “let me go, come on, wake up!”
This genre of men have a camaraderie that is tougher, more rambunctious and visceral within their team dynamics, playing an extremely violent sport. There is a massive amount of “tough love” involved.
The way I see it, the dynamics between coaches and players vary greatly, and vary greatly from era to era. A player could never act as Travis Kelce did with coaches like: Vince Lombardi, Bill Parcells, Tom Landry, Bill Belichick and most others. But, I can see it more acceptable with coaches like: John Madden, Dick Vermeil (KC Chiefs’ coach), Mike Vrabel, Doug Pederson, Bruce Arians (no risk it; no biscuit) and others whose egos aren’t built merely on desiring authoritative respect, but a desire to win in close camaraderie with his family of players.
Andy Reid runs his team in his own unique style, a close-knit bond between player and coach. It should also be noted that a franchise with its logo creates a unique brand. And KC coaches like Hank Stram had a similar rapport with his players, not as great a gap between coach and player as with other organization. In the early days, the Kansas City Chiefs were often referred to as the Wild West of the American Football Conference (AFC) reminiscent of the Wild West era in American history.
In this instance, the word some chose to use to describe the incident between Coach Reid and Travis Kelce is “assault.”
The word “assault” has massive egregious, nefarious, criminal connotations and implications.
Yet, the very man, Coach Andy Reid, the man involved in the incident calls it a “bump.” Yet, the media labeled it “assault” to ensure plenty of mileage for those that revere and embrace negativity and drama.
If this were a true “assault,” the game should have been abruptly canceled and the sideline where the incident occurred, treated as a crime scene, and cordoned off with yellow tape.
You can go to jail for “assaulting” someone. Not for bumping someone to get their attention in the biggest commercial sporting event on the planet with, like you alluded to 120 million people watching, the game in jeopardy of being lost, the losing of which deeply affects Coach Reid’s legacy and many others.
So, he startled him with a bump or a push. Definitely not an “assault.
Much like if any of us felt the bus we had boarded, a fast moving Greyhound bus, (“Go Greyhound and leave the driving to us”) headed due south, and it begins to swerve and sway dangerously, and we notice that the bus driver is “highway weary,” nodding off, falling asleep. Dammit, which one of us would not yell at him, lose our composure momentarily, and somehow jar him, push him, bump him, to wake him up to the impending danger that affects him and the bus load of people and their families? That is not called an “assault.”
If the man (Coach Reid) who was bumped into, calls it a “bump,” he is describing his experience of the physical contact. Baffles me how non-experiencers of the event have the audacity to reinterpret the event to support their beliefs, feelings, agendas and needs. Those watching on their screens are merely onlookers with not an inkling of the dynamics between the coaches and players.
THIS IS FOOTBALL!!!
My “football buddies” are unlike any other of my friends. After 50 years, we curse and ride and push and talk straight to each other, hiding nothing, not holding our cards close to our chest, transparent, loose, real. Outside of that camaraderie, that “football” demeanor with regular folks would be considered crude and vile.
I think that the use of the word “assault” with respect to the incident between this coach and this player is disingenuous.
The dictionary definition for “assault” is “Assault:
A violent physical or verbal attack; a threat or attempt to inflict offensive physical contact or bodily harm on a person, as by lifting a fist in a threatening manner, that puts the person in immediate danger of or in apprehension.”
Another AI source indicates that “assault” typically implies the intention to hurt or harm someone. It involves a deliberate act of violence or aggression towards another person, whether physically or verbally. So, in most cases, when someone is accused of assault, it suggests that they had harmful intentions towards the victim.”
I think we can agree that Kelce in no way meant to “assault” and injure his beloved coach, Andy Reid.
I am not condoning what occurred as acceptable behavior, but it has occurred in the past without backlash with other players and coaches.
One such incident happened during a game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots in 2015. In an intense situation on the sidelines, Seahawks cornerback, Richard Sherman, known for his passionate and emotional style of play, was seen grabbing the arm of his defensive coordinator, Kris Richard, during an intense moment trying to make his point in an urgent game situation. There was physicality and it was confrontational. It wasn’t blown out of proportion, and later explained as Sherman’s desire to emphatically communicate and provide input into the game.
Another incident that was heated between player and coach occurred between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills in 2017. On the sidelines, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was seen out of control, yelling at his offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels to “let me go, come on, wake up!”
This genre of men have a camaraderie that is tougher, more rambunctious and visceral within their team dynamics, playing an extremely violent sport. There is a massive amount of “tough love” involved.
The way I see it, the dynamics between coaches and players vary greatly, and vary greatly from era to era. A player could never act as Travis Kelce did with coaches like: Vince Lombardi, Bill Parcells, Tom Landry, Bill Belichick and most others. But, I can see it more acceptable with coaches like: John Madden, Dick Vermeil (KC Chiefs’ coach), Mike Vrabel, Doug Pederson, Bruce Arians (no risk it; no biscuit) and others whose egos aren’t built merely on desiring authoritative respect, but a desire to win in close camaraderie with his family of players.
Andy Reid runs his team in his own unique style, a close-knit bond between player and coach. It should also be noted that a franchise with its logo creates a unique brand. And KC coaches like Hank Stram had a similar rapport with his players, not as great a gap between coach and player as with other organization. In the early days, the Kansas City Chiefs were often referred to as the Wild West of the American Football Conference (AFC) reminiscent of the Wild West era in American history.
