Andy Reid: Were We Hasty In Judgment?

As you know, NOIS is always willing and forthright in admitting when we may have been overzealous in a post. Or when we may have allowed our personal righteousness to supersede and be imposed on the acts of others.

Recently, we demanded that Eagles' coach Andy Reid be relieved of duty for a period of time. We felt that the crimes filed against his immature, reckless and civilly bankrupt sons warranted a scolding from the league. Our reasoning: That as young adults who reside under and rely on Reid's care for existance, he was responsible for ensuring that they don't offend society and sully the good name of the NFL and the Eagles.

Seems more than logical. More than reasonable. And certainly righteous.

We believe, that in principle, few would disagree.

Never did we suppose that Reid was in violation of the law. But, we did believe that Reid might be in violation of the NFL conduct policy.

Well, a recent pronouncement by the NFL on another individual's off field circumstances shed light on the matter of Reid and his children's crime spree.

Broncos running back Travis Henry's child support judgments might expose him to catcalls across the league this season, but they don't put him in line for disciplinary action by the NFL.

Certainly, few would argue this.

Is it fair to hold Henry's poor decisions in having so many children against him? Do we suspend Henry because near a dozen women have set him up and used his innate male genetic qualities against him for financial gain?

Certainly not.

The league has clamped down on off-field misbehavior under Commissioner Roger Goodell. But the new personal conduct policy "generally covers criminal violations, not civil matters" such as Henry's, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.

And there it is.

We are more than willing to interpret Reid's circumstances the same way.

While we still advocate for his children, and believe that the righteous course would be to step away and give them the support they need so they don't become the typical privileged white child stereotype; we also believe that the NFL is under no commitment to force him to do so.

So, while his children face their cases and possible jail time, we hope the Eagles are well prepared for their season opener.

And, we hope Travis Henry gets a raise so he can provide for all those children he was bamboozled into spawning.