Just a few days after he was seen returning a blocked punt for a touchdown on behalf of the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, the sports world was rocked by the passing of the 24-year-old sophomore pass rusher, Marshawn Kneeland. The former Michigan Wolverine was the victim of an apparent suicide after an altercation with local law enforcement had resulted in a crash and subsequent foot chase.
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The tragedy has seen mental health be put at the forefront of the conversation once again, and according to Scottish–American placekicker for the New York Giants, Graham Gano, that message is worth remembering as things slowly begin to drift back towards being normal.
Sidelined with a neck injury and expected to miss the Giants’ upcoming game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, the 16-year veteran revealed that he’s seen a severe uptick in the amount of death threats that he receives from fans.
“Ever since sports betting became a thing, I get messages every week telling me to kill myself. If I make or miss a kick that costs someone money, they lash out. Just the other day, someone told me to get cancer and die. That kind of stuff has, unfortunately, become part of it.”
Between the head trauma and the fact that millions of fans are wagering money on their individual performances on a weekly basis, there’s certainly no shortage of pressure on NFL athletes. According to the former CEO of the Las Vegas Raiders, Amy Trask, now is as good a time as ever for those bad actors to have a moment of reflection with themselves.
“If you are someone who does that which Graham Gano shared, many people do, and you tell a player who misses a field goal, or throws an interception, or fumbles the ball, or makes another mistake, to “k**l himself” or that he should be killed, take a hard, hard look at yourself. Who are you? Is that who you want to be? Is that how you want to treat other people? …It is a game and if you are treating players like that, take a hard look at yourself.”
Having served as the CEO of the Raiders for more than 15 years, Trask is painfully familiar with the way in which the league handles these sorts of tragedies. While she was sure to note that the reaction time to and the handling of these kinds of grave ordeals have drastically improved over time, she’s most proud of the fact that players can now visit with licensed professionals who will keep their discussions with players confidential.
Even then, however, she still understands that there is a human aspect to all of this, and that’s why she never shied away from the emotions and the heartbreak that tends to come with the game of football.
“I sat with players who were in tears after games. I have a distinct, heartbreaking memory of sitting with one of our corners after a game in which he gave up the game-winning touchdown and he was crying. He cared that much, he was that distraught. These are men who care deeply and are passionate about the game.”
We all understand that it isn’t fun to have your parlay busted on the first leg, nor is it any better when it breaks down on the last leg, but the message is clear. Next time you’re ready to lash out at a particular player through social media, remember that, first and foremost, it’s another human being who is on the receiving end of that message.
