NFL Legend Doug Williams Offers Worst Possible Defense of Claiming Alleged Domestic Abuser
If you’re trying to defend someone who’s allegedly done something horrible, any defense that starts with the words “what about” should be a clear sign that you’re doing it wrong.
But the Washington Redskins, who claimed embattled linebacker Reuben Foster off waivers Tuesday, seem to have missed that memo.
Foster, who got kicked off the San Francisco 49ers after he was arrested and charged with domestic violence, received no other waiver-wire interest and likely would have found himself alongside players like Greg Hardy and Ray Rice whose problematic interactions with women leave them persona non grata in the NFL.
Instead, he’s getting another shot because the Redskins haven’t won a playoff game since George W. Bush was still president in 2005.
Washington senior vice president Doug Williams’ statement on the matter is sure to be one of those triumphs of bipartisanship rare in the current American sociopolitical landscape: No matter what your opinions are, we can all agree this is an egregious misstatement.
“We got people who are in high, high, high, high places that have done far worse, if you look at it realistically,” he said, according to ESPN. “And they’re still up there. This is small potatoes (compared to) a lot of things out there. But at the same time, it’s a big issue in America today, whether or not it’s in football, whether or not it’s in everyday life, whether or not it’s in politics, it’s out there.”
No self-respecting parent would accept, “Yeah, I beat up little Susie, but Billy tried to stab his mom, what about Billy?” as an excuse from a second-grader.
This is Doug Williams, a grown man with a Super Bowl ring, rationalizing like a 7-year-old.
Of course, when all you have is a shovel, everything starts to look like a hole to dig yourself deeper into, so when Williams went on the radio to talk about Foster, he uncorked another whopper.
“I’ve got six daughters, so it ain’t something I would condone,” he told WTEM-AM in Washington. “But at the same time, I think we are in the business of at least looking into (Foster’s case). I could sit here, and I won’t, name a bunch of teams that took on players that got a lot of baggage that nobody’s saying anything about.
“You can’t get into nitpicking what they do and what you do. You gotta look at it from your standpoint. There was a lot of thought that went into it. It wasn’t just a spur of the moment type of thing. We all gathered, we talked about it, we knew there was going to be some risk-reward involved in it.”
What’s more, when it was pointed out to him that the team would receive backlash for the decision, Williams said, “And rightfully so.”
As displays of moral courage go, well, others have done far worse (Neville Chamberlain, looking at you), but that is no excuse.
According to ESPN, “not everyone in the franchise was on board” with claiming Foster, but “those who were against it weren’t involved in the decision-making process.”
Never change, Dan Snyder. Fans of every team in the NFC that isn’t the Redskins love having less competition for playoff spots.
According to police, Foster slapped a cellphone out of his girlfriend’s hand, then pushed her in the chest and slapped her. It was the second (or third) such allegation for Foster, although the woman recanted her testimony in the first instance.
“This might be his last rodeo. … He has to get his business fixed and get things straight,” Williams said. “Hopefully, things is not as bad as it’s been reported. Like I said, everything’s got an investigation. We gotta just wait and see where the shoe falls.”
Foster won’t be allowed to practice or play in games for the Redskins as the league placed him on the Reserve/Commissioner Exempt List while it reviews his arrest.
Doug Williams and the Redskins brain trust can hem and haw all they want. The obvious implication is that they care more about signing a talented linebacker than in doing anything to help the NFL’s image as a haven for terrible men.
Williams is right about one thing, though. When the Redskins face a backlash, it will be “and rightfully so.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
