Its much easier to control NFL players with money.
Also, NBA players have more leverage than NFL players.
- In the NFL, you're always one injury away from your career being over and you sign non or partially guaranteed contracts and get paid less than your NBA counterparts. Furthermore, you have even less time to earn money in the NFL. By 31/32, "its over." You're gonna try to hold on to that check by any means necessary - even if it means occasionally dropping a few "All lives matter" verses or saying things like, "Republicans buy sneakers too"
- You're much more replaceable in the NFL than the NBA unless you're a QB. If you lose a top tier Free Safety, within a year or two you can have a solid replacement either via draft or free agency and in the meantime you just adjust your coverage scheme. Receiver? Cornerback? There are always serviceable ones available in free agency. Linebacker? Look at how fast that Eagles linebacker backed down after his agent told him to not even think about protesting with Colin. He knows that they're trimming that roster down to 53 men from 75. Who's gonna walk up to Lebron and tell him, "Lebron you better sit down and shut your mouth if you want to keep your money and a spot on this roster?" You can't even walk up to a guy like Derozan and tell him the same thing either. There won't be guys to replace them for YEARS. If you dare to mistreat/punish one of these players for speaking out, then players will talk to each other and NO ONE is coming to your team during free agency. You see how Lebron had both Miami and Cleveland by the balls? You see how Lebron and Kobe easily could get their coaches replaced and have guys traded and signed at their request? You see how teams are desperate to sign over their life savings to guys like Chandler Parsons? What player in the NFL is gonna get away with this? The owners would LAUGH at Odell Beckham Jr and Co. if they even thought about pulling any of this, and then Roger Goodell would fine them. You'll never see a "The Decision" moment in the NFL.
- Finally, the NFL wrote the blueprint for athlete c00nery. OJ Simpson
iswas the Model c00n Athlete. If anyone knows how to navigate incidents like these, it should be the NFL.
Yuuuuuuup to all of it and a double Yuuuuuuup on OJ.
What is funny about the whole black athlete not speaking on social issues OJ was the originator yet folks in the media want to constantly ignore this.