The De-escalation Of The Football Player

By Forrest Conoly

NFL arrests are up 75% this offseason as compared to last offseason. There have been 47 arrests since the end of the regular season as opposed to 9 during the regular season. In the time since the Super Bowl was played the NFL has had 30 plus arrest as opposed to the other three major sports having a combined 8 arrests (it should be duly noted that two of the other three major sports were in season during this time). De-escalating is a reduction process that’s put in place to remove tension. Tension can be one of the underlying causes for the amount of arrests for NFL football players. It’s time for an intervention for football players. It’s time to incorporate an off season conflict resolution program. 

A football game can be described in two words, monitored violence. The description of a football player is a fearless gladiator willing to sacrifice his body for the greater good of the team, of the organization, of the city it represents and for the game itself.

A football player is taught that within the confines of the 57,600 sq.ft field that pretty much anything goes as far as the physical aspect of exerting themselves is concerned albeit the rules have changed as far as to what you are able to do for the protection of the players. What has not changed is the mentality of the game. Which we now see may be the same approach many of these players take with life.

It seems that daily we read about an NFL player getting arrested for various charges i.e.….property destruction, assault with the intent to harm, disturbing the peace, domestic violence and/or resisting arrest. If you were to take any of the aforementioned charges and relegate it to the football field a player is taught to cause destruction. A player is taught to assault the opponent. A player is taught to be a disturbance in reference to what the opponent is trying to do. A player is taught to resist the opponent’s attempt at success by enforcing their will upon them. With that being said, is the player really to blame for the acts of aggression that we see that lead to the many offseason arrest? Are the players that are caught under the influence, a product of self-medication, something many do during the season for maintenance purposes and to survive? 

The strategy of change starts early. Collegiate players are put through a process, which consists of being broken down and built back up into a machine like figure. Be tougher than the opponent. Outdo the opponent. Never give up on your team. Don’t allow the opponent to know that you are hurt. Be the most mentally tough individual on the field. Be a gladiator.

Often we hear the term that football is 90% mental 10% physical. Well what happens to that mental capacity once the game is over. What happens to that mentality of aggression when what it’s been trained to do at such an intense rate is not withstanding? What happens when that mentality is not commonplace? What happens when there is no way to exert the physical aspect of what a particular athlete has been trained to do? 

Football players are trained to be amped up individuals with an understanding that if they are not they are at risk of serious bodily harm as well as being jobless. Could that same aggression mechanism of mentality be the source of the outburst that continue to be displayed and that plagues the NFL during the offseason? There is a stark difference between the arrest rates amongst NFL players during the season as opposed to during the off-season. Why you ask? Where does a player go to release that energy? 

De-escalating is not an option during the season. An escalated player is a good player. An escalated player is a player that’s ready to play. What does not occur is the de-escalation of the athlete after the season has concluded, which I feel leads to said players having incidents of destruction whether it be of property or character.

Prior to and during the off-season the question I ask is should there be a de-escalation process put in place? Should players be obligated to spend part of their down time getting instruction on how to differentiate or is that asking too much? To protect the shield should owners overlook a players desire to separate themselves from the game and make it a requirement and/or add an addendum to each players contract that states that they attend a certain amount of tantric classes as a way to teach them how to be under control.  

Would this bring about a positive affect on the players ability to disassociate themselves from the role of gladiators during the off-season to display an increase in their ability to assimilate to commonplace calm? 

The nature of the sport and the finality of this being the end of the road the ultimate accomplishment, professional football players for the most part need to have the same process yearly of de-escalating as they do every year of escalation training. 

There is an aspect of mental health involved in the string of arrest that we see with athletes as the number continues to grow and but there has not been an abundance of programmatic solution put in place to address this issue. Simple suspensions and monetary fines don’t address the problem, now is the time to create a solution. Professional football is a lifestyle. 

How do you tell someone that is trained as a professional to be the aggressor to shut it down for a 3-month period? Seventy five percent of a football player’s year is that of a warrior, that of an aggressor. When the season concludes the offseason rigors of a professional football player is unlike any that of any other athlete.

Collision is the name of the game. If a football player is trained to collide and be the tough guy how can a football player easily assimilate into co-existing with the common person daily? What can a player use to substitute the aggression he is forced to have to survive the game? How can a player easily conform?

Speaking with Dr. Darius Cooper, Ph.D., NCC, LPC on this topic he talks about the process that occurs stating that individuals i.e.…football players may fail to connect their activities to victimization thereby continuing to place them in the same situations and engage in the same behaviors that facilitated, provoked or precipitated their earlier victimization and possible future victimization. Meaning that some individuals may have some tendency to act as if long-term negative consequences don’t exist.

Dr. Cooper has put a plan in place with curriculum that stresses goals to focus on highest risk variables related to victimization and ways to avoid and or prevent those situations. His theory to be taught within this curriculum would include the routine activities theory, self-control, control balance theory, situated transaction and the cycle of violence. This program would be delivered in various methods such as workshops, lectures or seminar settings. PowerPoint and psychodrama plays would also be used to give football players an awareness of how situations are escalating and ways to escape those situations immediately.

Additionally in Victimology, 5th edition written by Doerner & Lab it is stated that: Routine activities refer to the fact that individuals may place themselves at risk of victimization by their everyday activities. Mobility, suitable target, lack of guardianship and the increased motivation of offenders has allowed for greater levels of theft. One example is warm months draw people out, gatherings such as social events or clubs, the use of alcohol, the code of silence in certain environments and the fact that athletes themselves are suitable targets can be factors in victimization. What this means is that our choices to where to go, what to do, and how to process influence the chances of becoming a victim indicating that the cycle of violence consist of three distinct stages: (1) the tension-building phase, (2) the battering episode and, (3) the reconciliation period. Understanding what variables are related to each phase has taught individuals how to prevent the entrance of these phases and ways to defuse these stages once entered. However it is crucial to defuse the situation in stage one because usually in stage two, violence has already occurred. 

Dr. Cooper’s program would consist of milestones to conclude with a reduction in on- and off-the-field issues regarding professional athletes. Second, this program should raise awareness regarding culturally sensitive issues. Third, this program would work towards increasing healthier relationships for athletes and their social network. These networks would be inclusive in such a way that they would serve as a protective fabric that reduces the athletes from participating in on- and off-the-field issues. Furthermore, this program, because of its cultural and network issues, would promote athletes toward becoming more responsible in their communities. Finally, this program should reflect what positive and healthy athletes should strive for, which is in line with the organization’s overall reputation.

The statistics support the idea that maybe it’s time to incorporate a coping skills developmental process to insure that the character of the game and its competitors is not irreparably tarnished. Removing the tension and teaching football players appropriate offseason intervention skills has become necessary. The de-escalation process has to occur. 

Forrest Conoly is a color analyst for ESPN3 College Football telecast and the owner of BigFoSports.com. Conoly attended The Florida State University where he successfully earned his B.S. Degree in Social Science. He also earned his Masters in Sports Management from Central Michigan University. Currently Forrest can be heard hosting his own sports talk radio show on Wednesdays from 6-8pm on AM1100 Atlanta Sports And Entertainment Radio Network. During his down time Forrest works with at risk Metro Atlanta Youth in the capacity of a behavioral healthcare consultant. He is a graduate of Berlin High School and starred in three sports for the Redcoats. He was inducted into the Berlin High School Athletic Hall of Fame.