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It appears that some bad blood is still brewing for Ravens defensive end and his former NFC East foe, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Sitting on a stool outside of his locker, Canty openly spoke his mind when asked for his thoughts on the situation in Miami involving the bullying situation between Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin. When answering the question, Canty brought back up a previous black-eye to the league from back in training camp.
"It's surprising for me to see any player using these kinds of remarks and these kind of attacks in this day and age; even going back to the Riley Cooper thing back in the beginning of the season. It's unfortunate this is continuing to take place."
"I do want to commend the Miami Dolphins for setting the precedent in the course of action they've taken as opposed to what the Philadelphia Eagles decided to do, giving Riley Cooper a slap on the wrist. I think that [enables] people to continue to use those kind of slurs, make those kind of remarks and have those kind of texts."
You could see the frustration in Canty's face when he spoke of the allegations surrounding Incognito. Given his comments, Canty was happy to see Incognito suspended on Sunday for his actions, but not apparently happy for the Eagles' reaction in handling Riley Cooper after a video surfaced in July of him using racial slurs towards security guards at a Kenny Chesney concert.
Cooper was fined an undisclosed amount and sent to counseling, but was never suspended by the Eagles nor did he face any punishment from the league.
Personally, I disagree with Canty's statement, largely because I think he was misinformed. Many times this season, I've seen that players are victims of the demands of their jobs, and are sometimes the last to hear about news, even when it surrounds their own team. In this case with Canty, I don't know if he was aware of the latest reports from the Sun Sentinel in Miami stating that the direction to "toughen up" Martin came from the Dolphins coaching staff.
If those allegations are true, would Canty change his tune?
I disagree with Canty's shot at the Eagles today for the simple fact that the team immediately addressed the situation in-house and didn't hide from anything. Eagles head coach Chip Kelly immediately addressed the team without Cooper present and they talked about it like a "family," a term that floats around locker rooms quite a bit.
In the end, Cooper wasn't suspended — he took a leave of absence to seek counseling and was fined an "undisclosed amount," but said the amount was substantial.
The Dolphins shouldn't be praised for their actions in this situation. Incognito was likely only suspended because this story slipped outside of the locker room and was made public. The team had a situation on their hands and had to act in the best way to appease the public. Had this story not leaked, would anyone have thought more to Martin than just having an "illness" as the injury report listed him last week?
It appears that Canty feels that a player facing suspension or termination is just punishment for the actions of racial remarks. While Canty may not be satisfied at this point, judgement day for Cooper and Incognito will come when they're not on their respective rosters.
Canty was asked if there was a place in the NFL for Incognito. If more NFL general managers feel the way Canty does, Cooper and Incognito may be playing for their final teams in professional football.
"Playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right, and I think it should be treated as such. I don't think there's any place for racism or racially charged attacks. I don't think there's a place for it."
In this case, the Court of Public Opinion may be the determining factor if Incongnito plays elsewhere in the NFL if he's released as some reports have hinted at. Regardless, only time will tell. The one evident thing is that racism is present in NFL locker rooms just as it is elsewhere in society.