Gruden Had To Go, But How Can NFL Justify Eminem At The Super Bowl? [OPINION]
The rules have been written: No past transgression shall be forgiven.
In some cases, I think this is justified, such as the case with former Raiders coach Jon Gruden, who was exposed using racist and homophobic terms in past emails that were recently unearthed.
The man used language and terms that have never been acceptable, let alone within the last decade.
With that being said, how can the NFL justify having Eminem, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg as its halftime show? Have you ever seen the lyrics to Eminem's "Kill You" or "Criminal" (STRONG LANGUAGE IN LINKS)? How about the classic Eminem and Dr. Dre collaboration "Guilty Conscience" (AGAIN, STRONG LANGUAGE WARNING)?
I believe in free speech. I don't think Eminem should be 'canceled' even though I probably wouldn't listen to his music now that I am an adult. However, I also think it is bizarre that the league would choose him for its biggest event.
My point is that the NFL seems to be speaking out of both sides of its mouth. You can't react the way the league did about Gruden's emails then turn around and promote Eminem as the halftime show.
You can't with a straight face air commercials with the slogan "NFL Pride: Football is for everyone" while giving Eminem, Dr. Dre and Snoop's lyrics about homophobia, violence, sexism and bigotry arguably the biggest platform on Earth.
So, I ask the NFL: How serious are you about making football "for everyone?" It looks good on the commercials but are you doing it in actual practice?