John A. T. Hull, a Republican from Iowa who served 10 terms in Congress, was a pioneer ahead of his time when he expressed his disapproval of joint practices, deeming them “impractical.” His strong stance on the matter caught the attention of America, with headlines like “HULL IS AGAINST PLAN” plastered in newspapers such as The Montana Record-Herald.
Hull, in his capacity as chairman of the House Committee on Military Affairs, took a firm stand against joint practice operations involving the United States Army and the National Guard, all the way back in 1902.
“Stuff like that’s going to happen. It’s football at the end of the day,” remarked Nabers as reported by Charlotte Carroll and Colton Pouncy of The Athletic.
The altercation between Kerby Joseph and Malik Nabers may have been triggered by something Joseph said. This point is crucial to consider.
In an effort to shed light on the evolution of player behavior in such scenarios, I spoke with former NFL linebacker and long snapper Steve DeOssie. DeOssie, who played for renowned coaches like Tom Landry, Bill Parcells, and Bill Belichick during his 12-season NFL career from 1984 to 1995, offered a seasoned perspective. As a Super Bowl champion and father of another NFL player, Zak DeOssie, Steve is no stranger to the game’s ebbs and flows.
“These days, you have a lot of fans. You have cameras from 12 different TV stations. And if you’re a player and you think you’re getting pushed around by someone, you’re not going to let them make a little (baby) out of you in front of all those people,” DeOssie reflected on the changes in player conduct.
“It used to be you’d just let it go, or you’d remember it and maybe settle up some other time,” he added. “Now you feel like you almost have to get up and do something.”
