Here’s a tangible example of the problems presented by the lockout. Two Vikings players had a rough week, with cornerback Chris Cook getting arrested for brandishing a gun and running back Adrian Peterson facing widespread criticism for comparing the plight of players to “modern-day slavery.”
Coach Leslie Frazier, widely regarded as a man who knows how to communicate effectively and productively with his players (unlike his predecessor), can’t talk to either Cook or Peterson.
“Adrian is a great kid, as you guys know,” Frazier told reporters Sunday while arriving at the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans for league meetings. “This is a time where not being able to communicate with the players -- it’s hard to form an opinion. . . . So, you kind of reserve judgment on everything that you see right now . . . all the information that you’re getting is through the media.”
The league has strictly prohibited contact with players during the lockout. It’s reportedly an offense for which coaches could be fired with cause, meaning they’d leave without further pay.
Though no coach has complained publicly about the situation, we’ve got a feeling that some paint has been peeling off the walls of team facilities without any tools or thinner.