Then? Vontae showed up in the worst shape of his life, couldn’t finish practices, and was demoted.

Vontae did this to Vontae.

And contrary to popular belief… the cameras ARE NOT a distraction. There are always cameras and judging eyes around pro teams. These “professionals” should focus on their job while the cameras buzz in the background.

I see two separate equations in this story. Vontae Davis inaction in terms of preparation for his job (relying mostly on his talents) resulted in his embarrassment in getting cut on TV.

On the flipside (and I’m a HUGE Dolphins fan) there will also be a reaction to the Dolphins embarrassing players on TV. Perhaps it’s further FA’s deciding to sign elsewhere. Perhaps it’s Jeff Ireland getting fired after this season (hope hope). But that cheque is in the mail.

Vontae, like us all, got what he deserved. If he didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of the class he should have done his home work. It was always in his hands.

There are clear and pervasive reasons why NOT to do this show. However its a show everyone loves to watch. Pats fans would LOVE to see their team on Hard Knocks, while at the same time understand completely why it isn’t going to happen….under the current system.

The solution is simple. Everyone has to do it once. Sure its a burden for the teams, but if you have to do it only once every 32 years….its not much of one.

I hope their coach does well, but as I was watching the coach deal with Chad I was wondering how he felt about the way the authorities dealt with his son. He might be a good coach but he has poor interpersonal skills. Which I think are essential to be a good leader.

Vontae Davis has been ridiculed, perhaps rightfully so, for a supposed lack of dedication to honing his craft, a lack of maturity in his approach to his job.

It’s easy to pile on a kid like this when he brings it on himself.

It’s also easy – for fans and Dolphin management alike – to write this kid off as a “sunk cost” or an expendable commodity that didn’t pan out.

Both NFL decision makers and we – as fans – need to remember that, despite these perceived undesirable qualities we may find, these players are human beings that feel emotion just like you and I.

Don’t get me wrong – NO BODY should be crying for Vontae Davis. He’s as physically gifted as anybody at his position in the game, and he’s a millionaire that’s going to continue to be handsomely paid by another franchise.

But if that scene taught us anything, it’s that people need to exercise some compassion and realize that NFL athletes are people and not inanimate assets that deserve to have personal, life-changing events broadcast to the world.

Look no further than Vontae’s immediate reaction to the news. Everything he has known about life in professional football is coming to an end, and all he wants is to speak to the person he loves most in the world and be told that everything is going to be ok.

I’d have a lot more sympathy for someone who came into the league BEFORE “Hard Knocks” started. If you entered the league after 2001, you know that your team might get featured.

It’s similar, though not as extreme, to how I have more sympathy for those in the military who went on many extra tours – and possibly even died – due to a change in foreign policy from the non-interventionism Bush campaigned on to the “strike-first” preemptive invasions and occupations. If you joined the military right before 9/11, you expected to only be used against immediate threats to our national security.

Of course, for the military, there is plenty of blame to go around as it was the UN sanctions (and the 100′s of thousands that died as a result during the Clinton years) that the CIA and 9/11 Commission Report say Al Qaeda used to recruit.

But watching Davis’ reaction was pretty foul. Very foul indeed. I do not wish the Dolphins well this season. Not a fan in the least bit.

I suppose I’m a little guilty because I watch the show (and therefore encourage their programming strategy), but I’ve always felt more uncomfortable than anything else watching the player cuts.

—————————–

That was completely different. Belichick had creative control of “A Football Life”. He had the final say in the editing room. so he could spin the footage whichever way he liked. He would never allow an all access show like Hard Knocks to come to Foxborough.