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My father has worked for 30 years running a masonry company. Three decades of lifting split-faced concrete blocks and mixing mortar has ruined his knees, given him chronic back problems, and then there was that one time he got shingles. That was ugly. He’s made enough money for us to live comfortably, but he’s still working past 60, so it’s not like we’re Rockafellers.
Never once have I heard my father bitch and moan about how grueling or depressing his job is, even though it is–I’ve worked many summers under him and now you know why I’m a blogger. If I asked him if he wishes his job was more fun, his ears would start smoking due to his brain’s inability to connect the words ‘work’ and ‘fun.’ Not a day goes by when I don’t feel inferior.
But he grew up in a different day and age.
Now, NFL players want to be paid millions of dollars and have every day at practice be a party. We’ve seen this in Lane Johnson’s comments about the Patriots organization. Hell just this week, former Patriots defensive end Cassius Marsh saying he hated playing in New England so much, he almost quit football.
Add Eagles Pro Bowl guard Brandon Brooks to the list. Brooks played for Belichick protege Bill O’Brien in Houston and claims O’Brien was infected by the Patriot Way.
“It’s crazy that people haven’t known this,” Brooks said. “It’s been this way for like a decade. You’ve seen—Reggie Wayne did it. He retired. He went there [to the Patriots] for a training camp and retired. S–t is not fun there. I was under the same regime in Houston [with O’Brien]. I almost retired. S–t was miserable, every day. Every day.”
Brooks then got cut off by All-Pro teammate Lane Johnson.
“All the media wants to talk about is rings,” Johnson started. “Rings. I’m going to get this ring and never wear it one day. I’m going to put it away in a box. The only thing you’re going to remember from your playing days, you’re not going to remember the scores. You’re going to remember the people you played with and how you felt. And that’s the truth.
“All these guys talking about ‘I’ll take the rings.’ OK. You can have your rings. You can also have fucking 15 miserable years.”
Both of these players belong on the Browns, where winning isn’t a priority.
[h/t Bleeding Green Nation]