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Dan Patrick came out swinging at the Washington Football Team Monday, “I just didn’t think it was fair to the Eagles that the Washington Football Team didn’t take care of business.”
Ian Rapoport calmly inquired, “I hear you, but do we know the WFT didn’t take care of business?”
Rapoport then proceeded to clarify that the facts of the situation in Washington (and increasing cities in America) were not that simple.
Interestingly enough, after listening to Rapoport’s possible explanation of how Covid is spreading through vaccinated people, Patrick chose not to respond, neither to double down nor to admit he had prematurely judged the WFT.
Actually, the facts are that most of the WFT players on the reserve/COVID-19 inactive list are actually vaccinated people who have taken care of business by following the NFL’s strict vaccination policy launched prior to the 2021 season.
A simple lesson that my parents taught me quickly came to mind.
Unfortunately, I’ve had to learn and relearn this lesson all of my nearly 60 years: “Do not be quick to assume you know the facts.”
It continues to be so embarrassing when I realize I have assumed something to be true, only to find out with a bit of investigation and inquiry, my assumption was once again wrong.
Even more, it seems to be part of the human condition. We are all guilty, and often. We prematurely assume we know, when in fact, often we do not know. We are merely assuming. Even worse, when we are assuming, we often judge others unfairly.
The NFL did not mistreat the Eagles, nor did the NFL change its rules to help Ron Rivera, as I have read on Twitter.
The NFL memo dated July 22, 2021, clearly stated the terms of forfeiting games involved teams having outbreaks caused by players not being vaccinated.
It’s pretty straightforward, actually. Here is the link to the NFL memo.
Please don’t misunderstand, I continue to enjoy the career of Dan Patrick. He is a great interviewer and exhibits a good sense of humor on his weekday show. Today he merely illustrated what we all are guilty of doing far too often, assuming and not actually knowing.
May it be a lesson to all of us.