The Absence of Hamlin

[TennesseeRaz]

The SB seemed rather uninspiring to me.  One thing, though, I shared with my kids.  Seattle got burned a couple of times because their 1st and 2nd string safety was out of the game.  The second stringer got injured in the first quarter.  The first stringer chose to put his interests above the team and go hang out late at night at a bar.  Choices have consequences -- in this case, Hamlin ended up watching the SB from the sidelines because he repeated poor decisions he made in college.  What a waste!

(Ok, I'm ready to be smited by bar owners worldwide.)

[brooks74]

I don't know what happened with Hamlin, but what NFL football player doesn't go hang out at bars?  The majority do, and most don't end up getting beat down with a street sign.  I think he was probably in the wrong place at the wrong time, but to say he put his interests above the team is going a little far.

[TennesseeRaz]

The majority do?  Maybe so.  If I'm a coach /  owner I'm factoring that in as I sign players and offer contracts.  I'm betting (limiting the model to former Hogs) that Matt Jones and Jeb Huckeba don't, for example.

[HogFather]

I don't know what happened with Hamlin, but what NFL football player doesn't go hang out at bars?  The majority do, and most don't end up getting beat down with a street sign.  I think he was probably in the wrong place at the wrong time, but to say he put his interests above the team is going a little far.

Maybe he was running through a 'Stop Sign', a good semaritin witnessed this and became a vigilante and beat him down with the sign?  lol

[WILL CLINTON]

I would take that bet on Matt Jones, i bet he does more than we know down in Sunny Jax.  Huckeba probably doesn't. 

[Atl_Hog]

i've seen mj at the bars n clubs around dickson a few times a couple of years ago

[bigt54]

It is not that Hamlin hung out there, like was said a lot of NFL guys do that, but didn't it come out that he instigated the whole thing.  I hope I am wrong and he didn't, but if a famous person is hanging out around drunk folks people are going to try and push his buttons. 

[Boared]

The SB was uninspiring for the most part and I felt sorry for anyone who had to sit through it (I'm saying this as a Steelers fan).

That being said, I don't think Hamlin was necessarily being selfish. If he was a bad guy, I doubt that the Seahawks would have paid his salary this year after what happened. I agree with Brooks that he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like Joey Porter was when he was shot in the butt after the Colorado-Colorado State game a few years back.

[LordStanleysHog]

What NFL are you watching?  These are all, basically, grown-up children with tons of money.  They all go out.  You can say that you wouldn't go out and celebrate and that you'd go home but you can't say that because you are not in thier situation.  They are grown-up children living, in some cases, hundreds or thousands of miles from thier actual homes and families; they go out and have fun... Imagine when you were in college, you had fun right?  Now imagine you're in college making 2-3 million a year... sounds like you're going to have a little more fun, right?  Before you start jumping on one of our own in the pros about celebrating after a game, remember you weren't actually there, you don't know what happened.  We all make mistakes in life and we all have to pay the consequences.  But I think its a true statement of Kenny's character and his affect on the players that the 'Hawks have kept him on the sidelines and continues to pay his salary.  Think about it, if Hamlin was really the aggressor in the situation would the 'Hawks still pay him millions of dollars they don't have to?

[TennesseeRaz]

What NFL are you watching?  These are all, basically, grown-up children with tons of money.  They all go out.  You can say that you wouldn't go out and celebrate and that you'd go home but you can't say that because you are not in thier situation.  They are grown-up children living, in some cases, hundreds or thousands of miles from thier actual homes and families; they go out and have fun... Imagine when you were in college, you had fun right?  Now imagine you're in college making 2-3 million a year... sounds like you're going to have a little more fun, right?  Before you start jumping on one of our own in the pros about celebrating after a game, remember you weren't actually there, you don't know what happened.  We all make mistakes in life and we all have to pay the consequences.  But I think its a true statement of Kenny's character and his affect on the players that the 'Hawks have kept him on the sidelines and continues to pay his salary.  Think about it, if Hamlin was really the aggressor in the situation would the 'Hawks still pay him millions of dollars they don't have to?

Yes, I had a blast when I went to the U of A.  I was also creative enough to do it without using alcohol to do so; I've seen it RUIN too many lives in my own family.  Hamlin is not a "child," and I'm confident he would resent being called such.  He may, though, have made a childlike decision in how to celebrate, and my point was that it cost him a chance to play in the Super Bowl and that, in turn, may have cost his team a chance to win the Super Bowl.  He may not EVER get that chance again.

[LordStanleysHog]

Oh, I get it let's pick on Hamlin because you say he was drunk, so therefore he was in the wrong and made a bad decision.  I guess that because he may have celebrated with some fermented beverages that he deserved to get beat within a inch of his life with a stop sign.  I'm guessing that it wouldn't have mattered if he was drunk or not, if you know Kenny you know he talks a lot.  The man responsible for Hamlin's beating was a convicted felon, gang member and drug dealer, so I think the lesson is that you should be careful as to whom you run your mouth off to and not that alcohol is bad.  Some people are pre-dispossed to certain actions and activities, alcohol is just a vehicle.  One that millions of people use and control.

[brooks74]

Can you say Hamlin made a mistake, yea, definitely.  Did he learn from it, I am sure he did.  But to come in as this "I am better than you" attitude shows your ignorance.  He is a young single guy that went out to celebrate a win.  And, by the way, I had a lot of fun in college without alcohol too, but it doesn't give me the right to bust on guys who enjoy going out to the bar and having a couple of  drinks.  I don't remember reading anything about him being drunk.  I am sure he was a target b/c he is an NFL player and a recognizable one in his home city. 

[brooks74]

I don't know what happened with Hamlin, but what NFL football player doesn't go hang out at bars?  The majority do, and most don't end up getting beat down with a street sign.  I think he was probably in the wrong place at the wrong time, but to say he put his interests above the team is going a little far.

Maybe he was running through a 'Stop Sign', a good semaritin witnessed this and became a vigilante and beat him down with the sign?  lol

Funny stuff!

[LordStanleysHog]

hey, he could have been hanging out with Ray Lewis, Sean Taylor, or even T.O.  There's always a bright side my friend...

[Shag66]

The majority do?  Maybe so.  If I'm a coach /  owner I'm factoring that in as I sign players and offer contracts.  I'm betting (limiting the model to former Hogs) that Matt Jones and Jeb Huckeba don't, for example.

Gee thats funny since MJ was on Dickson in a bar within the last few days...

He is a young single guy that went out to celebrate a win.

With his girlfriend, his family, and teammates. 


I know Kenny.  I talked to Kenny tons when he was in Fayetteville.  He wasn't perfect, but he was a good kid.  No one deserves what happened to him.  I don't care if he was mouthing, no one deserves that.

[brooks74]

I wasn't bashing on Hamlin,  I am supporting him shag.  Read the rest of my post

[Shag66]

I wasn't bashing on Hamlin,  I am supporting him shag.  Read the rest of my post

I know...  Not meant to be a whack at you.  I was just pointing out that he was out with family and friends not just out getting hammered.

[brooks74]

That's cool, who knows what happened, but I am sure in a town like Seattle anytime you are a pro sports player, you have a target on your back.  None of us on this board can relate to that and that's why it ticks me off that TenneseeRaz comes on here and starts bashing a guy without even knowing the whole story

[TennesseeRaz]

Oh, I get it let's pick on Hamlin because you say he was drunk, so therefore he was in the wrong and made a bad decision. 

Nope, don't believe I said that, although he proved that he did get drunk and act unwisely when he was at U of A, didn't he?  My assertation is that there are defintely better things to be doing at 2:00 AM than hanging around inside or outside of a bar where there are other drunks.   Apparently that struck a nerve with you guys.  Thanks for the smites.

By the way, I don't think I'm better . . . but for the grace of God, there go I.  I don't pass up the opportunities to point this type of thing for my children, though.  And I thought it worthwhile to post this on here for current and aspiring Razorback players -- and any others in this postmodern world who don't believe there is such a thing as truth -- there are certainly things such as consequences.

[LordStanleysHog]

No you didn't say that, if I thought you said that then I would have put quotation marks around the statement, I wrote what I was understanding you to mean.  Like this, "Apparently that struck a nerve with you guys."  I take that to mean that you think we're all a bunch of drunks because we're not agreeing with you.  The unwise act while he was in College was driving while intoxicated, and yes that is a very serious crime, one that is just as dangerous to society as it is to the driver himself, but you can't sum up a person's character by single actions they made in college, he was kid and made a mistake and if I'm not mistaken he hasn't been arrested since then.  Kenny is a good person, from a good family and for someone to come on a messege board and smite him is just ridiculous.  Personal attacks on someone's character should only be made by people who know each other personally and should be brought up face-to-face, not on some message board.

Let the one without sin cast the first stone...

[pikehog]

I am not going to smite you I am going to applaud you.

You make a great point.

THe bar owners says he started it and he has no dog in the fight so to speak, and based on the crap he pulled at UA I agree beleive that bar owner.

Look at the video and you see people having to restrain him and to keep him from going after someone.

I read an article on him the other day and HSN said he was a good kid and had grown up and was smarter now. When in fact he did not, he got in trouble and UA and no consequnces so he went out an acted like a moron and now may never play football again.

If I were Seattle I would not pay him a dime. He doesn't deserve it.

Because he is a hot head with no impulse control he may have ruined his best chance for success at life.

I feel no pity for him and almost puked while watching the segment ESPN did on it during the pre-game.

[pikehog]

It's like my Daddy always said, nothing good happens after midnight.

Of course he did not go out much so he never knew what he was missing.......

[LordStanleysHog]

You talk like you know him and you have inside facts on what happened, do you?  If he was at fault why hasn't he been arrested or charged?  Why is Seattle still paying him, why are they letting him play again next year?  Let's see, who would have more info on the situation, you or the Seattle Organization?

You take the fact that the video showed someone restraining him as evidence that he started it or deserved the beating he took?  It's a good thing you're not a judge or cop.

[LordStanleysHog]

I love how we jump on our own, never giving anyone the benefit of the doubt... now that's supportive.

[mpeacock]

The first post has some implicit racism when followed by examples of two Caucasian players being portrayed as "angelic" since you assume they don't go to bars. There are millions of people that attend bars and aren't assaulted by thugs that end up dead in a park later that same evening. If you shared that with your children you ought to be ashamed of yourself because you posted no evidence that Hamlin was the instigator in the event and could have very easily been targeted by a sociopathic "tough guy" out to punk down a NFL football player. I think my theory may be more plausable simply because the guy went somewhere else that night feeling 'big' and messed with the wrong dude and was murdered for popping off. Don't teach children implicit racism, please. Unless you know Matt Jones or Jeb Huckeba personally (or Ken Hamlin for that matter) it is unwise to speculate such theories to impressionable children.

[LordStanleysHog]

Preach on...

[mpeacock]

I'll even retract some of my earlier post about Hamlin if he was determined to have "started" the altercation. I have heard, however, that the other guy had been bumping of messing with his girlfriend. Maybe he should have walked away, but the lack of compassion for a guy that nearly lost his life is unbelivable by some of you posters.

[sickboy1138]

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Hamlin get put in the hospital by some jackass wielding a street sign.  He took a hard blow to the head.  There is no rule saying people who are over 21 cannot go to bars.  I go to bars all the time and manage to be safe and responsible.  Even if Hamlin was running his mouth there is also no rules against that.  I do how ever think there are probably implicit rules about hitting people over the head with street signs.  I think it speaks pretty loud and clear how the Seahawks organization feels about Hamlin.  They paid his contract out for the year without him playing the rest of the season.  Would your boss do that?

[hogs23]

I am not going to smite you I am going to applaud you.

You make a great point.

THe bar owners says he started it and he has no dog in the fight so to speak, and based on the crap he pulled at UA I agree beleive that bar owner.

Look at the video and you see people having to restrain him and to keep him from going after someone.

I read an article on him the other day and HSN said he was a good kid and had grown up and was smarter now. When in fact he did not, he got in trouble and UA and no consequnces so he went out an acted like a moron and now may never play football again.

If I were Seattle I would not pay him a dime. He doesn't deserve it.

Because he is a hot head with no impulse control he may have ruined his best chance for success at life.

I feel no pity for him and almost puked while watching the segment ESPN did on it during the pre-game.

you must not have watched the whole segment then...you would have seen that the guy who was a suspect in the attack was shot and killed later that night because he was a convicted felon of some sort. this guy wasnt your average joe in a bar. and the video never showed him going after anybody, he was being stepped in front of so people wouldnt come at him! his own teammate, the d-lineman (not sure of his name?), was throwing people, not one person, off hamlin and even got a gun pulled on him in the process. i have pity for hamlin. whether he started it or not

[HogFather]

The biggest mistake Hamlin made was choosing that part of town for his clubbing. Pioneer Square, where this bar is located, isn't exactly the best neighborhood in Seattle. In fact, most tourist Web sites warn you not to go there late at night unless you are in a large group.

Is their a clubbing 'Square' in this country that you don't know about?  If you wrote a book on who's who of bars and pubs, I would buy it.  Congrats to you and your Steelers.

[pikehog]

"You talk like you know him and you have inside facts on what happened, do you?  If he was at fault why hasn't he been arrested or charged?  Why is Seattle still paying him, why are they letting him play again next year?  Let's see, who would have more info on the situation, you or the Seattle Organization?

You take the fact that the video showed someone restraining him as evidence that he started it or deserved the beating he took?  It's a good thing you're not a judge or cop."

1. I do not know him but know his actions at UA and no this.

2. Ask the Seattle PD that, although with your logic since no one has been charged, nothing must have happened.

3. The owner of the bar stated Kenny started it. Thats good enough for me when coupled with what I know about Kenny.

4. They are still paying him because he is a great player and when you are a great player you get breaks that others don't.

5. Who knows more? Me or the Seattle Organization? Don't know, but I bet they will stick by whatever story a star player tells you. They had a player get arrested for domestic batter before the championship game 2 weeks ago, and they stated "We talked to him and beleive his story therefore he will be allowed to play".  Gee the cops arrest you because they have probable cause and yet since the team beleives you, you get to play. Hmmmmmmmmmmm

6. I said I had no pity for him not that he got what he deserved. Learn to quote what I said and not make up what fits your argument.

[pikehog]

"you must not have watched the whole segment then...you would have seen that the guy who was a suspect in the attack was shot and killed later that night because he was a convicted felon of some sort. this guy wasnt your average joe in a bar. and the video never showed him going after anybody, he was being stepped in front of so people wouldnt come at him! his own teammate, the d-lineman (not sure of his name?), was throwing people, not one person, off hamlin and even got a gun pulled on him in the process. i have pity for hamlin. whether he started it or not"

I did and the only report ever that stated there was some guy with a gun was from teh teammate. No police report, no outside report, no nothing.

Yeah the guy got murdered, I guess being a drug dealer gets that for you sometimes.

As far as being held back, you don't lung forward when people are trying to keep others from getting to you and he was lunging and trying to get to them.

I guess it is like the "bad calls" in the game, we see the same thing but disagree on it.

Oh well. That's life.

[TennesseeRaz]

The first post has some implicit racism when followed by examples of two Caucasian players being portrayed as "angelic" since you assume they don't go to bars. 

My wife, who was a missionary in the inner city when we met, will be very interested to find that she's married a latent racist.

And, none of you have really addressed the topic of my first post.  Yes, I agree that we could all get killed in our sleep in our own homes.  But, you choose to go to a dangerous part of town in the middle of the night where people are intoxicated, and good things generally don't happen.  In this case, it may have cost the Seahawks the SB, and it certainly cost Hamlin a chance to play in it.

[TulsaHogFan]

The first post has some implicit racism when followed by examples of two Caucasian players being portrayed as "angelic" since you assume they don't go to bars. 

My wife, who was a missionary in the inner city when we met, will be very interested to find that she's married a latent racist.

And, none of you have really addressed the topic of my first post.  Yes, I agree that we could all get killed in our sleep in our own homes.  But, you choose to go to a dangerous part of town in the middle of the night where people are intoxicated, and good things generally don't happen.  In this case, it may have cost the Seahawks the SB, and it certainly cost Hamlin a chance to play in it.

Well if you are going to use the example of consequences of actions for your children make sure they don't see this page.  Remember this guy won the championship last night.

http://info.break.com/static/break/html/benr.html

[hoggerdinger]

I watch lots of pro football.  I have never seen Hamlin get burned.  NEVER.  I have seen Trufaunt get burned alot.  I'm not saying Kenny never gets burned, I have just never seen it.  They could have used him last night.

The SB seemed rather uninspiring to me.  One thing, though, I shared with my kids.  Seattle got burned a couple of times because their 1st and 2nd string safety was out of the game.  The second stringer got injured in the first quarter.  The first stringer chose to put his interests above the team and go hang out late at night at a bar.  Choices have consequences -- in this case, Hamlin ended up watching the SB from the sidelines because he repeated poor decisions he made in college.  What a waste!

(Ok, I'm ready to be smited by bar owners worldwide.)