Hugh Douglas had just about everything a man could have in terms of career until the ethical compass went haywire!
He had reached the pinnacle of his profession as a football player, playing with three teams (New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars) and being named to the Pro Bowl three times. This former first round draft choice of the Jets was selected as Defensive Rookie of the Year for his outstanding play and throughout his career he was well compensated (into the tens of millions of dollars). He received the fan adulation that football players receive.
Instead of fading into obscurity as so many ex-players do, Mr. Douglas – as it turns out – had another skill-set; he was an exceptional spokesperson and personality, and went from being a “Goodwill Ambassador” for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005 right to the broadcast booth. He rose from local media to ESPN where he was chosen to co-host a program called Numbers Never Lie with on-air personality, Michael Smith.
The show, like so many others these days was structured to be just marginally civil. We seem to like our hosts and panels to take angry swipes at one another; it is good for ratings, it gets our blood boiling and many of us believe its “real life.” It shouldn’t be; it is an act.
On and Off the Field
Having known professionals in many fields including sports, I will tell you that the most successful people are those with the ability to separate their work and play personas. Hugh Douglas once got paid to play a tough, very physical and sometimes brutal sport. He is physically imposing. But he should know that a television talk show is not the football field.
Mr. Douglas and Mr. Smith were invited as guests to attend the prestigious National Association of Black Journalists dinner. The men and women who are part of this organization have paid their dues in so many ways. As a speaker and a writer, I understand (as much as I can) what it took for most of these talented people to reach the height of their profession in journalism. This group represents some of the brightest and best in all of media. Their association recognizes these achievements.
Mr. Douglas supposedly drank too much that night and got into a confrontation with his co-host. The details are well documented in several online accounts, but to quickly summarize, Douglas called out nasty racial epithets to Mr. Smith; he also grabbed Mr. Smith and threatened to physically harm him.
ESPN did exactly the correct thing and fired Hugh Douglas on August 13, 2013. After the firing, Douglas made some comment as to the effect that he would tell his side of the story at some point; which, to my mind, is no story at all. It is a school yard comment and a school yard reaction.
Who Are We Anyway?
It is said that onlookers looked on horrified as Douglas called Smith those racial names that every single journalist in that room had fought so long and so hard to overcome. They could not believe he had threatened his co-host with physical violence and had mildly assaulted him in front of hundreds of other people.
Someone, somewhere along the way needed to tell Douglas that life is not a football field. Yes, I know all of the trite sports analogies about football being life. It is not; not even close. Apparently, no one ever told him that the lack of ethics so many practice on a football field does not apply to normal human interaction.
What makes us human is our ethical and moral compass. On a football field a man can be as tough and as mean as he wants to be but within the rules. In real life, there is a civility that must be observed.
The daily act of the talk show, the banter, the needling and even the angry jibes need to go away the minute the lights turn off in the studio. If Douglas had a problem with his co-host, it needed to be civilly resolved. They didn’t even have to like one another, but they needed to be civil. Alcohol or not, Douglas needed to walk away.
I am a huge advocate of ethical training for professional athletes. The field is one thing; off the field is quite another. Athletes must understand the difference.
It is sad when all the on-field successes are wiped away by one, off-field unethical incident.
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