Anger over Arizona Cardinals’ coach Bruce Arians’ ‘moms’ comment is misdirected

As a parent, I thought that I would weigh in on the outrage of the day.

Today’s outrage: Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians called out moms for not letting their kids play football while speaking at clinic for high school football coaches this past Friday.

“This is our sport, it’s being attacked,” Arians said. “It’s the best game that’s ever been (expletive) invented. And we have to make sure that moms get the message, because that’s who’s afraid of our game right now. It’s not dads, it’s moms.”

It is the “mom” angle that has landed our favorite coach in hot water, painting him as a sexist who has no concern for young kids who are involved in a sport that is increasingly linked to deadly brain conditions.

Arians’ comment also comes one month after he called parents “fools” for not letting their children play football.

As per usual, the sheeple of the world took a few lines from his speech and ignored the context. His point was that moms need to realize they are trying to make the game safer at every level of the sport.

And he even went on to say that the head and face have no business in the game and they are changing the game to ensure that.

Was it the most tactful way to get his point across? Noooope! Nor was this an attack on moms by any stretch of the imagination.

To make his point more clear, the Arizona Cardinals coach tweeted out a statement on Sunday, saying it is the job of football coaches to influence and educate parents about the safety procedures of the sport.

“Just to be clear about kids playing football, my point is that moms are often the ones making those decisions in a family,” he said. We have to make sure that they’re getting the message about everything being done to make the game as safe as possible. They’re the ones we have to influence.”

Look, Arians and the NFL have a vested interest in ensuring there are enough players coming up through the ranks to keep the game going.

So why is it a surprise when one of its ranks encourages parents to let their kids play? It’s his job!

Personally, there are a host of reasons why I have chosen not to let my son play football, but none of those reasons has anything to do with the opinion of an NFL coach.

He is not raising my kids — I am!

There are several parents out there that feel I am a fool for letting my kids handle firearms. That’s great, but they are not raising my kids — I am!

As parents we need to stop placing so much stock in the opinion of public figure, especially when those public figures have a vested interest in spouting that opinion.

Our children are our greatest and most treasured asset. As parents and members of the community, their safety and well-being is our responsibility, not the responsibility of people that have never even met them.

Finally, Arians was right! It IS mostly moms who are afraid of the sport!

But most dads are in favor of playing, indifferent to the idea or defer the problem to the maternal figure. (Happy wife, happy life, am I right?)

He was just stating that those moms need to take a look at what is being done in the name of safety before they make the play/don’t play decision.

Follow @GOMikeRussell