Strange events afoot

T
hey say sports teach life lessons (”they” includes me).
After last week, the news from the NFL gave me pause about what “they” say. 
Unless you live under a rock, or are totally disconnected from social media and the regular media, you know there has been some madness going on in the NFL! 
The big news is the straight up bar room-esque brawl that erupted at the Browns/Steelers game last Sunday. 
In case you haven’t heard, in the final minutes of the contest in which Cleveland led Philadelphia, Myles Garrett (defensive end for the Browns) ripped off Mason Rudolf’s (Steeler QB) helmet and went on to hit him over the head with it. 
There was much ado before and after the main violation, and much ado following the entire episode, but that was the apex of the conflict. 
Garrett has been hit with an indefinite suspension because of his actions, which he is currently disputing. Two other players have also been suspended, Rudolf has been fined for the part he played in escalating the situation and both teams have been fined $250,000. 
This is, without a doubt, the most heinous moment in the history of the NFL, and what makes matters worse is that this abhorrent incident came on the heels of World Kindness Day last Wednesday where we donned cardigans to embody the goals of Mr. Rogers to create a kinder, gentler nation.
In a time when it appears that we are striving to be better humans, this incident threatens to knock us back several steps in the process. 
In the wake of this drama, Colin Kaepernick has made a bid to get back in an NFL uniform. After three years of exile from the league, Kaepernick held a workout on Saturday in the hopes of snagging the interest of any NFL scout who would watch. 
I have my own personal opinions of him, which are just on this side of complete revulsion, but even when I tried to take an unbiased view of how he and his “team” handled this situation I found it to be ridiculous. 
He had set up the workout at the Atlanta Falcons training center where representatives from 24 of the 32 teams were waiting to watch him, but when he discovered that the NFL was not allowing any media in to video the workout, he backed out a half-hour before it was set to start and moved the location to a high school field in Atlanta. 
The disrespect he showed to the league when he got thrown out apparently continues as he tries to get back in. 
I was frankly disappointed when I read that at least eight teams relocated to watch his workout, and was astounded that the San Francisco 49ers were among those who made the trek to the new location. After all, he was their QB when he started the ruckus that turned off a nation. 
I know he was exercising his right to free speech, but the nation also exercised their right to choose when he became a persona non grata in the NFL. 
As the news came out regarding the scouts’ reaction to his tryout, I was relieved to see that there isn’t one who seems to be looking at him as a legitimate prospect as a starter. It seems that they all were considering him as a backup or secondary backup in case of injury. 
What life lessons has the NFL taught us this past week? Hopefully, they have taught us how NOT to behave. Hopefully, they have taught us that the choices we make have consequences. And hopefully, we won’t see Kaepernick in uniform
next season.