NFL must quickly create safer work environment in response to Ted Wells report

The Wells report on the conduct of Miami Dolphins lineman Richie Incognito and some of his teammates (and an assistant coach) is as hard to read as it is to fathom. There are revolting accounts of blow-up dolls, virulent racism, homophobia, misogyny and bullying that border on assault. To call it Animal House behavior is an insult to the most foul of fraternities. There is threatening language that hints at shooting and sexual violence. It's beyond appalling; it's frightening.

What happened to Jonathan Martin and others in Miami is a failure on levels large and small. Now if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is worth his $44.2 million compensation, he'll act with clarity and conviction to both punish the perpetrators and set real workplace standards. The Wells report is NSFW, which is a reflection of Miami's locker room environment: not safe for work. The NFL must be made safe for work.

The tried-and-true defense of the status quo in the NFL is simple: boys will be boys. How can we ask these marauders to be perfect citizens off the field when we ask them to be "gladiators" on the field?

Here's the other tried-and-true defense for the reactionary crowd: This is an isolated incident, and it does not reflect the vast majority of the players in the league.

Well, sorry, but those two defenses contradict each other. Either the violence of the sport is ingrained in the player, leading to a true cultural problem, or what happened in Miami is isolated to Incognito and a few meatheads who must be punished and removed from the workplace.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/easy-solutions-to-cleaning-up-mess-for-nfl-in-response-to-ted-wells-report-125416510.html