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GM putting anger in print inexcusable
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
POSTED: 09:42 p.m. EST, Nov 20, 2008
BEREA:Some things are inexplicable.
The Big Bang Theory would be one; Dancing With the Stars is another.
Now we have an NFL general manager using an implied expletive to a fan in an e-mail.
Worse, it was our general manager, the guy who runs the Browns.
Phil Savage responded to some harsh and nasty words from a fan during the win over the Buffalo Bills by advising the fan to root for Buffalo. Savage then ended with an implied expletive, though he used symbols and did not spell the word.
No matter, the point was clear.
''It happened,'' Savage said in a quote provided by Browns spokesman Bill Bonsiewicz. ''We have both apologized to each other since. Browns fans have overwhelmingly been positive towards me since 2005, and I appreciate that greatly.''
And we appreciate his appreciation.
But this kind of thing ranks way up there on the embarrassing scale and simply should not happen.
Such words should not be directed to a fan from the front office of a professional football team, much less the guy running the front office.
One assumes Savage understands that fact.
Let's also be honest and say that there's no doubt fans can say some mean and nasty things. Media, too, for that matter.
Surely everyone who works for a professional team has at one time or another thought the words Savage wrote.
Nobody can blame them. They work hard, try to win and do what they believe is best. Then they hear how terrible they are from some nameless, faceless person — and they hear it several times like Savage did from this guy during the Bills game. So they get mad.
The anger is understandable.
But putting the anger in print and then e-mailing it is quite another thing entirely. Think about it this way — if a player says it or gestures it coming off the field, he gets fined. This time a GM did it.
It just can't happen.
When this story first broke on the Internet site deadspin.com, it seemed like a joke.
Savage is not the kind of guy to use expletives.
The fact that Savage would pay attention to e-mails during Monday night games that go down to the wire is odd in itself. Why check all these e-mails in the first place, especially during a game?
According to Deadspin — a site that takes a very irreverent look at sports — Savage responded at 12:17 a.m., which means after the game. Which means he had time to think before he sent it.
The guy who sent the e-mail actually went on WKNR Thursday morning and said his nasty e-mails ''warranted'' Savage's response.
He also said he had e-mailed Savage to apologize.
Which is typical. People get emotional, they vent and then they realize they went overboard.
But his e-mails somehow wound up on the Internet after the apology, which is also inexplicable. Just like him not using his real name — he called himself ''Brett'' — is pretty ridiculous.
Whatever.
A GM has to be above the fray when it comes to irate fans. He has enough on his plate without getting into this stuff. If he's going to have a public e-mail address, he'll hear from all kinds of people.
One response is to kill the person with kindness.
Another is to delete the stupid thing and be happy about a win.
Browns coach Romeo Crennel addressed the matter Thursday morning before Savage released his statement. Crennel said that everyone gets frustrated, and that they all try to be professional and hold the frustration in.
''But sometimes things slip out,'' he said.
Crennel said he talked with Savage, and Savage felt bad about doing it.
If it sounds odd that the coach was sitting there answering a question about the GM using a bad word to a fan, well, it's probably because it is odd.
But at this point, Crennel is the grandfatherly voice of reason from the football end of this team, and thank goodness for that.
At other times this season, he has had to be the voice for decisions and actions made by others. Like in the Kellen Winslow staph infection/fiasco.
During that time period, Savage went on his weekly WTAM radio appearance and listed about a dozen components of his job, concluding with: ''Now that's a big job.''
He never mentioned e-mailing implied obscenities to badgering and belligerent fans as part of the job description, though.
Yes it's easy to make jokes and be sarcastic, because we all make mistakes. United States Senators have been known to swear at each other, too.
But if I'm Browns owner Randy Lerner, I'd be having a long sitdown with Savage after the season.
One of the first things I might ask is: What the heck were you thinking?
But I'd also make sure at some point that I have an answer to another question: Are you sure you can handle all the pressures and responsibilities of this job?
Because this kind of stuff just shouldn't happen.
BEREA:Some things are inexplicable.
The Big Bang Theory would be one; Dancing With the Stars is another.
Now we have an NFL general manager using an implied expletive to a fan in an e-mail.
Worse, it was our general manager, the guy who runs the Browns.
Phil Savage responded to some harsh and nasty words from a fan during the win over the Buffalo Bills by advising the fan to root for Buffalo. Savage then ended with an implied expletive, though he used symbols and did not spell the word.
No matter, the point was clear.
''It happened,'' Savage said in a quote provided by Browns spokesman Bill Bonsiewicz. ''We have both apologized to each other since. Browns fans have overwhelmingly been positive towards me since 2005, and I appreciate that greatly.''
And we appreciate his appreciation.
But this kind of thing ranks way up there on the embarrassing scale and simply should not happen.
Such words should not be directed to a fan from the front office of a professional football team, much less the guy running the front office.
One assumes Savage understands that fact.
Let's also be honest and say that there's no doubt fans can say some mean and nasty things. Media, too, for that matter.
Surely everyone who works for a professional team has at one time or another thought the words Savage wrote.
Nobody can blame them. They work hard, try to win and do what they believe is best. Then they hear how terrible they are from some nameless, faceless person — and they hear it several times like Savage did from this guy during the Bills game. So they get mad.
The anger is understandable.
But putting the anger in print and then e-mailing it is quite another thing entirely. Think about it this way — if a player says it or gestures it coming off the field, he gets fined. This time a GM did it.
It just can't happen.
When this story first broke on the Internet site deadspin.com, it seemed like a joke.
Savage is not the kind of guy to use expletives.
The fact that Savage would pay attention to e-mails during Monday night games that go down to the wire is odd in itself. Why check all these e-mails in the first place, especially during a game?
According to Deadspin — a site that takes a very irreverent look at sports — Savage responded at 12:17 a.m., which means after the game. Which means he had time to think before he sent it.
The guy who sent the e-mail actually went on WKNR Thursday morning and said his nasty e-mails ''warranted'' Savage's response.
He also said he had e-mailed Savage to apologize.
Which is typical. People get emotional, they vent and then they realize they went overboard.
But his e-mails somehow wound up on the Internet after the apology, which is also inexplicable. Just like him not using his real name — he called himself ''Brett'' — is pretty ridiculous.
Whatever.
A GM has to be above the fray when it comes to irate fans. He has enough on his plate without getting into this stuff. If he's going to have a public e-mail address, he'll hear from all kinds of people.
One response is to kill the person with kindness.
Another is to delete the stupid thing and be happy about a win.
Browns coach Romeo Crennel addressed the matter Thursday morning before Savage released his statement. Crennel said that everyone gets frustrated, and that they all try to be professional and hold the frustration in.
''But sometimes things slip out,'' he said.
Crennel said he talked with Savage, and Savage felt bad about doing it.
If it sounds odd that the coach was sitting there answering a question about the GM using a bad word to a fan, well, it's probably because it is odd.
But at this point, Crennel is the grandfatherly voice of reason from the football end of this team, and thank goodness for that.
At other times this season, he has had to be the voice for decisions and actions made by others. Like in the Kellen Winslow staph infection/fiasco.
During that time period, Savage went on his weekly WTAM radio appearance and listed about a dozen components of his job, concluding with: ''Now that's a big job.''
He never mentioned e-mailing implied obscenities to badgering and belligerent fans as part of the job description, though.
Yes it's easy to make jokes and be sarcastic, because we all make mistakes. United States Senators have been known to swear at each other, too.
But if I'm Browns owner Randy Lerner, I'd be having a long sitdown with Savage after the season.
One of the first things I might ask is: What the heck were you thinking?
But I'd also make sure at some point that I have an answer to another question: Are you sure you can handle all the pressures and responsibilities of this job?
Because this kind of stuff just shouldn't happen.
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