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Do IT this week: Layering
Crennel doesn't want election to interfere with team performance
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Friday, Oct 10, 2008
BEREA: Browns backup quarterback Brady Quinn introduced Republican presidential hopeful John McCain at a packed rally Wednesday in Strongsville, calling him ''a real hero.''
Left tackle Joe Thomas, like Quinn decked out in a suit, also stood on the podium with McCain and running mate Sarah Palin.
On Saturday, Browns linebacker Willie McGinest joined Cavaliers star LeBron James at a voter registration event in Cleveland. McGinest, 36, told the crowd he had been a hypocrite for complaining about the country's problems when he never had voted. He said Democratic candidate Barack Obama was the impetus he needed.
''I don't think anybody else motivated me or gave me the inspiration to want to get up and go vote,'' McGinest said, according to a Plain Dealer report.
With his players stepping to the forefront before the Nov. 4 election, Browns coach Romeo Crennel called his team together after practice Wednesday. He told them not to let their political views interfere with their focus and preparation.
Crennel said ''a little bird had told him'' that about three hours later Quinn and Thomas would take the stage with McCain.
McCain said he admired Quinn during his playing days at Notre Dame. Quinn's father, Ty, who also attended the rally, is a Vietnam veteran, like McCain. (Quinn was not made available for comment Thursday.)
''My main concern is that they don't get on the soap box here in the locker room and get it going back and forth about a particular candidate against another particular candidate,'' Crennel said. ''That's why the ballot is a secret ballot when you go vote. I told them, 'Your politics is your politics, but don't let it interfere with this team, with your preparation for the next opponent.' ''
The Browns make their first appearance on Monday Night Football in five years next week, hosting the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Crennel said his address wasn't prompted by tension in the locker room.
''I just know politics. If you are stating your case for this guy, the other guy is stating his case for that guy, then there is room for potential confrontation,'' he said. ''I let the team know whatever their feelings are about their politics, they have a right to them, but the team is first. So they have to prioritize.''
Kicker Phil Dawson, the longest-tenured Brown, said this has been ''the calmest'' of the three presidential elections held since he came to Cleveland in 1999.
''I can remember open, loud, lively debates over the last couple. This year it seems relatively quiet,'' Dawson said. ''You'll hear guys talk at lunch a little bit, but there haven't been arguments. Maybe we all know each other better and where everyone stands. I'd like to think we've got a group of guys who get along well enough where even if we disagree on stuff like that, it doesn't divide us.''
Defensive lineman Shaun Smith said Quinn's appearance didn't bother him.
''That's just one vote and we know who he's voting for,'' Smith said. ''Brady is going to do what he has to do. I don't know why he did it.''
Told that Obama was visiting Ohio on Thursday, Smith said he needed help from senior vice president Lew Merletti, a former Secret Service agent, to get there.
''Is he coming? I may make the trip real quick. I got to call Lew and get my Secret Service crew to get me out there,'' joked Smith, who has been held out of practice following hand surgery.
Center Hank Fraley went to a 2004 election rally for George W. Bush outside Philadelphia when he played for the Eagles.
''It was really neat,'' Fraley said. ''You got to go backstage and hang out. You don't even talk politics or issues. Most of those [candidates] are all about sports, too. They're talking, 'What's going on with your team?'
''It's fun to meet somebody like that. I would like to meet McCain or Obama. One of those two are going to be president; it's nice to shake the president's hand.''
Fraley said political debates in the offensive linemen's meeting room are much less spirited with Lennie Friedman on injured reserve.
''Lennie was definitely on the other side,'' Fraley said. ''Lennie was probably more involved than any of us. We put our two cents in and said whatever we could to get him riled up. Even if it wasn't true, you said it just to see him react. I texted him this morning driving in. I said, 'You've got me listening to CNN news every day on the radio instead of music.' ''
Fraley said the hottest topic of late has been the stock market.
Dawson wasn't sure if the Browns have a red or blue locker room.
''I don't know,'' he said. ''You should take a poll.''
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/.
BEREA: Browns backup quarterback Brady Quinn introduced Republican presidential hopeful John McCain at a packed rally Wednesday in Strongsville, calling him ''a real hero.''
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Tallmadge, OH
Posted 07:19 AM, 10/10/2008
Sounds like a black vs white Browns players issue. Crennel should say no more politics before it hurts the team even more then it already has.
akron, oh
Posted 08:33 AM, 10/10/2008
Really there is something that could make them WORSE.... I doubt it. Its not like they are on track to a record season or anything... LOL
Posted 08:47 AM, 10/10/2008
What the players did, should have never happen, and should be outlined in all future NFL etc. contracts. The Brown players did hurt the team as well as the fans. Reps and Dems do not care as long as their party wins.
Posted 08:49 AM, 10/10/2008
Come on guys keep it out of the game - who ever you vote for is your business leave it out of the locker room.
Akron, OH
Posted 08:53 AM, 10/10/2008
Brady Quinn is sitting on the bench anyway, so let the boy have some fun hanging out with the REPUGNANTS.
Akron, , OH
Posted 09:05 AM, 10/10/2008
See what happened, when they listened to Crennel!!
Posted 09:21 AM, 10/10/2008
RAC should hope the browns can "block" someone besides political distractions.......
hudson, oh
Posted 09:25 AM, 10/10/2008
CUT QUINN. IT IS OUR BUSINESS! AS A REPUBLICAN, BY DEFINITION, HE IS NOT A TEAM PLAYER, AND IS ONLY OUT FOR HIMSELF. THE REPUBLICAN MANTRA IS "EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF, UNLESS YOU'RE A SOCIALIST". HE WILL BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT HIS PERSONAL STATS THAN TEAM VICTORIES. CUT QUINN. WE WANT TEAM PLAYERS, NOT REPUBLICANS!
akron, oh
Posted 09:29 AM, 10/10/2008
It might help them win more games.
Posted 09:29 AM, 10/10/2008
Oh, I get it. Now, because Obama is running for president, it's a "problem" if some players support McCain. Sounds like Cranial is trying to appease the black players to me. And McGinest - he's over 35 years old and has NEVER voted !! Boy, he sure is a leader of men !!
Posted 09:49 AM, 10/10/2008
I agree with others who say keep it out of the game. I don't care who athletes, actors or other celebrities are supporting. If you make your money from the public, you shouldn't be putting off half of your customer base. I think the way LeBron handled it has been fine. He quietly supports Obama with contributions, but doesn't engage in the public circus (I'm voting for McCain, so that's not a biased statement).
Akron, OH
Posted 10:23 AM, 10/10/2008
You obviously didn't see Lebron and some other Cavs players at an Obama rally. They were doing the same thing as Quinn. He wasn't quietly endorsing Obama. He was speaking into a microphone to a bunch of the Obama roadies.
Posted 11:11 AM, 10/10/2008
What, you lose your rights to free speech when you sign a pro football contract? I don't think so! If Quinn is clueless enough to support McCain, let him. I'd double-check his Wonderlic though, Coach...
Posted 11:20 AM, 10/10/2008
Maybe RAC should concern himself more about his troops doing things like logging 102 mph on a highway at 2:00am than he is about their political views.
mogadore, oh
Posted 11:20 AM, 10/10/2008
Dear Brady Quinn: You are about to be as EMBARRASED as you were on draft day. GO OBAMA!!!!
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 11:46 AM, 10/10/2008
As if the Browns performance isn't already BAD! Go Steelers and McCain!
Posted 11:52 AM, 10/10/2008
This is absolutely ridiculous....the Browns guarantee this embarrassment Quinn $7.75 million on a $20 million contract and rather than working hard to make it on the field and support our flailing team, he tries to get the press attention off the field that he isn't getting on the field. What is he thinking? This physically disgusts me! I have no idea what Brady Quinn can honestly be smiling about in this picture, knowing his team's god awful record. I'm surprised Joe Thomas showed up too, I always believed he was a football player rather than a showboater. The Browns need to get their priorities straight and get focused on football rather than this nonsensical political garbage. As of recently they've been playing like cowards and have only beat the pathetic Bengals who themselves have never won a game. The Browns pay you guys millions to win football games, not attend stupid political rallies. Focus on football for god's sake! Its clear McCain doesn't know the Browns' record, because he'd never have asked these losers to show up and disgrace his campaign. Not only that, McCain is allegedly losing anyway so that means Quinn and Thomas are supporting another losing effort in addition to the Browns football team. How is this going to help the team morale? This is an outrage! There is something seriously wrong with this situation
mogadore, oh
Posted 11:54 AM, 10/10/2008
I agree with Mark. He has EXPOSED himself. We need TEAM players.....not little white punks...who care about me....me....me.
Posted 01:02 PM, 10/10/2008
Who cares what candidate an athlete, actor or other person supports. I wish they would all just keep quiet about it. I don't really care, and I think it is just attention grabbing garbage by both the politicians and the celebrities.
Posted 01:12 PM, 10/10/2008
Who cares what the player's think or the fans for that matter. Fact is, McCain will not win. 8 years of the worst president in U.S. history will make it impossible for a Republican to be elected president for a long, long time. Good Riddance George W.
PS - This has nothing to do with black vs. white. It does only in your racist minds...
Akron, OH
Posted 02:05 PM, 10/10/2008
Look at Quinn, trying to keep his eyes above her neck. Definitely a LeBoob man.
Posted 03:20 PM, 10/10/2008
Who cares. Why in the world would Crennel waste time as a coach to address this issue. Oh,yes, that's right...because he has no clue what he is doing. As if this is the first election in the United States. Come on, these are grown men who can support and vote for anyone they wish. It has nothing to do with how they perform on the field. But it may be another reason why, for some unfathomable reason, Crennel is not starting Quinn.
Port Saint Lucie, Fl
Posted 04:02 PM, 10/10/2008
Players are citizens too and showing support for a candidate should not interfere with their on field performance. These guys know who supports who so it should not be a distraction. kp
Posted 04:07 PM, 10/10/2008
Posted by OlderThenDirt 04:19 AM, 10/10/2008
Sounds like a black vs white Browns players issue. Crennel should say no more politics before it hurts the team even more then it already has.
=============
it's not black vs white, it's uninformed vs informed. Uneducated people generally dont have much knowledge on the matter, but sometimes even college graduates like these men dont know either. Thank God for John McCain though, he will surely defeat the evil Obama.
"Scott Brown Signed His Fold Out Picture For Me", ..
Posted 04:50 PM, 10/10/2008
Look, Mikey, he likes him! Hey Mikey, read this:
http://www.truthout.org/100508A
There one of you Kool-Aider's go again, invoking God into your political thought. Mikey, God, if he exists, doesnt' care who wins this election, doesn't care if the Browns have a winning season, doesn't care if Quinn ever starts, and doesn't care about any of the comments on this forum including my own. Hopefully, God is busier with more important things, but as Woody Allen wrote:
If it turns out that there is a God, I don't think that he's evil. But the worst that you can say about him is that basically he's an underachiever.
Tallmadge, OH
Posted 09:23 PM, 10/10/2008
Mike - Obama is not evil. You listened to too many McCain ads and Palin attacks on Obama. He's descant Christian family man, even McCain admitted it in Minneapolis today. I think the McCain campaign has crossed the line to allow people to say "Kill him" or "He's a terrorist". Obama is our next president - get use to it.
Kent, OH
Posted 10:16 PM, 10/10/2008
I don't have a problem with LeBron supporting Obama/Biden. Nor do I have a problem with Brady supporting McCain/Palin.
I DO have a problem with LeBron supporting Yankees/Cowboys. Therefore the Cavaliers will NOT get my vote this year.
I refuse to let celebrities decide for me who I should vote for. I guess we'll all have to figure that out in November, right?
Posted 10:55 PM, 10/10/2008
THESE ELECTIONS ARE ACTUALLY MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN FOOTBALL,AND THE PROBLEM THIS COUNTRY FACES IS FROM PEOPLE NOT TALKING AMONGST THEMSELVES.
when we watch the game they show the players mom, dad, girlfriend,all these worthless people to the game, plus when they get invited to the whitehouse, show they mayor in attendance, have the president throw out the first pitch, they themselves bring politcs into the game. Only a worthless coach would not want the players communicating.
shows how blind the public is to not tlak about the shortcomings and benefits of the different canidates to help each other make informed votes on election day, lot of people have died so they (you) can do this.
Posted 11:05 PM, 10/10/2008
to respond to
KIV
you are obviously a moron who can't walk and chew gum at the same time. do you have any idea of life? to think you can't play football, or go to work and pay attention to politcs or anything else at the same time..
? why was this not addressed to the team after mc guinest went to the obahma rally last saturday? wonder who crennel is voting for
Posted 11:10 PM, 10/10/2008
better yet both canidates talk about change, listen to them talk, wheres he change if either get in office. the two parties argue amonst themselves and accomplish nothing.. vote independent, whomever happens to be on your ticket inthat state and actually get a change
Akron, , OH
Posted 08:43 AM, 10/11/2008
How about the browns just blocking for a chance. And vote for the non lawyer.
Stow, OH
Posted 09:00 AM, 10/11/2008
There is nothing wrong with Quinn at a Mc Cain rally.It was a bye week and this poor guy isn't even getting play time.Funny how it becomes an issue when a white guy supports his candidate.The blacks in this country are the biggest racists around.Craniac needs to learn how to read a stop watch and concern himself with the god awful product he calls a football team.
Posted 02:06 AM, 10/12/2008
This is completely ridiculous. I am a fervent Obama supporter and a die-hard fan of BQ. While I disagree with McCain and his approach, I wholeheartedly believe in the right of every person to express their political views. People in all walks of life have friends and co-workers who have different political views and yet are able to do their jobs and remain civil to each other (Indeed, one of my best friends is as fervent a Republican as I am a Democrat; we have spirited discussions but would trust each other with our lives).
That Crennel is bringing this up is laughable. It smells like he is looking for another excuse for his incompetent coaching and his vendetta against Quinn. Sticking with DA for so long just demonstrates his hatred of Quinn. Or maybe he just wants to be fired. In any case, he should focus on winning not whining.
