Tom Cable Is Worse Than Adolf Hitler!

No, sadly I do not have any neat Photoshop pictures of Tom Cable, the embattled (and battering - ha!) head coach of the NFL's Oakland Raiders, with a tiny mustache of the Hitler variety. But with all the press Cable has received recently one might reasonably think Cable to be more of a problem than a mustached Barak Obama, even if one thinks Cable may not rise to the level of the former Austrian-born leader of the Nazi party. But Cable hit people - he's worse than Hitler!

It doesn't take a Jessica Simpson level of intellect to grasp that battering your fellow human beings is not a generally good thing. Clocking an unsuspecting assistant coach is perhaps slightly worse than the average assault. Beating your wife or girlfriend is decidedly lower - pretty close to the bottom of the barrel actually. Of course saying that Tom Cable is akin to Adolf Hitler is the kind of belligerent, chest-beating, over-the-top-for-over-the-top's-sake argument is what Some Guy rightly despises. But sometimes, hidden in the idiocy, and sheer volume, of the enraged masses is a nugget of truth. No, Cable has not been charged with a crime yet, let alone been convicted of one. But since when does that matter in this era of instant analysis from talking head media types? This just in - it doesn't. There is a logical conclusion that that is perhaps being overlooked in the panic to have something to say. Maybe Tom Cable is not a good person.

The problem with sarcasm is sometimes my heart's not in it. Like now. Is it wrong of me to sort of agree with the enraged masses? I find myself in an odd position on this issue. Some Guy and I recently discussed this issue, and the topic of "innocent until proven guilty" was raised. As discussed in the Cable press article linked above, there has been discussion of suspending Cable due to his recent altercation with the assistant coach in addition to the allegations of violence made by his ex-wife. The United States Constitution, I think I read somewhere, provides that people in this country are free from prosecution by the government until it is established that an infraction was committed. Innocent until proven guilty. Note that, in spite of what the uneducated masses may believe, this is a protection only against government prosecution.

This does not apply in the private sector, or to one's reputation in society. Tom Cable is the leader of a popular (if wildly unsuccessful, recently) professional football team (yes, the Oakland Raiders for those of you not paying attention - or already asleep) playing in an incredibly profitable corporate entity (the NFL) with highly visible members (all the games on every TV in the country on Sundays). If this person, looked up to by the numerous Raiders' fanatics (and the dozens who actually think they are close to being a winning football team), is accused of something as serious as assault and battery on not only a current member of the coaching staff but also his former wife as well as another former girlfriend, why shouldn't the NFL suspend him during the investigative process?

On the other hand, is it right to judge a man based on his worst hour? A good friend of mine is a talented guy. Smart. Athletic. Funny. Handsome. A real triple threat. Unfortunately, when he runs fast, particularly in parking lots for some unknown reason, he can't help but fall sprawling to the pavement in a jumble of skinny arms and legs, blood and asphalt, usually with a confused look on his face. Yes, he ends up resembling squabling retards bleeding on the ground but that should not detract from the quality human being he otherwise is. Maybe it's not fair to judge Tom Cable on the strength of a few unproven allegations, when he may well be an upstanding guy.

The National Organization for Women (NOW) has pressed for Cable to be suspended. I happen to be of the opinion that the National Organization for Winners (yes, I just cleverly made that up!) should have pressed for Cable's firing before now due to the team's awful showing. I don't mean to make light of the situation - I believe these allegations, while indicating a man who needs professional anger management treatment, merely compound Cable's failure to do his job. I see no reason the NFL or the Oakland Raiders should feel obligated to treat this issue with kid gloves. Put him on the shelf and investigate - maybe he is a great guy, but don't you owe it to the fans of the NFL to make sure that he's not a danger to others before trotting him out in the spotlight (such as it is in Oakland) every Sunday? Then get the man some help. Oh, and while you're at it, get the Raiders some help too.