Walking The Walk
July 3rd, 2021
Ira’s good friend is Bill Currie Ford GM Sean Sullivan, who will assist your personally with whatever you need. Do not hesitate to ask for the Ira Kaufman Discount!! Shop at BillCurrieFord.com. And remember their nationwide lifetime warranty on new & used vehicles.
BY IRA KAUFMAN
You can change your name, but the stink remains.
The franchise formerly known as the Washington Redskins was just dressed down by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after a probe that revealed a toxic work environment. Owner Daniel Snyder somehow skated with a $10 million fine, pocket change for a sleazebag with an estimated worth of $2.6 billion.
“For many years, the workplace environment at the Washington Football Team, both generally and particularly for women, was highly unprofessional,” the NFL said in a statement. “Bullying and intimidation frequently took place and many described the culture as one of fear. Numerous female employees reported having experienced sexual harassment and a general lack of respect in the workplace.”
Ira talks Team Glazer standing tall
Snyder’s club made the playoffs in 2020, but this is an 0-16 franchise when it comes to treating women with respect and dignity. Female employees were leered at routinely and Snyder finally took some responsibility for the frat-house atmosphere.
“I have learned a lot in the last months about how my club operated,” he said.
Oh Danny Boy, the women, the women are calling.
Contrast this dumpster fire with the football organization thriving in Tampa, a winner both on and off the field. You want diversity on the staff?
Try four black coordinators — Byron Leftwich, Todd Bowles, Keith Armstrong and Harold Goodwin. Try two women making an impact — assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust and assistant strength and conditioning coach Maral Javadifar.
No wonder Billie Jean King presented Bruce Arians with the Champion For Equality award in 2020.
“I want many, many voices and I don’t want them to sound the same,” says Arians. “I wanted them to be different. So, when the female coaches talk, when Tom Moore talks, when a young coach speaks up, everybody listens. We have great input from all these different voices so that we have outstanding output.”
The quest for diversity extends beyond the lines, championed by Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, president of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation and coordinator of the Women in Red movement.
“Diversity is really a core value at the Buccaneers,” she says. “I feel like we’ve had this culture in our DNA from the beginning and with our two female coaches and the amount of women we have on the football side, this is truly our normal. They’re not treated any differently. They’re just coming in to do their job like everyone else and that’s really important to us.”
Bucco Bruce Arians
Goodell’s wife, Jane, praised the Bucs for thinking outside the pewter box.
“I think what the Bucs do really well is they set the example and they walk the walk,” she said. “A diversity of voices is really important to them and they make that very clear to everybody, whether that be in their hiring practices, whether it be the facilities they have in stadium for fans, flag football for girls, they are leaders in that area. They are unafraid to show everybody what this kind of new world can look like when you embrace other voices.”
Unlike the mess in the nation’s capital, Buc fans feel good about their football team.
COO Brian Ford has fully embraced the diversity doctrine, hiring Nikki Donofrio as Tampa Bay’s VP of Marketing, Events and Entertainment.
In the front office, the Bucs believe they pried away a star in the making from the Jets when they named Jacqueline Davidson Director of Football Research.
With the Glazer family providing leadership from the top, the Buccaneers have emerged as the NFL’s symbol for diversity, setting an example for the league’s 31 other franchises.
Don’t sweat the training sessions, Mr. Snyder, Just hop on your private plane, head on over to One Buc Place and see how it’s done.
July 3rd, 2021 at 9:33 am
Awfully proud of Darcie. Remember when Socrates Babacas tried to buy the Bucs? In honor of Ira this holiday, I’ll force-feed myself a beet after i get drunk & have a fireworks accident in the backyard
July 3rd, 2021 at 10:31 am
**********************************************************
Don’t sweat the training sessions, Mr. Snyder, Just hop on your private plane, head on over to One Buc Place and see how it’s done.
**********************************************************
On second thought…. DON”T!
July 3rd, 2021 at 10:34 am
I always viewed the Glazers with some admiration. Their greatest “sin” was using our/THEIR franchise to leverage a buy of ManU. But they pulled it off and once they caught up with that leverage they began investing in the Bucs.
It’s nice to know they are class acts off the field and I’ve always admired Darcie Kassowitz. In addition the Glazers have planted roots ala Jeff Vinik in Tampa Bay. A few years back they purchased St. Pete’s Landmark resort hotel the Renaisaance Vinoy and Golf Course.
We have been blessed with the Best owner in sports in Vinik and the Glazers are not far behind. That helps make up for the curse of the worst carpetbagging lying scumbag in sports ownership Stu Sternberg.
If you guys knew half of the lies this man’s organization told in their attempt to steal St. Pete’s waterfront….
July 3rd, 2021 at 11:11 am
The first Buccaneer owner was no peach himself
July 3rd, 2021 at 1:14 pm
Maybe, over time, becoming “America’s Team” for the 21st century. A class organization now no matter what.
Go Bucs! Two-peat!
July 3rd, 2021 at 8:04 pm
Great article ira!
July 3rd, 2021 at 8:59 pm
I’d like to see the Glaziers clean up the whole Manchester United mess.
July 3rd, 2021 at 10:31 pm
Yeah he has put together a very diverse staff, but let anyone talk about anything social or “political” topics a lot of guys up here and people of the Brett Favre type get all upset, but got the nerve to bring their far right views up here all the time. I remember guys up here had negative things to say about the social things they commemorated at the Super Bowl. Those guys in the WTF team are some of the types who work/play in every NFL team and if not kept in check would be just like them. Look how bad this team was before Arians, he does hold people accountable.
July 3rd, 2021 at 11:07 pm
Snyder is a spoiled brat apple hole. Why would they treat women with respect when you buy the prettiest in the world for cold hard cash. Bruce Allen has a ton of blame that should be thrown his way. The way it played out was Snyder wasn’t really responsible for what happens because he was only around the workplace for 28 days out the year. Since the NFL investigated only Snyder’s role not Allen’s so no harm no foul. Here’s a chump change fine and a fake suspension.
July 4th, 2021 at 12:49 am
@David
What are these “far right” views that you speak of?
I would feel really bad if I “offended” you with what most reasonable people would consider common sense/common knowledge.
July 4th, 2021 at 1:39 am
@DavidBigBucsFan….Are you all right? Do you need to speak with a councelor or mental health professional? You have contradictory statements combined with rambling nonsense. I am by no means a conservative but I believe in free speech and 99 percent of people’s point here are just that opinions. I think we all would like to keep politics out of our football. Your talking about some people who had negative things to say on here about social justice or whatever. My god who cares I find it astonishing people who come here and give thier opinions only to hear from someone who says they are wrong. It’s a opinion it belongs to them. It’s based on the totality of the individuals life experiences. Stop trying to change people’s minds to see your perspective. Because honestly nobody gives a shnite.
July 4th, 2021 at 11:37 pm
Drunkinboy stop the lying. Dude brought up Biden in a story about our punter!You and most of you only believe in “freedom” of speech as long as it’s you all saying it, but let someone kneel at a football game or bring up race or color a lot of you “git yer britches” in a bunch and get all upset crib it don’t belong on a football site. The word lib and other political terms are used up here by people with leanings to the right when this is a FOOTBALL site. You guys always throwing yer political views in and no one’s supposed to say nothing? Get up out of here with that. I’ll keep speaking and you guys can continue to cry me a river! You all stop doing it I stop it bringing it up.
This article was about sexual harassment and toxic work place environment the women were facing but it’s no wonder because Snyder and probably every owner voted for an proudly admitted sexual harasser in 2016 and 2020 along with 70 million others. I know a lot of dudes hate women refs and being talking heads on all their favorite sports shows!
gp actually it was you and drunkinboy who were offended. Of course you never notice the far right rhetoric up here because you agree with it.
July 5th, 2021 at 12:12 am
Drunkinboy stop the lying. Dude brought up Biden in a story about our punter!You and most of you only believe in “freedom” of speech as long as it’s you all saying it, but let someone kneel at a football game or bring up race or color a lot of you “git yer britches” in a bunch and get all upset sayin it don’t belong on a football site. The word lib and other political terms are used up here by people with leanings to the right when this is a FOOTBALL site. You guys always throwing yer political views in and no one’s supposed to say nothing? Get up out of here with that. I’ll keep speaking and you guys can continue to cry me a river! You all stop doing it I stop it bringing it up.
This article was about sexual harassment and toxic work place environment the women were facing but it’s no wonder because Snyder and probably every owner voted for a dude who was just like those dudes in the WTF football team. I know a lot of dudes hate women refs and being talking heads on all their favorite sports shows!
gp actually it was you and drunkinboy who were offended. Of course you never notice the far right rhetoric up here because you agree with it.
July 5th, 2021 at 12:15 am
Drunkinboy stop the lying. Dude brought up Biden in a story about our punter!You and most of you only believe in “freedom” of speech as long as it’s you all saying it, but let someone kneel at a football game or bring up race or color a lot of you “git yer britches” in a bunch and get all upset sayin it don’t belong on a football site. Well guys are always throwing their political views in and no one’s supposed to say nothing? Get up out of here with that. I’ll keep speaking and you guys can continue to cry me a river! You all stop doing it I stop it bringing it up.
This article was about sexual harassment and toxic work place environment the women were facing but it’s no wonder because Snyder and probably every owner voted for a dude who was just like those dudes in the WTF football team. I know a lot of dudes hate women refs and being talking heads on all their favorite sports shows!
gp actually it was you and drunkinboy who were offended. Of course you never notice the far right rhetoric up here because you agree with it.
July 5th, 2021 at 12:16 am
Drunkinboy stop the lying. Dude brought up Biden in a story about our punter!You and most of you only believe in “freedom” of speech as long as it’s you all saying it, but let someone kneel at a football game or bring up race or color a lot of you “git yer britches” in a bunch and get all upset sayin it don’t belong on a football site. Well guys are always throwing their political views in and no one’s supposed to say nothing? Get up out of here with that. I’ll keep speaking and you guys can continue to cry me a river! You all stop doing it I stop it bringing it up.
This article was about sexxual harassment and toxic work place environment the women were facing but it’s no wonder because Snyder and probably every owner voted for a dude who was just like those dudes in the WTF football team. I know a lot of dudes hate women refs and being talking heads on all their favorite sports shows!
gp actually it was you and drunkinboy who were offended. Of course you never notice the far right rhetoric up here because you agree with it.
July 5th, 2021 at 9:11 am
D@mn!
So triggered you had to repeat yourself four times?!?!
I’m sure there’s someone out there who can help you.
SEEK that help man!
I’m pullin for you!
July 5th, 2021 at 10:12 am
Naw gp that was an accident, post kept going into moderation because of the word se xual. Wasn’t going to do all that typing and it not go thru. Did some editing like they should do up here sometimes!😅🤣😂 Just playing Joes!!!😅🤣😂
July 5th, 2021 at 10:16 am
Using the word moderation brings on moderation
July 5th, 2021 at 10:16 am
I’ve been put in time out
July 5th, 2021 at 10:19 am
Oops nope! Using the word mahderation puts you in mahderation. That’s why do many reports it was an accident. Kept being put in mahderation. Wasn’t going to do all that typing for it not to go thru.
July 5th, 2021 at 10:20 am
@David
You have your opinions, and the right to express them.
I also have opinions AND the SAME right to express them.
YOU started this conversation by asking me and those that think similarly to NOT express ourselves.
So, tell me again, WHO is trying to squelch free speech???
You and yours are welcome to continue with the narrative(based on a lie) that it’s just fine to disrespect the flag that represents, in no small part, your right to disrespect it. Even on the day we all celebrate the birthday of the only nation to expressly protect that free speech.
I will continue to exercise my free speech (in reaction to your posts) to express my opinion of how wrong your thinking is regarding this subject.
Now. If you care to notice. You will find the we have a tendency to agree on most things football.
Keep it to football, and I won’t feel the need to “react” to your political views.
July 5th, 2021 at 10:20 am
Dang phone auto select sucks!
July 5th, 2021 at 10:31 am
gp you got it twisted man. I didn’t bring up politics I was stating that some up here do all the time, unsolicited and unnecessary fascist political rhetoric but no one says nothing but the instant race or color is used up here people go off. Just saw it in a post where oneillbucs said I hated Winston because he’s black. It was just an observation. I would rather people leave their ideologies off here but they won’t that’s why I said what I said. As long as they do I do.
July 5th, 2021 at 10:32 am
What was the lie, you ask?
Kap did NOT start kneeling to protest the flag.
He started kneeling to protest being benched.
THAT is a fact.
Regardless of how history has been rewritten.(scary in two ways, that it was done while those that experienced it were still alive, and worse, that those that experienced it are actually accepting and defending the rewrite)(brainwashed anyone?)
I was around AND paying attention.
His “story” of protesting that which the flag represents, came only after TWO weeks of backlash for disrespecting that flag to protest his benching.
July 5th, 2021 at 10:45 am
Reality sometimes sucks.
But reality is what it is.
If you don’t like reality, and replace it with an alternate reality, you begin living a lie.
That will catch up with you EVERY time because, reality never goes away.