Give me a break, Jim Irsay. For the love of the football gods, just give me a freaking break.
The Indianapolis Colts owner, who is one of the league's most outspoken head men, took to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon as news started to percolate the NFL owners were nearing the end of the lockout with the game officials.
No deal is done yet, but apparently, after replacement officials embarrassed the league for an entire preseason and then almost 20 percent of the regular season, the owners finally seem willing to give at least just an inch.
The NFL brand finally started to take a hit, and the league decided it was time to act. The league was the laughingstock of the American news cycle — not just the sports pages — following Monday night's debacle. The league's stubbornness led them to be torched on the airwaves, the blogosphere, the broadsheets and everywhere else in between by enraged fans, media members and even some players.
The league — which we are all told is the best and brightest in all the land — was nothing more than a laughingstock.
Finally, the league decided, enough was enough. That's what it finally took for them to give a damn about the negotiation process, at least in a way that doesn't mean they can bully someone to bully them.
Yet, Irsay had the nerve to come out and belittle fans, indirectly telling them how stupid they are with a series of insulting tweets on Tuesday.
Here they are, in order of appearance.
Your loud voices r heard about getting Refs back. We're desperately trying 2 get it done! We want a deal that improves officiating overall.
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) September 26, 2012
Translation: Your threats to stop watching finally seem at least somewhat credible. The amount of money we could lose if that happens, has finally surpassed the chump change that ending this will cost us.
Also: The line about wanting a deal that improves officiating overall is a total joke. If that was the case, this thing would have been solved a long time ago. That can't even be debated, right? Right? Anyone? Is this real?
I'll pay $1,000,000,000.00 n Player costs in 7 years…it's not about greed or power mongering..new initiatives 2 improve officiating is key
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) September 26, 2012
Translation: I have so much money! I like money. I kind of want more money. OK, technically, it's not actually about greed or power mongering — until that greed or power mongering hurts our brand too much. We also finally realized that, hey, we may actually lose a football game because of these guys like those dudes from Wisconsin did on Monday. Good thing they're publicly owned, AmIRight? #songlyric
Also: What does "new initiatives two improve officiating is key" even mean? Are we calling "paying our regularly trained officials so we don't have to use ignorant replacement officials who couldn't hack it in the Lingerie Football League" code for "new initiatives 2 improve officiating?" Because if that's the case, I totally support that as the key to finding "new initiatives 2 improve officiating." Otherwise, it's just insulting rhetoric.
Let's be clear,when our NFL Fans talk,we listen..if you're unhappy,we're unhappy…we're here 2 serve U..everything we do is to please YOU!
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) September 26, 2012
Translation: When you're really, really, really, really unhappy, we listen. Never mind that you were unhappy in the preseason. Or into Week 1. Then Week 2. And then that abomination that was Week 3. We're here to serve whatever is going to make us the most money. We realize that you, the fans, who spend way too much money and time consuming our product and the sponsors of our product, actually do have a little bit of power if our product sucks enough. So yeah, we are here to please YOU when it suits us enough.
Also: That wouldn't fit in a 140-character tweet.
Ok,we'll do Big Bucks Contest,for $1000/NFL Football,10 winners. Totaling $10,000.00,$1000 bucks each winner-Predict 1st date Reg Refs back!
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) September 26, 2012
Translation: HERE'S A CHANCE TO WIN MONEY! NOW SHUT UP AND GO SET YOUR FANTASY LINEUPS!! WHEEEE!!
Also: At least I think that's what that means. His tweets walk the line of coherency sometimes.
Look, the NFL owners have all the right in the world to turn their truckloads of money into more money. That's America, baby. You have the right to do that. But this one blew up in your faces, and you have to accept those consequences. So don't sit here and try to blow smoke up our behinds by saying that this has been a long, officiating folly-filled journey in the quest to appease fans' desire for the best product.
It's also not the result of trying to "improve officiating." Officiating was fine. It's garbage now. Again, this makes no sense.
Football fans care way too much about football. The last few days have proved that much. But football fans aren't as stupid as owners like to think they are. The last few months have proved that much.
Photo via Twitter/@JimIrsay*
* — Duh.
