When the last practice ended the last act of training camp began. Carolina Panther veterans rounded up the rookies and herded them to the goalpost at the edge of the Wofford College practice field.
Not all the veterans did this; many hustled to the shower and then to their car for the ride back to Charlotte. But some veterans stayed, and once they had gathered all the rookies they began to encircle them with masking tape. The circle was big enough to include 167-pound rookie Larry Beavers and 330-pound rookie Duke Robinson and all the rookies between. Around them, and around the goalpost, the tape went.
"Hey, where's Mike Goodson?" asked safety Joe Fields, who is one season safely removed from being a rookie. He repeated the question, this time louder. "Where's Mike Goodson?"
I couldn't tell if Goodson was in the scrum beneath the goalpost. The Panthers have 24 rookies on the roster. One of them is cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. Although Munnerlyn played for South Carolina, and although he might have been the best and biggest surprise of camp, he was not immune.
As the tape wound around him, he looked as if he was going to try to break free. But he stayed. If the veterans didn't get him now, they would get him later.
The taping of rookies is a tradition at most NFL camps. It's not like hazing. Hazing is a dumb and dangerous and practice; amazing it still exists, at least in some outposts at some fraternities, in 2009. You figure civilization would have had its way with hazing by now.
Taping is merely a way to let rookies know that even though they have survived the rigors of camp, they are still rookies. Only their feelings get hurt.
Linebacker James Anderson participated in the taping. So did Steve Smith. Julius Peppers was in there. See, he is, too, a regular guy. Thomas Davis and Na'il Diggs. were active
Once the players were taped, and of course they could have broken the tape but they didn't dare try, they were doused with water and Gatorade. Veterans shook up bottles and sprayed.
Davis and Diggs, however, climbed a retractable tower above the players and dumped buckets of water and Gatorade on the rookies. Some of the rookies couldn't see it coming. One senses they were surprised.
Head coach John Fox watched from a distance. Fox told the rookies they had to meet tonight. He said the NFL called and ordered a test on the rookie symposium they had attended. But coach, one asked, what if we didn't attend the symposium?
Fox wasn't ready for this one, but he was quick. He said players who had not attended would be offered a summary of the meeting and receive 10 minutes to study. Then Fox walked away.
Man, the first night away from training camp for the rookies, the first night back in Charlotte, and they have to go in and take a test about information most had forgotten the first night?
Jake Delhomme also addressed the rookies. He told them that Fox had made everything up. There would be no test.
Despite the good news, Munnerlyn was not in good mood. After the rookies, who were soaked by one liquid or another, were released, he complained to anybody who would listen.
"These are my game cleats, man," Munnerlyn said. "I gotta wear these in the game. This ain't right."
Im pretty sure i saw a third person climb up.. couldn't tell who it was...
Also, my friend who used to work for the panthers.. said that every player gets a shoe deal.. and they get new shoes every day.(what's munnerlyn talking about)
Posted by: Doug | August 20, 2009 at 09:09 PM
Doesn't mean they have to wear them :-) I'd hate to wear brand new shoes every day, especially cleats. Gotta break those bad boys in.
Posted by: KCPanther | August 21, 2009 at 07:03 AM
got a question. With Kemo on the IR, does he get counted against the salary cap, or is it ghost money?
Posted by: Gut | August 21, 2009 at 08:28 AM
1) Just because you say that this is not "hazing" doesn't mean that it is not. It absolutely is. I don't think there's a thing wrong with it, either. I also don't think there's anything wrong with kids at VMI or The Citadel doing hundreds of push-ups or getting screamed at, nor do I think there's anything wrong with kids at Carolina and elsewhere in fraternities performing menial tasks or drinking tabasco sauce. But you are absolutely incorrect to say that this behavior doesn't fit the definition of hazing. Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth.
2) If, when I was playing ball in college, my school would have had the money to let us wear brand new cleats every game, I'd have done it in a second. Particularly for people who play a position that involves pushing and pulling, new shows perform much better. Once they are broken in they don't offer the same support you need.
Posted by: BA | August 21, 2009 at 09:02 AM
Technically, this would constitute "hazing" at most universities. Anything that sets the pledge apart, blah blah blah....I wouldn't necessarily call it dumb, either. Some forms of "hazing" can, in fact, be constructive....
Posted by: ThreeThousandFt2Glory | August 21, 2009 at 10:32 AM
Agreed with BA. Just because the shenanigans are very lighthearted, playful, and safe, it doesn't mean it's not hazing. Also, as long as fraternities, sororities, and older siblings exist, so will hazing.
Posted by: Newsinz | August 21, 2009 at 10:38 AM
Just for the record, the NFL owns Reebok. They've taken over the marketing of team appearal pretty well for the league, and even offer unis for a good many NHL clubs. Take a peak around next time you watch a game to see how many players have on Reeboks.
Having said that, it's not anything new for players to be provided shoes in the NFL. They get pads and helments, too. Cap'n, like a lot of people, may have a certain pair of shoes that are 'just right' for him. Those are certainly 'game shoes', not in the sense of being the one's provided, but more so in that when he laces them up he knows it's 'game time'.
Posted by: Silly Rabbit | August 21, 2009 at 12:59 PM
Are you sure that all rookies get the shoes or are they provided after the 53 man roster?
Posted by: Joel | August 21, 2009 at 02:25 PM