turn on channel six, the president comes on the news
Thanksgiving! Week 12! 🦃🍂🥧
Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of JFK’s assassination. The Washington Post published a great piece about how two days after JFK’s assassination, the NFL played on.
With the paywall, some of you may not have access to it. I’ve taken bits and pieces of it and summarized it below. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
In November 1963, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle made a controversial decision to proceed with the league's games just two days after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Despite facing criticism, Rozelle defended his choice by stating, "Football was Mr. Kennedy's game. He thrived on competition." Journalist Red Smith condemned Rozelle's decision as "tasteless stupidity" and argued that it lacked sensitivity.
The NFL's rival, the American Football League, chose to suspend their games out of respect, while the NBA and NHL proceeded with some matches.
Harvard postponed their game against Yale, a contest cherished by President Kennedy.
Some NFL owners, like Dan Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers, advocated for canceling the games.
“I think we’ve got to cancel the games,” Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney told him before Rozelle spoke with Salinger, Rooney recounted in a 2013 interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
About an hour later, Rozelle called him back.
“He said [White House press secretary] Pierre said that Jack would have liked for us to play and that he felt this would be good for the nation and for the people, to get a diversion,” recalled Rooney, who died in 2017.
“I said I thought this was too big a story, that what happened was just too big. Too big of an historical fact. I just felt we shouldn’t do it. We talked more, and he said he was leaning toward playing and finally I said, ‘Okay, look, I disagree with you, but I’ll back you, whatever you do.’ ”
The Dallas Cowboys, in particular, faced hostility due to the assassination occurring in their city. The shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby further intensified the tense atmosphere.
“We were [viewed as] killers, [as though] we had killed the president,” Dallas tight end Pettis Norman later said, according to a 2021 History.com story. “It was amazing. I just could not believe that.”
“This city, Dallas, killed our president,” Browns offensive lineman John Wooten told NBC’s Bob Costas in 2013. “That was the feeling that we had. We wanted to get after Dallas.”
Despite the controversy, thousands of fans attended the games, and four out of seven matches were sellouts. The decision to play during a weekend of national mourning was later acknowledged by Rozelle as a mistake.
“Everyone has a different way of paying respects,” Rozelle said at Sunday’s game between the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Giants at Yankee Stadium in New York. “I went to church today, and I imagine many people here at the game did, too. I cannot feel that playing the game was disrespectful, nor can I feel that I have made a mistake.”
But three decades later, Rozelle conceded to the Times, “Obviously, it was a mistake.” He also said he had “brooded” over his decision the entire game.
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15: Green Bay has 15 players on the injury report, 13 of whom would be starting if healthy on Thursday. The Lions have 1.
8: Despite having the second best record in the NFL at 8-2, the Detroit Lions are currently 1-2 against teams with with winning records.
5: The 49ers will play only bird teams for the next five games:
Week 12: Seahawks
Week 13: Eagles
Week 14: Seahawks
Week 15: Cardinals
Week 16: Ravens
0: Since the ALF/NFL merger, the Lions are 0-12 on Thanksgiving when the moon is in a waxing gibbous phase.
25 [TRIVIA]: The most-watched MNF game in over 25 years and easily the most-watched NFL game this season was the Super Bowl rematch between the Chiefs and Eagles. It averaged how many viewers on Monday Night Football?
Quotes
“Hope so. That’s the plan, I think.”
Mac Jones was asked if he’s starting
“Shut up.”
Chicago Bears wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown said that there was a fan behind their sideline during the Lions game who was talking shit all game so when DJ Moore scored a touchdown he wrote on the football "shut up" and gave it to the fan.
"You're going to see Jake not be afraid at all to be aggressive."
Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan about backup and now starter, Jake Browning
“We never really talked about it, but I wasn’t gonna move anyways. It could’ve been a gold locker over there, I was staying right here. It’s kind of where I started off this year."
Tommy DeVito still has a makeshift squad locker in the middle of the room. He doesn’t want to move
"I DON'T HEAR SHIT ANYMORE CHIEFS FANS. SEE YA!"
Nick Sirianni was fired up Monday night
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Picks
Thursday, 11/23 @ 12:30pm
Packers (+8.5) at Lions
Thursday, 11/23 @ 4:30pm
Commanders at Cowboys (O48.5)
Thursday, 11/23 @ 8:20pm
49ers at Seahawks (U44)
Record
ATS: 29-30-3 (-0.91u)
O/U: 21-16 (+4.55)
Highlights
This guy had his $20 nachos slapped from his hand by Tyreek Hill’s wife
McDaniel preaches authenticity in front of Hard Knocks cameras
Ji'Ayir Brown sealed the game with a pick and Fred Warner made sure he got his shine
Willie Gay crowdsurfs the Brotherly Shove