"It didn't take long for the New England Patriots to walk away from Myra Kraft's legacy," wrote Joan Vennochi. "In the same month that [Patriots owner Bob Kraft's wife] Myra Kraft was lovingly memorialized by family, friends, and assorted Patriots, Coach Bill Belichick began the process of acquiring Albert Haynesworth, a player with an upcoming trial date for a misdemeanor sexual assault charge. That allegation is just the tip of a very large and ugly iceberg."
Vennochi later cites a 1997 quote from Myra Kraft, when she noted her surprise at just how important a role the Super Bowl plays in American life.
"Haynesworth's shot with the Patriots shows how out of control Super Bowl fever can get, without someone like Myra Kraft to keep life and football in perspective," she wrote.
Vennochio uses the team's 1996 decision to relinquish draft pick Christian Peter due to his alleged violence toward women to say that the team has now lost its way. She then uses Haynesworth's history of late hits on quarterbacks that drew NFL fines to make the claim that Haynesworth is a violent person.
While Haynesworth's off-field rap sheet is undeniable, using on-field penalties to build this case is undeniably flimsy, as fines are handed out to several players just about every week. Certainly, they're not all immoral human beings.
"In a Super Bowl crazed society, the ability to score points in a game takes precedence over decent behavior, no matter who is trampled, on or off the field," Vennochi wrote. "Problem players like [Ben] Roethlisberger are worthy of redemption as long as they lead a team to the promised land. Even the Patriots started taking on bad boys like Randy Moss."
There may be few who would argue that Haynesworth is a man of high moral character, but using the beliefs of a highly regarded woman who was laid to rest just 12 days ago isn't the most respectful way to make a point.
