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Shaq Thompson's interview cut off by Panther PR

PhillyB

By PhillyB,
in Carolina Panthers

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PhillyB Grand Master

PhillyB

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Evidently Shaq Thompson focused on ethnic identity and issues at Washington, and one of his senior-year essays was on police brutality. David Newton reports that after the final OTA session yesterday, a reporter asked him follow-up questions about police brutality issues in society today, and the Panthers PR guys jumped in and cut off the interview.

It's only a small blurb on ESPN:

 

More Shaq: One of Thompson’s final essays at Washington was on police brutality. His post-practice interview was cut off by Carolina public relations during follow-up questions.

 

It seems pretty obvious that a high-profile organization would be hesitant to allow a new employee to speak on their behalf about an explosive social issue, especially with the way social media makes these things instantaneously known, so I can't blame them for enforcing an overarching policy that probably exists for any sensitive questions not directly related to football topics.

That said, it's disappointing that in any forum, not addressing the problem at all is preferable to possibly causing a kerfuffle by addressing it. This is the beguiling power of institutions, after all; they are sources of power that maintain the status quo. Their power is cultural as well as legal, and as a controlling mechanism, it's perpetuated when other organizations or individuals refuse to address what exactly it is they're controlling. Fear of backlash is just another tool in the pocket of institutions that don't want to change.

 

On a more directly football-related note, Shaq was roundly named in the top 3 safeties in the nation by draft organizations (as well as by his performances in college) and I can't help but hope we give him snaps at strong safety in camp. We're fairly deep at OLB and there's nothing more I'd love to see than our number one pick be able to come in and replace Roman Harper's production at the position. We'd be set for a decade.

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t96 Grand Master

t96

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That said, it's disappointing that in any forum, not addressing the problem at all is preferable to possibly causing a kerfuffle by addressing it.  

​It's not a football team's job to be addressing it at all.

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PntherPryd Rookie

PntherPryd

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Every interview is cut off at some point. Every day follow up questions are stopped short. Not sure the subject matter had anything to do with it. Sounds speculative.

​Considering the deep issues surrounding the Rams players and either side of the Ferguson issue, I'm sure every PR employee in the league is briefed and briefed again on watching where interviews lead.

 

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PhillyB Grand Master

PhillyB

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invocation and all of the jingoistic salute our troops poo is very political and athletes mixing sport with politics has led to some extremely powerful moments in american history. hopefully thompson gets an opportunity to say whatever it is that he has to say while off the clock at the very least

​yep. if shaq thompson was asked about supporting the troops, he'd have not been cut off and no one would've considered it political. again, institutions regulate and maintain the status quo. it's not that they don't want politics involved in sport, they don't want inconvenient politics involved in sport. nature of the beast.

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