Derek Carr Profoundly Wrong On The Issue Of Leadership And Division

Derek Carr has proven his strong commitment to his faith and to being a genuine leader both on and off the field – but a few recent Tweets have struck a real nerve with some people.

It’s not often that sports and politics intersect out in the open. Indeed, most people go to great lengths to avoid blending the two. But Derek Carr waded into those waters recently with a few Tweets that struck a real nerve with some people.

And the internets being what it is, Carr heard from them loud and clear.

There is no getting around it – 2016’s presidential election has been a long, arduous, and tedious process. It seemed to last forever and get nastier with each passing day. And for many – perhaps, most – they are simply thankful it’s over and that they can go about the business of getting back to their regularly scheduled lives.

The election featured two of the most polarizing figures in what was arguably, the most divisive elections in the history of this country. And whether you like the results or not, a winner was declared and that person was sworn in today, as the forty-fifth President of the United States.

Now, ordinarily, I will avoid talking about anything political in this space. And for the most part, it’s fairly easy to do. But this is one of those issues that blurs those lines and is important enough that it should be touched upon.

I have all the respect in the world for Derek Carr. I admire his tenacity, his commitment to his family, his team, and to his faith. His drive and the amount of work he puts into his craft to become the best he can possibly be is quite simply, amazing. He’s a fantastic athlete, role model, leader, and all around human being.

That being said, Carr is profoundly wrong about the nature of “leadership” and “divisiveness” among some of our elected leaders.

In a series of Tweets and replies in the days before today’s inauguration, Carr took issue with the fact that some elected officials have chosen to make a statement by not attending the swearing-in ceremony. He even went so far as to imply that they are creating “more division” by doing so.

I understand Carr’s sentiment – and to some extent, I agree. The larger point he was trying to make is that we, the people, need to come together and be good to one another. I get that and support that message entirely.

Where I – and many others – deviate from Carr’s sentiments though, is the idea that leadership requires blind faith and devotion. That leadership is simply bowing down to kiss the ring of a man you have profound ethical, moral, spiritual, and personal issues with.

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Rolling over and accepting something you see as morally wrong is not leadership – it’s simply put, blind obedience.

Leadership is seeing an injustice and calling attention to it. Leadership is putting yourself at personal risk to right those things you see as wrongs. Leadership is taking an unpopular stand or stating an unpopular opinion simply because it is the right thing to do.

The sixty or so elected officials who refused to attend the Inauguration are not creating more divsion in this country – we are a country already very divided. They are serving as a beacon and a moral compass for this nation.

Taking all policy issues out of the equation (because really, we could argue about this tax, that tax, defense spending, or any other policy issue under the sun until the end of time and still get nowhere), the man sworn in today ran a campaign based on – divisiveness.

He ran a campaign based on inflammatory rhetoric, open mocking of minorities, women, and the disabled. His campaign disparaged large groups of people and marginalized others. And for some, he went a bridge too far in slamming Rep. John Lewis – an icon of the Civil Rights movement – in a series of insulting Tweets that slandered Lewis’ service, as well as his home district with stereotypes and very loaded language.

That is not leadership.

Standing up against the inflammatory rhetoric and refusing to accept or normalize it is. And is the sort of leadership exemplified by the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Rosa Parks, as well as a host of others throughout history.

I would even go so far as to say that Jesus Christ himself, the man Carr pledges his life and loyalty to, would neither accept nor condone what the man who was sworn in today has said or plans to do with his time in office – lest we forget about Christ preaching (quite a lot, actually) about helping the sick, the poor and the needy.

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And to put it very bluntly, as a wealthy (and about to get a lot wealthier), straight, white male, Carr is not going to be impacted by the most severe – even draconian – policies and practices this current administration how vowed to enact.

Which makes it very easy for somebody in his position to sit back and call into question the leadership and tactics being used by people those policies and practices would impact the most. For, if you look at the image Carr posted in his Tweet, most of the faces you see are women and minorities.

Sitting down, saying nothing, and simply passively accepting the new status quo for what it is, is not leadership. It’s forced obedience. That’s not what this country was founded upon – have we forgotten the lessons of the Revolution? The very war that eventually led to the building of a country where somebody in his twenties can make twenty million dollars (or more) a year?

In all fairness, Carr has received a lot of unfair and unnecessary vitriol for his remarks. Some of those who lambasted him for his remarks were very, very out of line. He is not wrong to call on we, the people, to come together. To find common ground. To be good to one another. Those are good, admirable goals. Things we should strive for.

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But he also needs to check his own privilege and understand that he is living a very different life – and will be impacted far differently by the coming policies – than the people he’s currently castigating for a lack of leadership and promotion of divisiveness. He’s never had to worry about whether to pay the mortgage or feed his family. He’s never had to worry about losing health care that he depends on to remain alive. And he’s never had to face discriminatory policies because of the color of his skin, the faith he practices, his gender, or his sexual orientation.

I admire Carr as a football player. And I believe, in my heart, that he is a good man who genuinely wants the best for everybody around him – and for his country.

But on this issue, he is profoundly, profoundly wrong.