Non-Football-Related Rumors

[Mavric]

So there has been quite a bit of we-know-something-you-don't-know in the attrition thread.  It was finally posted by someone who speculates it has to do with a player's sexual orientation.





I'm not sure what to think about it.  Word is it's all around other message boards and Twitter though I've been unable to find it yet.  I honestly don't know if it's that big of a deal.  But I hid the post for now because I'm sure at least a couple posters (*cough* knapp *cough*) will throw a fit over someone posting that.  So I thought we should all get on the same page as to if this will be allowed or not.

Thoughts?

 

[Huskerzoo]

I also couldn't find anything, but I did PM someone to figure out what was going on. It was very vague at best and about AM and uncertainty about his future. 

I think it's hard because we did away with the rumor mill (I think) but stuff like this is flying around. My gut is that if we don't allow explicit rumors, we shouldn't allow implicit either. 

It's like the old joke about "the N word" and how by saying "the N word" you make the person themselves be the bad person because they translate it. The rumor is still functionally being passed on. 

 

[Mavric]

It seems that the AM rumors are he's the father of Davis' unborn child.  There's a lot of pieces that fit there.  When Davis' leave was first announced, being pregnant was the most logical reason.  Total speculation if Martinez is the father but it's entirely possible.

But I think these rumors everyone is talking about are supposed to involve a defensive player.

 

[Enhance]

Personally, I don't think we want to encourage speculation about anybody's sexual orientation, gender identity, etc. That's an intensely personal situation and I think it would be inappropriate for us to allow board members to discuss something like that without any sort of formal, verifiable proof. I don't think a lot of good comes from it.

 

[Thanks_Tom RR]

I agree with Enhance and that sexual orientation or gender identity is a personal material that really does not need to be openly discussed in a public forum. So, I would likely speak up if I saw a member talking about those topics regarding one of the players. However, I am not sure if the conversation is not discriminatory that we should be regulating our members' speech in our formal capacity as board moderators. Since it is currently unsubstantiated rumors, maybe it would be considered defamation, in which case, we should deter it.

Not sure how to perceive those issues in concert with each other.

 

[Enhance]

I think that's a perceptive point, @Thanks_Tom RR.

I believe a few things give us flexibility in this situation. First, sexual orientation is still very much a taboo discussion in segments of our society. People are still discriminated against, verbally/physically attacked, and even killed for their sexual orientation. So, one could easily argue that there is a safety element connected to this. I would argue allowing speculative discussion about this topic would be irresponsible on our part.

Second, a player's sexual orientation would likely be framed as more of a moral/religious conversation than a legal one, so it's a lot different than say speculation about a player being involved in a sexual assault or a robbery. The latter could impact their eligibility, whereas the former would at worst cause some team chemistry issues or at best not be a big deal at all.

Lastly, I think our general practice of not allowing rampant rumor discussion around here gives us the most leeway. It just doesn't do much good to allow people to run wild with that kind of stuff. If a player choose to publicly announce this information, then I think most discussion would be fair game. Until then, I think we would be better served to be cautious.