By questioning the lengths the NFL goes to for publicity, Sen’Derrick Marks has invited some bad publicity upon himself.
With one analogy, the Jaguars defensive lineman swiped at the NFL and insulted the credentials of Michael Sam and the NFL’s newest ref.
“It’s just like the Michael Sam situation — if he wasn’t gay, he would have gone undrafted,’’ Marks told TMZ concerning the hiring of Sarah Thomas, who will be the first full-time, non-replacement official in the league. “Instead, the league drafts him because I think they are trying to monopolize every aspect of the world. The same thing with a female ref.
“For the league, it’s great publicity. The NFL is all about monopolizing every opportunity.’’
The difference between monetize and monopolize aside, Marks’ assertion that Sam, the league’s first active openly gay player, was drafted solely for the headlines seems a bit misguided, considering he is still trying to latch onto a team — even in Canada, if one will take him.
But Marks emphasized he has nothing against female officials, he just wants to affirm she has been hired for the right reasons.
“For women, it’s great,” Marks said. “Ain’t nothing wrong with it, especially as long as she knows what she’s doing.”