The Minnesota Vikings suck

I just heard this story on the radio this morning. Here's the gist -

The Minnesota Vikings have docked wide receiver Troy Williamson one game check for missing last Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers to attend the Monday funeral of his maternal grandmother.

My feelings on bereavement time in any organization are that when and whether to attend the funeral of family members should be left entirely up to the employee. I also dislike bereavement policies that differentiate between family members. So I don't think that Williamson's relationship with his grandmother is any of the Vikings' business, but let's pretend that it was.

Williamson's maternal grandmother, who helped to raise him and with whom he was very close, died last week and he returned to South Carolina, where he played a large role in arranging her funeral. He also had to make travel arrangements for several of his siblings, some of whom are in the armed services.

The coach had this to say -

Coach Brad Childress told Twin Cities-area media following Thursday's practice that the decision was on a "business principle" of the Vikings organization
....
Childress cited the cases of two players, Minnesota defensive tackle Pat Williams and Indianapolis wide receiver Reggie Wayne, who appeared in games shortly after the deaths of family members.

I'm nearly speechless. So because Reggie Wayne played shortly after a death in his family, Williamson should too? Screwing over your employees who have their priorities straight is a "business principle" of the Vikings organization? WTF?

I realize that the NFL is not like a regular company, but this is patently ridiculous. In any organization, family-friendly policies foster a better working environment. In the NFL, it's especially important that the organization as a whole, including players, coaches, front office and ownership are all working together. This is a bad PR move, a bad move for team unity, and just a bad way to treat a person.