Integrity: If the Cameras Were Always On

Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers is in trouble for going live on Facebook in the lockeroom after their win against the Chiefs during the NFL playoffs.  You can watch the interview with the Steelers' coach Here

To give a little context, in the locker room after the game, the head coach, Mike Tomlin, and quarterback, Ben Roethisberger, are talking to the team about their win and about the AFC Championship game against the Patriots the following weekend.  It was a very emotionally charged room.  Everyone is excited and enjoying the victory.  Tomlin wants to make sure that the team does not lose focus on the big goal, winning the championship.  During this motivational talk from Tomlin and Roethisberger it seems that there was some foul language and some bad mouthing the Patriots.

I do not know why this story caught my attention to the level that it did.   The more I thought about it, the more the lack of integrity stuck out to me.

Mike Tomlin talks about how recording in the locker room is a violation of NFL and Steelers' policy. This is a well known thing by players.  This is the obvious lack of integrity.  This is disturbing enough, but people do stupid things all the time.  They just get broadcast all over the media when you are a professional athlete.

The part that really bothers me is Mike Tomlin talks about the content of the video.  Below is an excerpt from the interview:

I'd like to say the language on the video is regrettable; language by me and by others. And it's regrettable because this thing that is the National Football League, this platform that we have is a precious and awesome thing and not something that we take very lightly. The responsibility associated with being in this thing, just from a role-model standpoint, is something that I personally embrace. It's something that we as a team and organization embrace, so that's why the language -- specifically in terms of the content -- is regrettable. And that's why we go to great lengths to preserve certain moments and certain interactions between us because we're very sensitive to the opportunity that we have as role models. So I apologize for the content of the video from that perspective, as a parent, as a member of the community, I take that very seriously. And, so, I sincerely issue an apology in that regard.

If this language is a problem when it is live on Facebook why would it be okay if the camera is off. Integrity does not leave room for this kind of dichotomy.  When you look at where the word integrity comes from this becomes very clear.  The Latin root is integer.  For my readers who like math will quickly recognize, means whole, like a whole number.  The idea of the word integrity as it would have meant to the Romans would imply being a whole person, not divide yourself, be the same in all places and situations.  A person of integrity does not act one way around one group of people and another way around other people.  If Tomlin would have acted as he would have around the fans and kids that look up to him this video would not have been a big thing.  

I don't say all this to point a finger at Tomlin.  I like Tomlin.  I think he is a good leader.  Thank you Tomlin for taking responsibility for your actions and the actions vof your team.  I think we can all learn from this.  The thing we can learn is we should live our lives like they are being shown on Facebook Live for the world to see.  We should be that whole person, that person of integrity all of the time, no matter if anyone is looking.