Last weekend, reporter Ines Sainz was covering one of the Jets final preseason practices when some of their second stringers turned into second graders, purposely overthrowing each other so they could get close to her when they scooped up their errant passes. This sitcom-worthy attempt to snag Sainz’ attention was led by defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman, possibly after he abandoned the idea of standing midfield, solemnly holding a boombox and playing the extended version of “In Your Eyes.”
“That’s stupid,” you may be saying to yourself. “Why would anyone cover a Jets practice?” The Mexican-born Sainz was on assignment for TV Azteca, stopping by Florham Park for a scheduled interview with quarterback Mark Sanchez, a third-generation Mexican-American. It seemed like an innocent-enough entry in Sainz’ day planner, but the afternoon took an uncomfortable turn as soon as she crossed the laundry-strewn threshold of the team’s locker room. Shortly after walking in, Sainz tweeted that she was “dying of embarrassment” because the Jets players morphed into Tex Avery-style animations, whistling, yelling and unfurling their tongues like tastebud-covered carpets.
This week is reasonably self-explanatory, although this is one column that I’m sorry I had to write. Ms. Sainz found herself on the receiving end of some unsavory behavior in the Jets’ locker room and, of course, her critics have pulled out the “she asked for it” rationale, which some of you may recognize as a Law & Order:SVU defense strategy.
There aren’t enough ways for me to say that even if a woman is wearing something more revealing than a burqa or tighter than, say, a refrigerator box, that doesn’t give anyone the right to make crude observations or give her unwanted attention. And—again—anything that belittles someone, makes assumptions about their values or standards, or requires elaborate hand gestures is always unwanted.
Go. Check it out. And see how many people leave comments that were addressed in one of the paragraphs they didn’t read. WHY CANT THE MEN BE IN THE WOMINS LOCKER ROOM LOL? I WANT TO BE A CHEERLEEDING REPORTER LMFAO
