Bad behavior as detritus

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Thu Sep 20 00:33:02 UTC 2012


I assume, of course, that Coach Smith meant to say "shines a negative
light".  As for passing an editor, it was in a quote and therefore
gets a free pass.

Joel

At 9/19/2012 02:54 PM, Dan Goncharoff wrote:
>No idea.
>
>I did think the new quote shed some light on what was meant by the phrase
>"shed negatively", although I still question whether "shed a negative
>light" should have passed an editor, since I think the phrase means "to
>bring bad news out into the open", and not "to cause to look bad".
>
>DanG
>
>
>On Wed, Sep 19, 2012 at 2:43 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      Re: Bad behavior as detritus
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > At 9/19/2012 11:27 AM, Dan Goncharoff wrote:
> > >The new quote, via AP:
> > >
> > >Smith said the Falcons are "disappointed when a player sheds a negative
> > >light on our organization. I can't say any more than that."
> >
> > But he apparently did, once.  And the Atlanta Falcons web site has a
> > (official?) transcript, which includes the "First and foremost" text.
> > http://tinyurl.com/9kmcsqg
> >
> > On-line reports that include this text Google dates at 22 hours ago,
> > or 4 PM Tuesday.  The AP report which omits that (perhaps by initial
> > elision) but also claims Smith said "I can't say any more than that"
> > Google dates 20 hours ago, or 6 PM Tuesday.
> >
> > Did someone in the Falcon's organization realize, between 4 and 6 PM,
> > that what Smith said was unacceptable, and pressure the AP to issue a
> > new story?  (If so, why didn't they redact the interview -- too
> > obvious a fabrication?)
> >
> > Or did the AP simply write and publish a new report on its own?  But
> > the "I can't say" is *not* in the Falcon's official transcript.
> >
> > Joel
> >
> >
> >
> > >DanG
> > >
> > >
> > >On Wed, Sep 19, 2012 at 9:27 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> > >
> > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > > -----------------------
> > > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > > > Subject:      Bad behavior as detritus
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > > In an article in the Boston Globe reporting the arrest of Atlanta
> > > > Falcons running back Michael Turner for drunken driving and speeding
> > > > "just hours after he scored a touchdown", coach Mike Smith is quoted as
> > > > saying:
> > > >
> > > > "First and foremost, any time a player sheds negatively on our
> > > > football team and on our organization, we are very disappointed."
> > > >
> > > > "Sheds negatively" seems odd in itself.  (Casting off
> > > > electrons?)  More disturbing is the comparison of an alleged criminal
> > > > act with the flaking of skin, and the belief that the worst sin is
> > > > giving the team a negative images.
> > > >
> > > > (Smith did go on to say "This is a legal matter, and it's very
> > > > well-defined how we have to proceed with it through the league, and
> > > > we'll let this process run its course."  But still, he says nothing
> > > > about the seriousness of the alleged offense.)
> > > >
> > > > Joel
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> > > >
> > >
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> >
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> >
>
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