Hate it or Love it I Mini-Blog #AskASoccerPro Show

I am who I am. You'll either hate it or love it.

I just wanted to share a little bit of my perspective on my relationship with Earl and how I met him, which is a pretty funny story. Earl definitely did NOT 'love it' when we first met...

The first time Earl and I met was during the 2019 preseason with D.C. United. Earl thought I was a complete idiot and ignored me for the first three to four months of being on the same team together and locker mates.

I originally signed with D.C. United towards the end of February and joined them in March. We were at the Saint James (a really great facility out in Virginia), and it was maybe the first or second day of training. So, the HR department and league staff show up, like they do every year, to give their orientation. This meeting happens every year and is an opportunity for players to learn what the rules are, if there are any new rules, what players should be aware of, and especially, what you can and cannot do.

At our orientation, there was one guy speaking to us about what terms we are not permitted to say, on or off the field. Basically, if you use any of this type of vulgar language and are caught you will be reprimanded, disciplined, and fined.

What I’ve always found most interesting is that when these types of presentations are happening, the presenter goes to the board and they clearly lay out all the words you cannot say. You know, the typical homophobic slurs, race-based slurs… and they're all written out. All of this vulgar language is put up on the board and there so you visibly can see what you can and can't say. What I've always tended to notice, especially in this league (and maybe it is this way in the majority of leagues), is there is always heightened sensitivity on the race side.  stuff. On the board, it said, ‘you cannot say the N-word,’ but that was all that was written, ‘the N-word.’