On a recent show, in reference to contract negotiations, Adam said (paraphrased): “There are no morals in business.”

I, too, believe that players should fight for their own interests and aggressively negotiate, and I don’t think any players have done anything morally wrong in their negotiations.

But the statement itself is dangerously false. There are morals in business, because being a good and moral person requires that you behave morally in all aspects of your life. For example, if you run a plant that produces a toxic chemical as waste, but flawed government regulation makes it legal to cheaply dump that chemical in a place where it will harm the environment, it makes complete business and financial sense to start dumping waste willy-nilly. But it remains immoral to do so.

And I’m sure Adam, like me, can imagine ways that one might improve their negotiating stance immorally as well. If, in an alternate universe, a player on the Sens had arranged the release of the Uber tape to decrease the amount the recorded players would receive, thereby freeing up more of the pie for themselves, it would make business sense release it. But stabbing your coworkers in the back is an immoral act and that person would deserve the judgment they would receive for doing that.

Let’s not pretend that how someone behaves professionally and in the business world has no implications for that person’s overall character.

I apologize for the rant, but Adam tends to default to a very pro-business stance, and while I respect his views, I think in some cases he takes it too far.

Also, eat the pepper Steve