Roethlis-raper

[dallascowboysfan31]

So now "softy" Goodell says that Ben has gone above an beyond to warrant a 4 week suspension as opposed to a 6 week suspension. What does that mean? He hasn't raped or sexually assaulted anyone lately. What a joke.

[dallascowboysfan31]

And he also thinks that Vick is a golden boy now too. Goodell is a farce.

[RoyTheHammer]

Yea, i mean the Vick thing i understand because he didn't really do anything that we know about. But seriously, Ruthlesraper should be in a jail cell somewhere, acting out the definition of irony with a buff bald guy named Blade or something.

"Oh well we haven't seen any little girls leaving his house around 10 pm lately, because as you know minors have a curfew.. so he seems to be all cured."

:rolleyes:

[SaltwaterServr]

You knew it was coming. It's almost as if it's part marketing by the NFL on behalf of the players.

"Hey we gave them a 6 week suspension but he obviously learned his lesson so we'll reduce it to only 4 weeks. You see our suspensions and punitive actions beyond the legal system are working. Our players, once reprimanded by the NFL, take the message that playing in the NFL is a privilege and not a right. They walk the line as put down by Kommandant Goodell or face permanent banishment from pro football. This is yet another case of our system working until Ben gets caught in an Lawrence Taylor situation."

It really is a farce to set any reduction when you know only the most screwed up individuals will make a subsequent mistake during their brief period of "time out".

[Apluz]

It really is a farce to set any reduction when you know only the most screwed up individuals will make a subsequent mistake during their brief period of "time out".


Even bigger then that is we are in August, Ben has yet to even begin to serve the suspension and we are already talking about a reduction?! Dude has over a month to screw up still, I don't get why the Commish would even talk about Ben now?

[sago1]

Steelers have probably hired bodyguards to hang around Roth & not allow him off the range. Sure would be funny if he screwed up within the next few weeks. Wonder how Goodell would handle that?

[joseephuss]

Steelers have probably hired bodyguards to hang around Roth & hide all of his missteps from the public.

Fixed it for you.

[Doomsday101]

So now "softy" Goodell says that Ben has gone above an beyond to warrant a 4 week suspension as opposed to a 6 week suspension. What does that mean? He hasn't raped or sexually assaulted anyone lately. What a joke.

Right now Goodell has not done anything and has not reduced the suspension the media suspects that Goodell could do so due to the comments that Ben has done everything and more than what is being asked of him. As of right now Ben is still looking at 6 games

[zrinkill]

Not surprised

[AmishCowboy]

It should be a least 4 games.

[T-RO]

It should be a least 4 games.

It's not just a case of the league indulging a player. The league has often had an "interesting" relationship with the Steelers.

The word "cozy" comes to mind.

[Stautner]

Yea, i mean the Vick thing i understand because he didn't really do anything that we know about. But seriously, Ruthlesraper should be in a jail cell somewhere, acting out the definition of irony with a buff bald guy named Blade or something.

"Oh well we haven't seen any little girls leaving his house around 10 pm lately, because as you know minors have a curfew.. so he seems to be all cured."

:rolleyes:

What did they prove Ben did?

I'm not particularly fond of Ben, but the police were unable to find evidence Vick did anything illegal, and the same applies to Ben. In both cases the offense with regard to the NFL is putting themselves in bad situations. It seems to me Vick is the lucky one because with his past history, and with the NFL specifically telling him he was on a short leash, he put himself in a public party late at night where any drunk could spur a problem. Ben did the same, but he didn't have the same past history of trouble with the NFL.

[RoyTheHammer]

What did they prove Ben did?

I'm not particularly fond of Ben, but the police were unable to find evidence Vick did anything illegal, and the same applies to Ben. In both cases the offense with regard to the NFL is putting themselves in bad situations. It seems to me Vick is the lucky one because with his past history, and with the NFL specifically telling him he was on a short leash, he put himself in a public party late at night where any drunk could spur a problem. Ben did the same, but he didn't have the same past history of trouble with the NFL.


This is the second time he's been accused of rape in two years, guess its just a big coincidence..

[Stautner]

This is the second time he's been accused of rape in two years, guess its just a big coincidence..

You aren't listening. It's not as if Vick hasn't been in trouble before. Many mor times than Ben in fact. And Ben had not been suspended previously and told he would be watched closely and on a very short leash. My point wasn't to suggest Ben was innocent, it was to say that it doesn't make sense to claim Vick did nothing wrong and Ben did, when the fact is they are both, at a minimum, guilty of putting themselves in bad situations, and further that neither was proven to have done more than that.

[Hoofbite]

People who criticize Goodell crack me up.

[Ware2010]

People who criticize Goodell crack me up.


People who like George Carlin crack me up.

[RoyTheHammer]

You aren't listening. It's not as if Vick hasn't been in trouble before. Many mor times than Ben in fact. And Ben had not been suspended previously and told he would be watched closely and on a very short leash. My point wasn't to suggest Ben was innocent, it was to say that it doesn't make sense to claim Vick did nothing wrong and Ben did, when the fact is they are both, at a minimum, guilty of putting themselves in bad situations, and further that neither was proven to have done more than that.

Many more times? That's subjective. He's been convicted for one incident.

They're both horrible people.

[Stautner]

People who criticize Goodell crack me up.

They do me too. Some get upset if he doesn't treat every situation exactly the same, regardless of proof, or severity of the issue, or criminal charges, or anything else. They act is if all player problems are identical, with identical outcomes and circumstances and evidence and ramifications.

Vick may not have had any direct involvement with the shooting at his birthday party, but it was a longtime associate of his who had just had words with Vick and his friends/family shortly before at a late night party in a bar, and it came after Vick was told by the NFL he was on a short leash, which came after serving a long NFL suspension, wich followed being released from federal prison for a crime he was convicted of and is STILL on probation for, which follwed incidents over the years involving marajuana in his truck, people he was travelling with stealing a watch, and flipping off an entire football stadium filled with fans.

Ben, on the other hand, had never had any trouble with the NFL prior to his incident and suspension.

So why is Vick suddenly the goodguy and Ben is worse? It makes no sense?

[RoyTheHammer]

They do me too. Some get upset if he doesn't treat every situation exactly the same, regardless of proof, or severity of the issue, or criminal charges, or anything else. They act is if all player problems are identical, with identical outcomes and circumstances and evidence and ramifications.

Vick may not have had any direct involvement with the shooting at his birthday party, but it was a longtime associate of his who had just had words with Vick and his friends/family shortly before at a late night party in a bar, and it came after Vick was told by the NFL he was on a short leash, which came after serving a long NFL suspension, wich followed being released from federal prison for a crime he was convicted of and is STILL on probation for, which follwed incidents over the years involving marajuana in his truck, people he was travelling with stealing a watch, and flipping off an entire football stadium filled with fans.

Ben, on the other hand, had never had any trouble with the NFL prior to his incident and suspension.

So why is Vick suddenly the goodguy and Ben is worse? It makes no sense?

You seem like you're criticizing Goodall's decision here.

[RoyTheHammer]

So i just researched this a little bit more and found this excerpt from Goodall's letter to the raper:

“I recognize that the allegations in Georgia were disputed and that they did not result in criminal charges being filed against you. My decision today is not based on a finding that you violated Georgia law, or on a conclusion that differs from that of the local prosecutor. That said, you are held to a higher standard as an NFL player, and there is nothing about your conduct in Milledgeville that can remotely be described as admirable, responsible, or consistent with either the values of the league or the expectations of our fans.

I feel like this is most likely the reason that Raper received such a harsh suspension from Goodall, because even though he wasn't convicted, you know he acted in an immoral and irresponsible mannar that night. I don't think anyone would argue with his behavior, or his reputation after the last accusation.

However, in the current situation with Vick, if they find that he's innocent, then you really can't say he did anything that was immoral or irresponsible just because he was out at a club. Hundreds of players in all professional leagues go out. So if he wasn't deemed responsible for the shooting, then he did nothing out of line, whereas Ben still acted inappropriately and obviously "not consistent with the values of the league".

That's the difference right there i believe.


On a lighter note, even if he wasn't convicted though.. i mean come on, look at this man and tell me he doesn't creep outside bathroom windows at night. lol

http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/files/2010/04/234111__Steelers_Roethlisbe.JPG

[Stautner]

You seem like you're criticizing Goodall's decision here.

If you will go back and look at the full context you will see that the point in discussing the Ben vs. Vick situation was to negate the criticism in this thread directed at Goodell for reducing Ben's suspension from 6 to 4 games.

Further, my point is that Goodell has to judge each situation on it's own, and suspensions and/or punishments cannot be uniform as fans tend to expect.

[Stautner]

I feel like this is most likely the reason that Raper received such a harsh suspension from Goodall, because even though he wasn't convicted, you know he acted in an immoral and irresponsible mannar that night. I don't think anyone would argue with his behavior, or his reputation after the last accusation.

However, in the current situation with Vick, if they find that he's innocent, then you really can't say he did anything that was immoral or irresponsible just because he was out at a club. Hundreds of players in all professional leagues go out. So if he wasn't deemed responsible for the shooting, then he did nothing out of line, whereas Ben still acted inappropriately and obviously "not consistent with the values of the league".

That's the difference right there i believe.




I would agree with this except that you have to factor in Vick's history with the league - multiple issues, the last of which resulted in a conviction on federal criminal charges, and the fact that he is still on probation for the offenses.

So, while Vick may not have done anything immoral, it was not a good decision for him to be in a bar late at night with drunks all around. It makes for an unstable situation. Goodell has been known to come down on players simply for putting themselves in bad situations, especially when there is a history of being in bad situations.

[CanadianCowboysFan]

People who criticize Goodell crack me up.

He does have a God complex though and runs the NFL as if were Puritan New England where they should be calling each other Goodman (last name) or Goodie

[Hoofbite]

People who like George Carlin crack me up.

:laugh1:

George Carlin didn't crack you up?

[Hoofbite]

He does have a God complex though and runs the NFL as if were Puritan New England where they should be calling each other Goodman (last name) or Goodie

He runs the league exactly how the owners and players want.

The players went to Goodell and asked him to clean up the league.

The owners unanimously voted him to an extension, IIRC.

The only people who seemingly has a problem with the guy is the fans.

Go figure.

[Stautner]

He runs the league exactly how the owners and players want.

The players went to Goodell and asked him to clean up the league.

The owners unanimously voted him to an extension, IIRC.

The only people who seemingly has a problem with the guy is the fans.

Go figure.

This is exactly right. Kind of a modern day Kenesaw Mountain Landis, although not nearly as harsh or unreasonable.

The league understood the job couldn't be done effectively by a guy who tiptoes around and worries about stepping on toes or upsetting people. The fans seem to get that only as long as players they don't care for get busted hard, but the second it affects a player they do care for their persepective changes.

[CanadianCowboysFan]

He seems to think people care about whether their heroes/players are bad *****. They don't. All people care about are wins.

Wouldn't shock me if he has skeletons in his closet like Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker or J Edgar Hoover who told others how to act while wearing women's underwear or scoring with hookers/skanks.

[Doomsday101]

He seems to think people care about whether their heroes/players are bad *****. They don't. All people care about are wins.

Wouldn't shock me if he has skeletons in his closet like Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker or J Edgar Hoover who told others how to act while wearing women's underwear or scoring with hookers/skanks.

Some people do care and some players care enough so much that a group of players went to Goodell about cleaning the image of the league up one of those players was Jason Witten.


http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/draft/2007-02-23-corbett-at-the-combine_x.htm

NFL Players Association Executive Director Gene Upshaw on Friday commended the unanimous call from a panel of players for stronger disciplinary sanctions against their brethren who run afoul of the law. The 12-player Conduct Advisory Committee met during a three-hour Feb. 22 meeting here convened by commissioner Roger Goodell.

More deterrence, more accountability, fewer problems and fewer hits to the league's image seems to be the consensus.

A cross-section of team representatives and respected locker-room leaders summoned by Upshaw and Troy Vincent, the president of the players union, called for implementing penalties akin to escalating suspensions for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

Upshaw's feeling was that the level of player concern opened the eyes of Goodell as well as influential owners Dan Rooney of Pittsburgh and Pat Bowlen of Denver.

Among the members of the panel who recommended that more stringent punishment for conduct violations be strongly considered by the union: 15-year veteran defensive back Vincent, Colts Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday, Panthers Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith, Cowboys Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten, Falcons Pro Bowl corner DeAngelo Hall, Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seahawks safety Ken Hamlin, Broncos cornerback Dominique Foxworth, Saints tight end Ernie Conwell, Dolphins Defense lineman Kevin Carter and Titans running back LenDale White .

"The common denominator was these guys really care," Upshaw said before addressing a meeting of player agents early Friday. "They care about the game.

"They care about the 10% that we're all painting with the same brush. That 90% are doing the right thing and 10% are not.

"Guys are moving in the direction that we need to have penalties similar to the drug (substance abuse policy) penalties. At some point, you're out. You can't just continue to keep violating policies. You can't be in the wrong place, three or four times.

"One time. Two times maybe. But three or four times in the wrong place at the wrong time, they didn't like that."

[joseephuss]

He seems to think people care about whether their heroes/players are bad *****. They don't. All people care about are wins.

Wouldn't shock me if he has skeletons in his closet like Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker or J Edgar Hoover who told others how to act while wearing women's underwear or scoring with hookers/skanks.



If people only cared about wins, then why were there people protesting Vick? Wins go a long way, but there are limits.

Maybe all that players care about is money. Guys that get in constant trouble taint the image of the entire NFL. This possibly can cost everyone money whether that is from fans, advertisers or endorsement deals. That is one of the reasons why the players asked for something done.

[Seven]

This should've never been in Goodells lap. I blame the steeler org. They cut santonio for waayyy less an infraction all in the name of what the steeler org. 'represents' yet they keep this POS. Makes me sick to hear them, look their fans straight in the face and outright lie. Nice.


I have zero respect for the steelers organization. To tell the world they will not tolerate such actions and then turn a blind eye? I spat in their faces.

[T-RO]

The only people who seemingly has a problem with the guy is the fans.

Go figure.

You are flat wrong, hoofbite, if you think the players are always happy with Goodell. The only reason they don't speak up more is that they would get fined silly if they did so.

My displeasure with Goodell is tantamount to my displeasure with the league. I have no illusion about there being a difference.

There is a lot of disingenuousness to NFL policies. Running a clean ship often gets usurped by higher goals when it comes to pet teams and players.

[CanadianCowboysFan]

If people only cared about wins, then why were there people protesting Vick? Wins go a long way, but there are limits.

Maybe all that players care about is money. Guys that get in constant trouble taint the image of the entire NFL. This possibly can cost everyone money whether that is from fans, advertisers or endorsement deals. That is one of the reasons why the players asked for something done.

Telling someone they cannot be involved in dog fighting is one thing. Telling another he cannot go to a strip bar is another.

[CowboyMcCoy]

Am I the only one who believes in innocent until proven guilty? Unless there's something I don't know, I don't think he should be suspended at all.

[Hoofbite]

You are flat wrong, hoofbite, if you think the players are always happy with Goodell. The only reason they don't speak up more is that they would get fined silly if they did so.

My displeasure with Goodell is tantamount to my displeasure with the league. I have no illusion about there being a difference.

There is a lot of disingenuousness to NFL policies. Running a clean ship often gets usurped by higher goals when it comes to pet teams and players.

I'm sure the Pacman Jones' and Tanks of the league hate it. I'm sure all the jerks who can't handle themselves hate it.

As for the players who reflect positively on the league, I'm sure they don't care.

It's kind of like the police. All the people who dislike the police have a bunch of run-ins with them. People who never have to deal with the police don't have any issues.

Bottom line, he's doing the job asked of him and is getting applause from the owners.

[Sam I Am]

So now "softy" Goodell says that Ben has gone above an beyond to warrant a 4 week suspension as opposed to a 6 week suspension. What does that mean? He hasn't raped or sexually assaulted anyone lately. What a joke.

If he murdered someone, he would have gotten five games.

[Stautner]

He seems to think people care about whether their heroes/players are bad *****. They don't. All people care about are wins.

Wouldn't shock me if he has skeletons in his closet like Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker or J Edgar Hoover who told others how to act while wearing women's underwear or scoring with hookers/skanks.

You're pretty synical. Most people want to actually like the players they root for. It sells tickets and it sells merchandise, and it perpetuates interest in the game. Ocassional rogues don't do much damage to this, but if problems were allowed to go unpunished, and problems were allowed to become bigger problems, and problems became more frequent, fan interest would easily fall off.

If people only cared about wins, then why were there people protesting Vick? Wins go a long way, but there are limits.

Good point. All you have to do is look at the title of this thread and read all the comments about Rothlisberger, Vick and others that have been posted on this site over time to know that fans do care.

This should've never been in Goodells lap. I blame the steeler org. They cut santonio for waayyy less an infraction all in the name of what the steeler org. 'represents' yet they keep this POS. Makes me sick to hear them, look their fans straight in the face and outright lie. Nice.

I have zero respect for the steelers organization. To tell the world they will not tolerate such actions and then turn a blind eye? I spat in their faces.

The Cowboys have done the same kind of thing. They turned a blind eye to a lot of crap in the 1970's and 1990's, while at the same time condemning that kind of activity. All teams are trying to balance how to maintain an image with how to keep the best talent.

You are flat wrong, hoofbite, if you think the players are always happy with Goodell. The only reason they don't speak up more is that they would get fined silly if they did so.

My displeasure with Goodell is tantamount to my displeasure with the league. I have no illusion about there being a difference.

There is a lot of disingenuousness to NFL policies. Running a clean ship often gets usurped by higher goals when it comes to pet teams and players.

Of course the players aren't always thrilled with Goodell, just as students aren't always thrilled with the principle, or certain citizens aren't always thrilled with the police. All have been given the task of coming down on those that fall under their jurisdiction and who commit an act that they deem to violate some law, principle or ideal. And all have to go about their job knowing they aren't going to please everyone, and having thick enough skin that they are willing to get the job done knowing there will be those that hold a lot of ill will toward them.

The fact is that the inconsistency people often perceive from Goodell stems mainly from him looking at individual circumstances. Fans don't always know all the circumstances, nor are they privvy to conversations between Goodell and the player, nor do they see what Goodell sees in terms of changes the player has made to get his act together. Goodell takes all those things into account, which is fair, and the fan does not.