Goodell and his "Investigative Team" backed into a corner

[Cas2800]

Goodell has spent over a year and an enormous amount of money and resources on this investigation to come out with the finding he desired. Let face it the NFL is full of players who are great both on and off the field. But it also is filled with a lot of bad boys who are often getting into trouble. My question is this......Has Goodell backed himself in a corner with this investigation by showing he is willing to go after players even though they have not been charged with a crime? Will he put forward the same resources towards every player accused of Domestic Violence. How can he pick and choose which Domestic Violence cases he will investigate? Just for hypothetical purposes....Jordan Lewis was charged with domestic violence prior to coming into the league. He denied any wrongdoing and stood his ground taking it to court. It was very much a "he said she said" as most domestic cases are. Lewis was found Not Guilty. Now Goodell can get away with not investigating this cases because the incident happened prior to Lewis being drafted. Still such accusation damaged his draft stock. It will be a matter of weeks before another player is accused of domestic violence. Will Goodell use the Zeke cases as a starting point to discipline player for 6 weeks regardless of guilt and they are guilty until proven innocent? How will he chose which cases to spend the enormous resources used in the Zeke investigation? If I were a player or player rep. I would be Very, Very concerned with the power he has. Best believe these women rights groups will now want every player charged with DV to get the same punishment handed down to Zeke.

On a side note I must say that I am a retire Police Officer and it is very very easy for a woman to claim domestic abuse and officers are required to document all such cases to CYA. Goodell has set precedent that should cause serious concern to every player.

 

[Kaiser]

How can he pick and choose which Domestic Violence cases he will investigate?

He will just wait for Giants Owner John Mara to tell him what to do.

Good post, sorry to be flippant but this scenario is exactly what I was afraid would happen. As a retired LEO you are used to following the law. A system where Zeke gets six games but Giants Kicker Josh Brown admits to 20 instances of DV but gets one game isn't based on law. Its based on whims and favoritism.

 

[links18]

The only thing that can correct this is a change in public opinion. Right now, its a PR win for the league--nobody is going to stand up for someone accused of DV in our current societal environment unless there is slam dunk evidence of innocence and there usually isn't in a she said / he said situation. Its easier to sell a narrative of punishing a "woman beater" than it is protecting the rights of the accused. Who is the public going to side with? A millionaire AA athlete with a propensity for bad decisions or a woman who claims she was beaten and made a sex slave? Its going to take a lot of work and some considerable risk to change the league's PR calculations. You might get rid of Goodell, but the next guy/lady is likely to face the same PR logic. It doesn't make me happy to say that.

 

[RoboQB]

I guess Goodell doesn't have an ax to grind with the Dolphins. Otherwise Jarvis Landry would be in trouble.
Of course, his buddy plays for Mara....lol

 

[LittleD]

The only thing that can correct this is a change in public opinion. Right now, its a PR win for the league--nobody is going to stand up for someone accused of DV in our current societal environment unless there is slam dunk evidence of innocence and there usually isn't in a she said / he said situation. Its easier to sell a narrative of punishing a "woman beater" than it is protecting the rights of the accused. Who is the public going to side with? A millionaire AA athlete with a propensity for bad decisions or a woman who claims she was beaten and made a sex slave? Its going to take a lot of work and some considerable risk to change the league's PR calculations. You might get rid of Goodell, but the next guy/lady is likely to face the same PR logic. It doesn't make me happy to say that.

You are mostly correct. The only way for Zeke to play this is to raise the Black Man Racism card in the media and the press because, he must combat versus the Woman as victim card that is being pushed by the NFL lately. The courts have already spoken on the CBA so Zeke has to make his case in the media. Disparate treatment of Zeke vs Brown is a media defense that must be nurtured.

 

[BotchedLobotomy]

You are mostly correct. The only way for Zeke to play this is to raise the Black Man Racism card in the media and the press because, he must combat versus the Woman as victim card that is being pushed by the NFL lately. The courts have already spoken on the CBA so Zeke has to make his case in the media. Disparate treatment of Zeke vs Brown is a media defense that must be nurtured.

I have no doubt, that Zeke is paying for the botched Brown case. NFL screwed that case up royally and Zeke is the unfortunate recipient of the correction. I believe 2 games would have been the correct call.

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

There should have been zero games, this is a complete and utter sham against an Owner who never fights back vs Goodell and who walks over the Dallas Cowboys on a regular basis to make himself look good at our expense.

 

[LittleD]

Yeah, that's just what we need - a BLM protest outside of Cowboys Stadium. That'll help.

If you haven't noticed lately, we as a nation are in a giant culture war and a shooting civil war may not be far off. NFL football is small potatoes compared to that.

 

[LittleD]

I have no doubt, that Zeke is paying for the botched Brown case. NFL screwed that case up royally and Zeke is the unfortunate recipient of the correction. I believe 2 games would have been the correct call.

What does it say when Manning has definitely been caught engaging in fraud as a NY Giant and Mara is getting him off without even a slap
on the wrist. There is bias in the media and bias in the NFL office and certainly among the NFL ownerships. Zeke will most likely lose this
round but, he needs to take a stand or the next time he will be out of the NFL for good.

 

[EGTuna]

You give me 13 months with seemingly unlimited resources, and I can prove Michael Irvin was involved in the assassination of JFK and Nate Newton conspired with Cersei Lannister to kill Ned Stark. Hopefully the appeal results in justice for Zeke.

 

[John813]

I guess Goodell doesn't have an ax to grind with the Dolphins. Otherwise Jarvis Landry would be in trouble.
Of course, his buddy plays for Mara....lol

He'll be suspended 2 years from now after their 20 month investigation is complete.

It'll be one thing if this was like the Hardy case where he was arrested, charged and convicted, and then went to re-trail and then was found not guilty as the victim no showed.
Zeke wasn't even arrested over the allegations.

Then add in the Brown suspension, or lack thereof, and this will be something to watch how it unfolds.

 

[BrassCowboy]

The only thing that can correct this is a change in public opinion. Right now, its a PR win for the league--nobody is going to stand up for someone accused of DV in our current societal environment unless there is slam dunk evidence of innocence and there usually isn't in a she said / he said situation. Its easier to sell a narrative of punishing a "woman beater" than it is protecting the rights of the accused. Who is the public going to side with? A millionaire AA athlete with a propensity for bad decisions or a woman who claims she was beaten and made a sex slave? Its going to take a lot of work and some considerable risk to change the league's PR calculations. You might get rid of Goodell, but the next guy/lady is likely to face the same PR logic. It doesn't make me happy to say that.

Exactly! The sound of"woman beater" needs a criminal to get punished

 

[Sydla]

Unfortunately, at least for Zeke, the damage has been done.

Even if he has the evidence on his side and can prove he didn't do and get a reduction in the suspension or a total washing away of the suspension, the damage to his rep has been done. Fans around the country will now call him a woman beater because that's what the NFL has labeled him.

If he is innocent (and for the record, I do acknowledge that it is possible he did hurt this girl), I hope there is a way he can go after Goodell and the league for dragging his name through the mud based on flimsy evidence that the league has.

 

[timb2]

Any word of Tyreek Hill kicking his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach??? No of course not,HE IS NOT A COWBOY!

 

[Doomsday101]

I think the league is crossing a dangerous area when all it takes is an accusation to get players suspended. There is no innocent until proven guilty and it is hard for anyone to prove themselves innocent.

 

[BotchedLobotomy]

What does it say when Manning has definitely been caught engaging in fraud as a NY Giant and Mara is getting him off without even a slap
on the wrist. There is bias in the media and bias in the NFL office and certainly among the NFL ownerships. Zeke will most likely lose this
round but, he needs to take a stand or the next time he will be out of the NFL for good.

If he loses this round or even gets it reduced, he's still guilty in the eyes of the NFL Regime and will be out if it happens again.

 

[Doomsday101]

If he loses this round or even gets it reduced, he's still guilty in the eyes of the NFL Regime and will be out if it happens again.

That is true, He has to really be careful in his actions. The incident at St. Patrick day when he pulls down the girls top? friend or no friend he can't be doing that. Right now the league is using these other minor infractions along with allegations to justify what they did. I don't agree with it but you deal with the reality of how things are not how you hope they will be. Zeke is a very talented player with a great future ahead of him but he will need to settle down if he hopes to take full advantage of his talent.

 

[CF74]

It's like they forgot about this:

http://dailysnark.com/released-text...iotts-girlfriend-lying-set-domestic-violence/

 

[big dog cowboy]

Has Goodell backed himself in a corner with this investigation by showing he is willing to go after players even though they have not been charged with a crime?

Yes. Even though he has to power to do this that doesn't mean he should. Especially when he is taking the word of a proven liar and using it as evidence and a means to support his punishment.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

What I see that is from a legal standpoint, the league will likely have issues explaining how they gave Josh Brown a 1 game suspension versus giving EE a 6-game suspension. They will also likely have to face the issue that all of this with EE and Thompson occurred prior to the change in the rules of a 6-game baseline suspension.


The other issues are that Goodell has botched these investigations and sooner or later there will be one that will be the straw that broke the camel’s back. He no longer has Jerry or Robert Kraft’s support, the owners of the 2 biggest franchises in the league both of whom greatly helped with the TV deals and Jerry who got football back in LA and gave the Raiders a far better deal in Las Vegas than what they had in Oakland. In essence, Goodell is losing support around the league and I would think his only large backer would be Mara at this point.


The final issue that Goodell may have is he will have to explain why they gave a white kicker who admitted to beating his wife a 1-game suspension while they gave a black RB a 6-game suspension when he was never arrested. Along with why they trust a white woman who lied about an incident to the police and tried to get her friend to lie to police for her…over a black man that has no criminal history and had eye witnesses to his account.


There are already Web sites that are mentioning the issue of race and if EE and his legal team want to push this issue it could be something that is far more than Goodell (and Mara) bargained for. And supposedly EE’s legal team has a slew of new information. And if they can get those witnesses to come forward that the NFL said they couldn’t get and if it is shown that the NFL didn’t actually try to get those witnesses…I would not be surprised if they fire Goodell on the spot because now you’re talking an issue with sponsors and a possible discrimination lawsuit against the league.





YR