Goodell - hypocrite

[DBOY3141]

I watch in amazement how Roger Goodell continues to be a hypocrite when it comes to "cleaning up the image" of the NFL. It seems he has no clear standards on what would get a player suspended. It's whatever he thinks at the time.

These players have been suspended and I totally agree with what they received.

Pacman - multiple brushes with the law while never being convicted, yet has been suspended for like 20 games.

Chris Henry - again multiple brushes with the law and has been suspened for multiple games.

Tank Johnson - arrested for guns, served time, was suspended for 8 games.

These players puzzle me on why they haven't been suspended:

Santonio Holmes - has been arrested 3 times since drafted (2006), the latest one was last year when he had pot in the car and admitted it was his. To me this is easily a 4 game suspension, but nothing.

Lance Briggs - booked for DUI and filing a false police report (said his car was stolen, when in fact he wrecked it and left the scene). No suspension.

Kevin Faulk - busted for pot. nothing

James Harrison - arrested for beating his wife/girlfriend - nothing

Plaxico Burress - shot himself in a nightclub with an unregistered handgun. Team set him down, nothing from the league.

If you want to clean up the image when dealing with less than 5% of the league (the other 95% don't get in trouble). Then I would think that anyone arrested/booked by the police (regardless if you are convicted) automatically receives 4 games, 2nd offense 8 games, 3rd 16 games, 4th lifetime ban. None of this BS if a team sits someone down for a game.

If you going to put you foot down, make sure the rules are clear so everyone knows them. The image of the NFL is a bunch of criminals and thugs and that's only 5% of the league. The league can live without these players, make a stand and get rid of them.

 

[the kid 05]

we aren't baseball we shouldn't life ban them unless they go to federal jail or do more then 2+ years, but i do agree that its pretty hypocritical

 

[TellerMorrow34]

He definately has some tightening up to do across the board. There are some situations there that people should have been suspended for a few games for sure.

Of course just because he does it doesn't mean they'll actually have to take the suspension. The NFLPA people will take it to court and probably get some of those over-turned and keep the suspensions from happening, or at the very least getting them reduced.

 

[mmurray21]

He is not being hypocritical, he is being inconsistent.

It seems to me that the penalty is proportional to the outrage generated by the media.

If OJ or Rae Curruth were still playing, they would really be in trouble.

 

[RESIN8]

This is what happens when you consider yourself a "Maverick Owner". Are you insinuating that Godell is only looking to punish the Dallas Cowboys. I thought that was Tags job.

 

[AbeBeta]

This is what happens when you consider yourself a "Maverick Owner". Are you insinuating that Godell is only looking to punish the Dallas Cowboys. I thought that was Tags job.

Tank and Jones and Henry all received suspensions when they were on teams not owned by Jones.

 

[arglebargle]

Firstoff, issues with drugs are handled privately, and the method and manner that they are dealt with is specified in the labour contract between the players union and the league. So Goodell can't actually do things about those issues.

Mostly he is cracking down on perceived violence and hooliganism. The perception that players can get away with anything and keep playing. Which has pretty much been the case if you have enough talent.

Each player gets dealt with on a case by case basis, depending on the information about the issue. Not sure there is any other way to do it. So inconsistancies will happen.

But what's the alternative? Oh, you intimidated your gf, that's a half a game mandatory suspension. Wait, you had been drinking --another third of a game. Driving with a suspended license, one sixth of a game. Getting photographed doing something stupid at a party - another sixth of a game. Making a dumb music video, one eighth of a game....and so on?

 

[AbeBeta]

Firstoff, issues with drugs are handled privately, and the method and manner that they are dealt with is specified in the labour contract between the players union and the league. So Goodell can't actually do things about those issues.

Mostly he is cracking down on perceived violence and hooliganism. The perception that players can get away with anything and keep playing. Which has pretty much been the case if you have enough talent.

Each player gets dealt with on a case by case basis, depending on the information about the issue. Not sure there is any other way to do it. So inconsistancies will happen.

But what's the alternative? Oh, you intimidated your gf, that's a half a game mandatory suspension. Wait, you had been drinking --another third of a game. Driving with a suspended license, one sixth of a game. Getting photographed doing something stupid at a party - another sixth of a game. Making a dumb music video, one eighth of a game....and so on?

Good post -- another piece here is that Goodell is influence by how the player handles the situation, he often wants to see the legal process play out before he acts, and often does nothing if the team deals with the situation. For example, the Burress issue goes to court at the end of the month -- why would Goodell act yet? With Santonio Holmes, he was arrested and the team sat him - his team disciplined him - that's a far cry from an owner coming out and saying a player did nothing wrong.

 

[tyke1doe]

Firstoff, issues with drugs are handled privately, and the method and manner that they are dealt with is specified in the labour contract between the players union and the league. So Goodell can't actually do things about those issues.

Mostly he is cracking down on perceived violence and hooliganism. The perception that players can get away with anything and keep playing. Which has pretty much been the case if you have enough talent.

Each player gets dealt with on a case by case basis, depending on the information about the issue. Not sure there is any other way to do it. So inconsistancies will happen.

But what's the alternative? Oh, you intimidated your gf, that's a half a game mandatory suspension. Wait, you had been drinking --another third of a game. Driving with a suspended license, one sixth of a game. Getting photographed doing something stupid at a party - another sixth of a game. Making a dumb music video, one eighth of a game....and so on?

Good post.

The other things to consider:

1. In the case of Holmes and Burress, the teams issued suspensions. It seems that if the team takes disciplinary action, Goodell is much more likely to let the team handle it, if it involves a criminal issue, which brings me to my next point ...

2. Notice how the other non-suspensions deal with criminal arrests. Goodell isn't likely to suspend a player who has merely been "arrested" because that involves the legal process. And a player has the right to clear his name through the legal process. What happens if the commissioner suspends a player, and it's later determined the player was "not guilty" of the charges? That's why you see a number of players not getting suspended after arrests.

Of course, the question raised is, "What about Pacman?" Well, Pacman was involved in multiple situations which caught the attention of the league. Goodell had a sit down with Pacman, who said he would clean up his act.
There may be a line between multiple acts which involve arrest and a single or a few incidents. Granted, I don't know what that distinction is or how Goodell views it, but I think in certain cases he's not going to suspend a player merely for being arrested for something. But if that player is arrested like eight times, well, that may be begging for a suspension legal process or not.

 

[Signals]

I agree it is hypocritical. However, I would put more faith in Batman and Spider man to solve these problems than I would Mr. Goodell.

 

[RoadRunner]

Goodell is rather inconsistent. We can all rest assured though that no Cowboys player will be overlooked by Goodell's wrath.

 

[TheCount]

Well that's what happens when you leave it to on man to decide who gets punished and for how long.

There's no set rule, there's to clear-cut, you do X, you get punished for Y.

It all depends on his mood and public outrage.

Tank getting suspended 8 games for having guns that he only used at a shooting range illegally is starting to look a little ridiculous when you've got Lance Briggs driving around drunk, putting people and children at risk with no repercussion or Matt Jones cutting up coke with a credit card in his car, and then promptly playing an entire year of football. Even worse, he clearly lied to avoid both punishment by the law and by the league, and they still didn't do jack.

 

[JVita17]

He is not being hypocritical, he is being inconsistent.

It seems to me that the penalty is proportional to the outrage generated by the media.

If OJ or Rae Curruth were still playing and PLAYING FOR THE COWBOYS, they would really be in trouble.

FIXED...

 

[Sarge]

If anything - he's inconsistent.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

LOL. This is hilarious. He's out to get Dallas. Of course. That must be why he's suspended what...one player from us of any consequence since he became commish?

And that one player was because of his previous suspensions, and stupidity, in another city.

But, yeah, clearly he's out to get Dallas. Shame on him.

LOL.