Ted Cottrell doesn’t believe Suh didn’t feel Rodgers’s leg

[percyhoward]

"As long as you're a really good player and your team depends on you, it's okay to do this stuff....."

...and then lie about it.

 

[Aven8]

IF we get the chance to hang half a 100 on them, we should!

 

[Doomsay]

How the **** is this guy qualified to be an arbitrator? Why would the NFL let him preside over anything uless they wanted to seem tough and yet let Suh play (against the Cowboys).

 

[percyhoward]

 

[Seven]

What in the hell....

Despite overturning Ndamukong Suh’s one-game suspension for stepping on the leg of Aaron Rodgers, hearing officer Ted Cottrell is not convinced that Suh was innocent.

In a letter to Suh explaining the decision to allow Suh to play on Sunday but fine him $70,000, Cottrell makes clear that he believes Suh knew he was standing on Rodgers’s leg.

“Although I accept that your feet may have been cold on a late December day in Green Bay, it is difficult for me to believe that you did not feel Aaron Rodgers’ leg under you as you stepped on him twice,” Cottrell wrote. “While you may not have consciously intended to cause injury to the opposing player that you stepped on, I nonetheless believe that you could have avoided—and had the responsibility to avoid—making such dangerous contact with your opponent’s leg—twice. Your conduct was a clear violation of the Playing Rules and was outside the normal course of the game of football. It must be emphasized that illegal acts that jeopardize the safety of other players, as was certainly the case here, will not be tolerated in this League.”

So why did Cottrell overturn the suspension? Because he was swayed not only by speaking directly to Suh but by hearing from Suh’s representatives and from the Lions, who felt that the entire franchise would be punished if one of its best players was barred from a playoff game.

“Several of your representatives, including personnel from the Lions, argued that the impact of your suspension would have a devastating effect on you, your teammates and coaches, as well as Lions fans,” Cottrell wrote.

Ultimately, Cottrell seems to believe that Suh is a good man who has made mistakes, not a dirty player who sets out to injure his opponents.

“I think you were sincere when you said that you respect the game, and have listened to the advice of your coaches, as well as that of Troy Vincent during his visit with you in the offseason,” Cottrell wrote. “Based on your representations, I am willing to give you the benefit of doubt that you did not intend to injure your opponent. However, the seriousness of this offense, the potential for injury, and my conclusion that it was avoidable, demands substantial discipline. For those reasons, I am reducing your one game suspension without pay to a fine in the amount of $70,000.”

That’s a decision that will satisfy Suh, the Lions and Lions fans. Fans of many other teams — especially the Cowboys — won’t be so pleased that Suh is playing on Sunday.

What in the hell....

Despite overturning Ndamukong Suh’s one-game suspension for stepping on the leg of Aaron Rodgers, hearing officer Ted Cottrell is not convinced that Suh was innocent.

In a letter to Suh explaining the decision to allow Suh to play on Sunday but fine him $70,000, Cottrell makes clear that he believes Suh knew he was standing on Rodgers’s leg.

“Although I accept that your feet may have been cold on a late December day in Green Bay, it is difficult for me to believe that you did not feel Aaron Rodgers’ leg under you as you stepped on him twice,” Cottrell wrote. “While you may not have consciously intended to cause injury to the opposing player that you stepped on, I nonetheless believe that you could have avoided—and had the responsibility to avoid—making such dangerous contact with your opponent’s leg—twice. Your conduct was a clear violation of the Playing Rules and was outside the normal course of the game of football. It must be emphasized that illegal acts that jeopardize the safety of other players, as was certainly the case here, will not be tolerated in this League.”

So why did Cottrell overturn the suspension? Because he was swayed not only by speaking directly to Suh but by hearing from Suh’s representatives and from the Lions, who felt that the entire franchise would be punished if one of its best players was barred from a playoff game.

“Several of your representatives, including personnel from the Lions, argued that the impact of your suspension would have a devastating effect on you, your teammates and coaches, as well as Lions fans,” Cottrell wrote.

Ultimately, Cottrell seems to believe that Suh is a good man who has made mistakes, not a dirty player who sets out to injure his opponents.

“I think you were sincere when you said that you respect the game, and have listened to the advice of your coaches, as well as that of Troy Vincent during his visit with you in the offseason,” Cottrell wrote. “Based on your representations, I am willing to give you the benefit of doubt that you did not intend to injure your opponent. However, the seriousness of this offense, the potential for injury, and my conclusion that it was avoidable, demands substantial discipline. For those reasons, I am reducing your one game suspension without pay to a fine in the amount of $70,000.”

That’s a decision that will satisfy Suh, the Lions and Lions fans. Fans of many other teams — especially the Cowboys — won’t be so pleased that Suh is playing on Sunday.

This makes me want to puke, Ted.

Thanks for coloring in a grey area.

What happens next time with the next athlete?

1-800-call-a-farmer. He'll show you how to grow some balls.

 

[Super_Kazuya]

“Several of your representatives, including personnel from the Lions, argued that the impact of your suspension would have a devastating effect on you, your teammates and coaches, as well as Lions fans,” Cottrell wrote.

Did someone inform this dope that this is the whole point of suspending a player? It's supposed to do that!!

 

[links18]

League doesn't want to be seen as doing the Cowboys any favors.....

 

[loublue22]

Did someone inform this dope that this is the whole point of suspending a player? It's supposed to do that!!

It almost reads like a parody

Can Goodell do anything? Does he not have any kind of executive veto power? This is absurd.

 

[blindzebra]

As I said before this was the plan all along.

Goodell gets to look tough and Mara still gets to stick it to Dallas.

 

[speedkilz88]

After Suh knocked Rodgers over in the fourth quarter, replays showed Suh taking two steps backward, with both feet landing on the injured area between the star passer's ankle and calf. During his weekly radio appearance on WAUK-AM in Milwaukee, Rodgers made it clear he believed Suh intentionally attempted to cause further damage to his calf.

"If you step on somebody, the first reaction seems to be apologizing or looking back and I'm not sure that's what happened," Rodgers said.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000451968/article/ndamukong-suhs-suspension-reduced-to-70k-fine

 

[JoeKing]

Reading Ted Cottrell's letter to Suh just gets my blood boiling. I'm ready to #FIGHT. Maybe it should be read by our guys just before they play.

 

[HoustonSucks]

“Several of your representatives, including personnel from the Lions, argued that the impact of your suspension would have a devastating effect on you, your teammates and coaches, as well as Lions fans,” Cottrell wrote.

What about Rodgers? And the Packers? And their fans? What if they had lost Rodgers bc of his actions? Wth?????????

 

[65fastback2plus2]

League doesn't want to be seen as doing the Cowboys any favors.....

thats all that matters...they are merely worried about being called a cowboys lover.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Based on your representations, I am willing to give you the benefit of doubt that you did not intend to injure your opponent.

Anyone who doubts that Suh intended to injure his opponent is a moron. This guy is such an idiot.

 

[speedkilz88]

Anyone who doubts that Suh intended to injure his opponent is a moron. This guy is such an idiot.

It was a deep tissue massage and a little acupuncture.

 

[CowboyChris]

funniest thing i ever heard....his feet were cold.

 

[Seven]

This reminds me of the mob informant that stabbed himself in the back 9 times and then jumped out the window.......

 

[camelboy]

All good points on all replies…This is the most disgusting, irritating, disgraceful ruling/letter ever .. it has the stinking smell of corruption+deception+injustice+stupid

The guy will NEVER learn and he WILL seriously hurt someone one day(God forbid) and then I wish Goodell and his clown crew go to jail for enabling him

Go Cowboys

 

[CowboyChris]

Here's something even more weird...Rodgers thought he popped his achilles tendon when he got stepped on. I dont know what to believe anymore.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/201...d-suffered-season-ending-injury-detroit-lions

 

[plymkr]

"As long as you're a really good player and your team depends on you, it's okay to do this stuff....."

Since no one has said anything yet, where was this logic when it was Michael Irvin? He's a good player and we depended on him. To my knowledge Irvin didn't do anything to jeopardize the careers or health of any NFL player besides himself. But that may be apples and oranges since it was different regime so again where was this logic when Wade Wilson got suspended for 6 games. To my knowledge he did not do anything to jeopardize any NFL players. He was a quarterback's coach of the Cowboys and took a substance to see if it would help his diabetes and was suspended 6 games. Scandrick is another as mentioned before. It seems like there is a different standard on how to punish players depending on how good of a game they want to see on Sunday. Everyone knows that without Suh we destroy them with the ground game. they simply don't want to see a blow out so he's playing. Doesn't matter tho, cuz we're going to destroy them with the ground game anyway. Lacy ran for a 100 yards against that defense last week and he's no DMurray and that's not as good of an oline that we have.

I'm juts disappointed at the hypocrisy of the league. Peterson and Rice lose a whole season for abusing their respective loved ones. And I completely agree with that. What I don't agree with is the hard line stance that the league took with Rice and Peterson but they allow Suh to play when they acknowledge that he tried to hurt another player. In my mind that is just as horrible, but different, of a crime as abuse. Suh should receive the same punishment as Peterson and Rice. Peterson and Rice intentionally hurt someone off the field and lost a season. Suh intentionally tried to hurt someone on the field and gets a pretty strong finger wagging from the league.

Hypocritical and ridiculous