Ted Wells, the “independent” investigator who has become famous/infamous for his report which led to star quarterback Tom Brady’s four-game suspension, is under fire from another former member of the AFC East. Former Miami Dolphins offensive line coach Jim Turner is suing Wells over his report done on the Dolphin’s bullying scandal a year ago. The report eventually led to Turner being fired.
The scandal occurred mainly between guard Richie Incognito and tackle Jonathan Martin. Incognito was accused of bullying/harassing Martin constantly in the locker room. Turner claims that Wells falsely accused him of creating an environment that allowed bullying and harassment to occur even though Wells knew this was false. Turner also alleges that the NFL hired Wells and his law firm to essentially find a few individuals to blame, while they were well-paid and well-positioned for future NFL cases, as has become evident with Well’s role in Deflategate.
Richie Incognito came out hard against Wells recently as well, saying, “I just think it’s bogus, the whole system in how it’s set up with Roger and the complete, absolute power he has. He has so much power and he hires independent investigators who are obviously not independent. They come in with an agenda and they come in looking to find facts to back up their argument. All the facts are slanted in their favor. Ted Wells came in with a mission against me. Ted Wells came in slanted against me and everything in his report was slanted against me. There were some things in there that would have helped my cause that were left out, [like] teammate testimony, stuff like that. You see that in Brady’s case. There’s a lot of stuff that got left out. There’s a lot of misinformation.”
It’s certainly understandable why Incognito would be so outspoken. The guard was suspended the final eight games of the 2013 season after the bullying scandal, and was a free agent for the entire 2014 season before the Buffalo Bills signed him in February. Turner was fired by the Dolphins in the wake of Well’s report on the issue, and has been unable to find another job in the NFL since. He believes the report has negatively and unfairly affected his reputation and ability to find work since, and possibly forever.
This is now the second instance where a federal lawsuit calls into question whether or not Ted Wells truly worked as an independent investigator for Roger Goodell and the NFL. This is also a big portion of Tom Brady’s lawsuit against the NFL involving Deflategate. As the old saying goes, once is an accident, twice is a trend, three times is a problem. While this is only the second time, it certainly reflects badly on both Ted Wells and the NFL.
Earlier this week the Tom Brady appeal hearing transcript was released. Inside a number of things came to light but mostly character details regarding those involved in this three ring circus.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell source theganggreen.com
For instance, we learned Troy Vincent is incredibly ignorant when discussing the deflation of footballs due to atmospheric conditions. Apparently Roger Goodell has terrible hearing for a man his age and will often request those he’s questioning to repeat answers a number of times. We learned that Tom Brady has no idea what a soft football feels like, just the overall texture of the ball itself. We were made aware that it is perfectly acceptable for the NFL to pay Ted Wells to conduct an “independent” investigation because, by golly, somebody has to pay him. Let’s not forget that Lauren Reisner, Ted Wells’ deputy, actually assisted the NFL during the hearing by cross examining Tom Brady. Clearly everything here is on the up and up.
There was a whole bunch of ridiculousness on the NFL’s part and more specifically Roger Goodell during this appeal process, however, Tom Brady did not come out unscathed either. Brady insisting he did not know much about football psi prior to the October 2014 over inflation fiasco game against the New York Jets , seemed disingenuous at best. How could a man who spends so much time preparing a football not have any idea how much air he prefers inside said football? There is no legitimate proof of wrong doing in this situation but even the most ardent supporter of Brady must realize he knows how he likes his footballs.
It wasn’t all bad for Tom, although the cellphone destruction was a little bit odd on the date that he planned to meet with Ted Wells but it was hardly the proverbial “smoking gun” the NFL wants you to believe they have. Dumb and suspicous? Sure, but all it does is give the rest of the country outside of New England more reason to hate Brady, not clear evidence that he did something wrong. Quite frankly, given the release of his emails this past week, it’s no shock Brady destroyed that phone. The Peyton Manning themed email claiming no.18 had maybe “two years left” and Brady claiming to have “seven or eight years left”, I’m sure has caused him a slew of backlash.
It was particularly interesting that discipline was never implied by Ted Wells when Brady refused to hand in his phone. Patriot lawyers told him not to do so, but Tom said if he knew trouble could come due to this he would have absolutely had handed it in. Wells agreed he never told Brady that there would be discipline for this particular lack of cooperation. Roger Goodell must have had trouble hearing that.
Brady stating that he did not know Jim McNally’s name until deflategate makes total sense. As told in the transcript, Brady signs things all the time and there’s always lots of people in the locker room. It’s quite easy to believe that he would know Jim McNally’s face and not his name.
Roger Goodell at one point claimed that part of his decision to uphold Brady’s suspension rested on the unusual fact that Brady and Jastermski spoke quite a bit after the AFC Championship game. Brady gave sound reasoning for this, stating that the Super Bowl was two weeks away and also that the world was suddenly discussing the Patriot’s deflated footballs! Roger was unsatisfied with this answer. The Commissioner clearly entered this without already having made up his mind.
Roger Goodell is a desperate man and has chosen Tom Brady as his scapegoat and virtual “get out of jail free card” for the Ray Rice scandal that went so horribly wrong for him. Overall these transcripts help us to learn that the entire appeal process was a gigantic circus with our beloved commissioner of the NFL as the ring leader or was he the clown?
With the release of Brady’s appeal hearing transcripts (all 10+ hours and 457 pages worth) it appears that the advantage is swinging in Tom’s favor.
Let me first start off by saying I haven’t read the transcript in its entirety, however I will gather together all the facts I have from there and the whole debacle as it has unfolded so far.
On the night of the AFC Championship game referee Walt Anderson first claimed to have used the “logo” gauge (Which read .3-.4 psi. higher than the “non-logo” gauge) when checking game balls prior to the game. Then Wells re-interviews Anderson later, getting him to say he wasn’t sure about which gauge he used. That way Wells gains an advantage to come to the pre-determined conclusion that the balls must have been deflated by Patriots personell. (Wells gets to subtract .4 psi)
During Brady’s appeal, Wells vehemently stood by the the character of Walt Anderson and the integrity of Anderson’s recollections of the procedures performed on the game balls that evening. Even though Anderson originally said he used the “logo” gauge, Anderson must have got that part wrong, so Wells just goes with the second interview where Anderson wasn’t sure, and assumes he used the “non logo” gauge. (Lie #1)
When the Patriots balls were measured at halftime, after being in the officials locker room for 4 minutes (not enough time to effect the psi coming from 40-50° outside temp.) the lowest ball measures 10.9 psi on the ” logo” gauge, when you add in the ideal gas law which predicts a 1.0-1.2 psi drop (from Exponent inc. Findings) that would make a corrected reading of 11.9-12.1 psi on the LOWEST balls psi measurement! (There were only 3 balls that fell outside the range, other 2 were higher)
This led Wells to ignore the science (buried in the footnotes) Because the findings were not conclusive enough to prove someone had tampered with the balls after inspection. (Unless you can get Anderson to say he may have used the “non logo” gauge) Then you can justify charging your client millions to get to a pre-determined conclusion.
Leak #1: Getting public opinion on your side
The NFL office leaked information to Chris Mortensen that 11 of the 12 balls were 2 psi below minimum of 12.5 psi. (None were – a blatant lie) lie #2
Wells also tells Brady during investigation that he (Brady) will not suffer any disiplinary action for not turning over his cell phone. And, of course, we all know that was one of Goodell’s two points for upholding his suspension. (Lie #3 on side of prosecution, in case your keeping score)
Wells also testified that a text conversation between Jim McNally and Jastremski was about “inflation” of footballs after the Jets game and it was interpreted by his (crack) legal team as being about “deflation” (yep 5 million dollars for this) Seriously? (Lie #4)
Let’s get to my last point from Wells’ testimony. He said he conducted the investigation pursuant to the “policy on the integrity of the game, and enforcement of competitive rules.” That’s the other reason for Goodell upholding the suspension. Problem is that the players are not privy to those rules, nor are they bound by them, they are given to Owners and not players. So that’s lie #5 for the league. (There’s many more, I just picked those 5)
Leak #2: Make Brady Look Bad
Bonus lie #6 stemming from league leaking Brady “destroyed” his cell phone instead of turning it over. Leaking it that way would lead you to believe the line of investigation they had all along, this was not an “Independent” investigation. NFL employees do not “wordsmith” drafts of “Independent” investigations.
Brady also did not get a “fair” investigation either, “fair” finds all the facts to come to a conclusion, it doesn’t “pick and chose” to support a pre-determined conclusion.
Green Bay vs New England – It’s An Exhibition Game
New England Patriot fans, have you highlighted August 13 on your calendar? That’s the date the Patriots play their first “exhibition” game. I know King Roger doesn’t like the word “exhibition”, but I don’t like Roger Goodell and, really, when the game doesn’t count…it’s an exhibition! Pre-Season Game…give us some credit for knowing that’s a sham title to make fans think its a real contest.
The NFL may charge full price and force season ticket holders to buy tickets, but they can’t change the facts (although Mr. Commissioner is trying to do that to Tom “Terrific”)…and the fact is: teams play back-up and unknown undrafted free agents and most of the players you see in game #1 will never see the light of a real NFL game.
New England Patriots vs Green Bay Packers
Now that I have that off my chest…the game is at Gillette Stadium against the Green Bay Packers, with kick-off scheduled for 7:30. Despite all the garbage going on with that other issue (last time it will be mentioned in this column) it will be nice to actually see some football, even if we only know 10% of the players that will hit the field.
Here are a few things to look for this Thursday:
Jimmy G at 2015 Training Camp (Keith Nordstrom/New England Patriots)
Obviously focus will be on who looks good at QB for the Pats. Tom Brady may get in a series or two, but everyone in the stadium is looking to see if Jimmy Garoppolo is ready to take the helm “if needed” when the real season begins. If not (heaven forbid), who will step up? It has been reported that they have released Matt Flynn, leaving no one to back him up. Right now Brady & Garoppolo are the only QBs on the Patriots roster, so don’t be surprised when they grab a body (any body will do) to have a back-up available.
There’s a lot of competition at the various running back positions. This game will allow some of the lesser known RB’s to show their stuff. Some players to keep an eye on include: #39 Travis Cadet, #36 Tyler Gaffney, #35 Jonas (the Colt buster) Gray, #28 James White (looking to show he can fill the big shoes left by Shane Vereen’s departure) & #33 Dion Lewis. Don’t expect to see much action, if any, from LeGarrette Blount or Brandon Bolden.
The development of Jake Bequette as a TE should be worth a look or two. In fact Arkansas’ A.J. Derby and Kansas’ Jimmay Mundine will be fighting to show what they have to other teams, since the chance of being on the Patriots opening day roster are slim and none. Michael Hoomanawanui had a rough year in 2014, so he could be on the bubble, especially with the signing of Scott Chandler.
…and then there’s Corner Back. There are a bunch of bodies fighting to be the next “island” in the Patriots secondary.
There’s been a lot of talk about the defense, but keep your eye on the offensive line. There could be a major shift this season and these are the “unknowns” who keep the QB healthy. If you aren’t cursing them out, they’re doing their job! Players to watch include Tre’ Jackson & Shaq Mason.
Tre’ Jackson Is Worth Watching (printinterest.com)
There’s more, but if you are at the game or watching on TV those five should make it worthwhile to stay awake for the entire game. If not, don’t worry…it’s only an exhibition (yawn). Coaches are just hoping no one gets hurt.
Just as Judge Richard M. Berman was telling the National Football League Player’s Association and NFL to get together and try to solve their issues, the New England Patriots went on the offense. Tired of looking like they are the new “Evil Empire” and accepting the wishes of King Roger Goodell the team and owner decided it was time to take off the gloves and get into a back alley brawl.
To read all of Mr. Kraft’s rant just click on the highlighted text and we’ll whisk you to Patriots.com for it in it’s entirety.
That was a huge step for one of the most powerful owners in the NFL. In the past Kraft had been a loyal, team player and backed Goodell when others were calling for his ouster (re: Ray Rice initial suspension)
Friday the Patriots took another hunk out of the League Office’s hide with a solid uppercut, this time with a series of e-mails showing the league ignored their early pleas to close off the leaks within the NFL offices and publicly correct errors that purposely implied things that weren’t true (example: 11 of 12 footballs dramatically under-inflated).
The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed to an expedited process that seeks a “final resolution” to the lawsuit before the start of the NFL season
Mike Kensil, the NFL’s VP of game operation, has been identified by various sources as the individual responsible for the leaks from the NFL office (Read Goallinegazette article from Bill Bodell)
To add to all the hype it has now been reported that Judge Berman’s hearing will be open to accredited media! That should be fun.
So, it’s turned into a 10 rounder and we’re just finishing round 5 with lots to come. Break out the beverage of your choice along with a snack or two, ’cause there’s still lots of blows to be thrown in this bare knuckles brawl.
So now you are caught up…until the next missive is launched. Punch and counter punch…punch and counter punch…etc…etc
By the way, did you notice I wrote this entire article without once mentioning Tom Brady…oops
As all of you know by now, the league and it’s idiotic commissioner Roger Goodell (the money making machine) has stood fast on its 4 game suspension of Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady.
Brady issued his first public statement since this whole debacle (to keep it clean) started, via his Facebook site this morning. In the post he maintained his and any of the Patriots organization’s innocence of any wrongdoing (or knowledge of) pertaining to the inflation of footballs. Brady also mentions that his legal team assured him that his cell phone would not be called into question or need to be turned over to the league. He also addressed the fact that at the time of his appeal, he supplied a list all the recipients of phone calls and text messages for the time frame in question. (Which the league wanted, but refused to look into anyhow)
If all these text messages were so important to the investigation, wouldn’t a fair investigation for BOTH parties involved warrant checking at least a few of these phones? After all we all know that one phone gives you Both sides of text conversations.
This whole process was ridiculous from the start, Once the Wells Report (all 243 pages of nothing more than bird cage floor liner) was disproved as insufficient (by itself and real independent science) the league shifted focus to the fact that Brady didn’t turn over his cell phone as the main reason for the suspension being upheld.
If you’ve ever gotten into an argument with a Patriots hater, this tactic should look very familiar to you, when you point out where they are wrong or ignorant of the facts, what do they do? Yep, they change the subject. Do you think this is any different? If it smells like garbage, that’s probably what we’re looking at.
Robert Kraft as well as Belichick and some of Tom’s teammates had a chance to speak today. Kraft and the Patriots team members spoke of their unwavering support for Brady, and Belichick declined to comment (all of which would be expected).
What was totally unexpected was Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s comments on how the league which he is a very large supporter of, essentially spat in his face (not his words). This is an excerpt from his statement.
It takes a very strong man to admit his mistakes and basically discount his faith in the League as a whole.
The word “Integrity” has been thrown around by alot of individuals over the last 7 months, and that right there, Mr. Goodell is the finest example you will see in your lifetime! Are you paying attention? See you in court.
I am proud to be a member of Patriots Nation! #FreeBrady
Professional football is a fickle beast. When you’re at the bottom of the competitive ladder, any move you make is scrutinized by your fan base and lambasted by the media. Championship success of course is the ultimate goal, giving way to universal respect among your colleagues, fans, and critics. Sadly there is such a thing as too much success.
The Pittsburgh Steelers in the 70’s, the San Francisco 49ers in the eighties, the Dallas Cowboys in the nineties, and the New England Patriots in the 2000s, have all gone from plucky underdogs to beloved winners and ultimately to the team all other fan bases love to hate. The NFL survives on the concept that any of the 32 teams, if comprised properly, can win the Lombardi Trophy. When one team gets a little too successful it breeds contempt amongst their rival fan bases and of course it ruins the concept in which the NFL is built upon, one in which anybody can win.
The New England Patriots are currently the team that all others love to hate. It started long before Spygate and Deflategate were part of public conscience, after creating the NFL’s most recent dynasty, the Patriot’s winning ways were examined a bit closer. In 2004, the NFL’s competition committee severely altered the amount of clutching and grabbing a defensive player could administer due to the unbridled success of Belichick’s gritty defense. The change in defensive rules once again gave way to a more even playing field. Despite a ten year drought of Super Bowl championships, the Patriots continued to be a dominant force in both the regular season and the playoffs. In today’s NFL the Patriots current level of success cannot be. Last season’s incredible run by New England has once again given way to rule changes and unprecedented decision making by the NFL.
After the 2014 divisional championship was determined and the Patriots had used a variety of trick plays to defeat the Baltimore Ravens, the latter team cried foul and once again the rules have been altered in the interest of “competitive fairness.” We are all aware of the current bucket of overreaction that is Deflategate and the amount of crying that is come from Colt’s owner Jim Irsay despite his team being handedly defeated regardless of ball air pressure. Were the footballs under-inflated in the AFC Championship Game? Yes. We’re both sides using under inflated footballs? Yes. In fairness, New England’s footballs were of course (shown to be) far more under inflated than the Colt’s balls but given the situation both teams should have been penalized to some degree. The intercepted pass from Brady in the AFC Championship game was checked for psi. on the sidelines by Colts personel. (Documented in Wells Report). Indianapolis Colts are not as successful currently as the New England Patriots so that was not the case at all. At the time of this writing, Indianapolis still has all their draft picks next year, no fine, and their star quarterback for the first 4 weeks of play. I’m not saying the punishment should be the same for both teams but at the very least the Colts should have been fined for an equipment violation.
Recent news has both Jim Irsay and Raven’s owner Steve Bisciotti chief among a handful of influential owners attempting to swing Roger Goodell’s decision making skills in their favor, in regards to Tom Brady’s appeal of his four-game suspension. Only in the wacky world of the NFL does this type of behavior get both reported and tolerated. Why is this madness tolerated? The NFL wants the New England Patriot’s success to come to an end, as it’s best for business.
At the end of the day the New England Patriots are currently the victims of their own success just as they are the victims of their own wrong doings. In a football world where rules are changed to suit your opponent’s needs and punishments are handed out based on unqualified suspicions, the Patriots are still a successful franchise. The question isn’t if but when the NFL Will win the war and restore parity among their league.
Today was suspension Friday in the NFL, as Roger Goodell handed down three different suspensions. Chief’s cornerback Sean Smith, Bronco’s defensive end Derek Wolfe, and Viking’s cornerback Jabari Price were all given some sort of suspension today.
Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith (21) covers Denver Broncos wide receiver Cody Latimer (14) as the ball falls incomplete during the second quarter on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (David Eulitt/Kansas City Star/TNS)
Sean Smith was suspended three games for a DUI, which he pled guilty to in April. Smith is a first time offender, which is designated for a two-game suspension by the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, but the policy does leave some wiggle room for special circumstances like property damage. Smith struck and broke a light pole, which is what led to him getting caught, and added an extra game to the suspension. Smith is just one of many cornerbacks the Chiefs have, and it should not be a huge blow to the team.
during a 2015 AFC Divisional Playoff game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 11, 2015 in Denver, Colorado.
Derek Wolfe was suspended four games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Wolfe, a former second round pick, gave the standard player-suspended-for-PED-use answer, saying he didn’t realize what he was taking was on the banned substance list, ho hum. Wolfe is one of three defensive ends that looked to be in the Broncos rotation as they transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4, along with Vance Walker and Malik Jackson. Of course, the Broncos have plenty of pass rushers at outside linebacker, such as Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, and first round draft pick Shane Ray.
<> at Ford Field on December 14, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan.
Jabari Price, much like Smith, was suspended two games after pleading guilty to a DWI in April. Price is entering his second year in the NFL, and was a seventh round draft pick in 2014. He is primarily a special teams player.
Adam Schefter reported all three suspensions on Twitter today, in three separate tweets. In the last two, he also mentioned that on suspension Friday, there was still no Brady news. It shows you what NFL fans are looking for right now. The NFL can dump all theses irrelevant suspensions right now, and no one will care. Famous Boston sports fan Bill Simmons put everything into perspective on Twitter, saying, “AFC Title Game: 1/18, Wells Report: 5/6, Brady Suspension: 5/11, NFLPA Appeal: 5/14, Brady/Goodell meeting: 6/23, Today’s date: 7/24 27 WEEKS.” You can see why the NFL is king; they know how to control their news. They don’t want a bunch of suspensions to be a big deal, so they’ve dragged deflategate out for 27 weeks, giving them a 27-week news dump period.
Even those now bashing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, often referred to as “the most powerful man in sports,” must acknowledge he has helped NFL owners make more $$$ than they can count. That is why owners have been solidly in his corner when controversy has arisen. Don’t kid yourself, the NFL is a highly successful business and he is one reason why.
For those wondering why Robert Kraft backed down on challenging Goodell’s ruling in “deflategate,” read that highlighted sentence again. Click on the link and see just how financially successful the NFL is. And, by the way, the New England Patriots, worth $2.6 billion, trail only the Dallas Cowboys in value ($3.2 billion).
When Goodell took over the reigns from retiring commissioner Paul Tagliabue on September 1, 2006 the league was on an upswing that started under Pete Rozelle (NFL Commissioner 1960-1989) and has now reached what a few think is it’s pinnacle. The owners are betting there is still has growth to be had (overseas teams?), and Goodell is who they want at the helm…provided the political pressure doesn’t become too intense.
No matter how many cases they lose in arbitration, it’s pennies compared to billions of dollars. Reputation and integrity be damned, money speaks volumes, no matter how many times Goodell ludicrously claims he is making decisions based on the integrity of the game.
THE BAD
If one word could be used other than “profit” to describe Goodell’s term as commissioner, it would have to be “controversy.” From his start, NFL news has moved from primarily sports talk to the lead front page story. Without going into too many boring detail, here are just a few of the “bad” news stories that have come in the past 8 years:
2007: Goodell disciplined the New England Patriots ($250,000 & 1st Round Pick) and head coach Bill Belichick in what has become known as “Spygate” after New England attempted to videotape the defensive signals of the NY Jets
…and that wasn’t all that happened. Suspensions were handed out galore:
Tennessee’s PacMan Jones (entire 2007 season)
Cincinnatti’s Chris Henry (8 games)
Chicago’s Tank Johnson (8 games) were all suspended under the newNFL Player Conduct Policy. That policy became the guidelines for all future suspensions
Atlanta starting QB Michael Vick was convicted and served jail time – Need I say more?
2008: Dallas’ PacMan Jones again (indefinite, ultimately reduced to 4 games)
2010: Pittsburgh QB Ben Rothlisburger (originally 6 games, reduced to 4) Rothlisburger was accused of sexual assault by a 20-year-old college student after an encounter in a Georgia bar
Ben Rothlisburger Suspended courtesy of ESPN.GO.Com
2011: NFL Lockout March 11 to August 5
THE UGLY
Things started to really get ugly as the 2012 season rolled around.
2012: “Bountygate” – New Orleans Saints – Head Coach Sean Payton and Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams were suspended for the season. Along with other suspensions the Saints were fined a league maximum $500,000 and stripped of their second round draft picks in 2012 and 2013. Commissioner Goodell later suspended players but that was overturned after they appealed.
Also in 2012 the NFL locked out the regular NFL game officials, opening the season with replacement referees. The hired replacements consisted of low-level college and high school officials, none from Division I. The only people yelling about the integrity of the game were fans who paid full price to see incompetent officials drastically effect the outcome of game-after-game.
Its A TD, no its an INT as replacement officials contradict each other (Courtesy of DallasNews.com)
After week 2 of the season the NFLPA issued this statement:
It is lost on us as to how you allow a Commissioner to cavalierly issue suspensions and fines in the name of player health and safety yet permit the wholesale removal of the officials that you trained and entrusted to maintain that very health and safety. It has been reported that the two sides are apart by approximately $60,000 per team. We note that your Commissioner has fined an individual player as much in the name of “safety.” Your actions are looking more and more like simple greed. As players, we see this game as more than the “product” you reference at times. You cannot simply switch to a group of cheaper officials and fulfill your legal, moral, and duty obligations to us and our fans. You need to end the lockout and bring back the officials immediately.
On September 26 an agreement was reached to end the lockout after increasing criticism of the NFL and the performance of the replacement officials.
2013: The NFL finally reached a $765 million settlement with former NFL players over head injuries. The settlement created a $675 million compensation fund from which former NFL players could collect from depending on the extent of their conditions. It turned ugly when, in January, 2014, a U.S. District Judge refused to accept the agreed settlement because “the money wouldn’t adequately compensate the nearly 20,000 men not named in the suit”
2014: The Ray Rice disaster. Another major mis-judgement by the Commission as he determined a punishment of two games was adequate for the third-degree assault Rice had been arrested for. After an uproar and the public saw a video of the incident, Goodell acknowledged he “didn’t get it right” This was the start of individuals questioning his judgement and rumblings began calling for his resignation.
2015: “Deflategate,” which is still under appeal by New England QB Tom Brady, became another national story. Brady was handed a four game suspension because of a “belief that he was generally aware” of the deflation of footballs used in the AFC East Championship game.
The Commissioner once again looked bad as his 10 game suspension of Greg Hardy was recently reduced in arbitration. Arbitrator Harold Henderson stated in his decision that 10 games is simply too much as he reduced the punishment to four games. To read his entire comments just click on the highlighted area.
To wrap it up, the NFL and Commissioner Goodell have not been successful either in arbitration or the courts. They have lost to all the New Orleans players in ‘Bountygate,” Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy and the list goes on and on. Next up will be his decision of Tom Brady.
Training camp is just around the corner and teams/players need some closure. At what point will the owners say enough is enough? As long as the $$$ continues to grow, it is unlikely to happen very soon.
Here’s the text of arbitrator Harold Henderson, NFL Executive Vice President for Labor Relations, regarding the reduction of Greg Hardy’s suspension from 10 games to 4.
“After consideration of all the record evidence and arguments, I conclude that the Commissioner acted within his authority and properly exercised his discretion in finding that Hardy violated the NFL Personal Conduct Policy,”
“I find that the conduct of Hardy clearly violates the letter and spirit of any version of the PCP since its inception, and of the NFL Constitution and Bylaws long before then. The egregious conduct exhibited here is indefensible in the NFL.
“However, 10 games is simply too much, in my view, of an increase over prior cases without noticesuch as was done last year, when the ‘baseline’ for discipline in domestic violence or sexual assault cases was announced as a six-game suspension. Therefore, the discipline of Mr. Hardy hereby is modified to a suspension of four games; all other terms of the discipline letter remain in place.”
Greg Hardy’s NFL Statistics
Hardy is still considering taking the NFL to court.
The ball is now in the hands of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell regarding New England Patriot QB Tom Brady’s appeal of his 4 game suspension. It will be difficult for the Commissioner to impose the same 4 game penalty now being imposed on Hardy.
Follow me on Twitter @SnowdonBob
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