Robert Kraft defends Roger Goodell: "The way he has handled this situation is excellent"

Haley · Sep 11, 2014

SB39 said:
I think you have some valid points, but I disagree with the notion that Ray Rice received some sort of "lesser suspension." As I demonstrated previously, the Ray Rice suspension was very much in line with other suspension given to other, similar incidents. If anything, Ray Rice received a suspension that was harsher than the norm.

None of those previous suspensions generated any media or fan outrage. Guess those guys were lucky there was no video footage.

While you are correct, as that SI article points out, the punishment was seen as light in comparison to punishments meted out for substance abuses. Ray Rice was a big enough name to finally get the attention of even the most casual of football fans regarding this disparity in punishments.

The Ravens caught a major break Thursday with the league’s announcement of a two-game suspension for Rice in the wake of his domestic-violence arrest last winter at an Atlantic City hotel. Rice, too, caught a break … except in the court of public opinion.

Rice and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who meted out the punishment (including docking Rice three game checks, or $529,000) got roasted in the wake of the sanctions, which is certainly light when compared to, say, recreational drug use. A third positive test for marijuana, for instance, nets a player a four-game suspension without pay. Compare Rice’s punishment to that for some potential performance-enhancers: A first positive test for Adderall is a four-game ban too.

It was later explained to the public in articles like this one by stating exactly why Goodell had done this:

This is why Goodell was softer on Rice than a four-game suspension:

Rice’s wife, a source said, made a moving and apparently convincing case to Goodell

Additionally, I feel I should point out that by not taking any punitive action (or at least releasing a statement) against the Ravens organization for their tweet blaming Janay, the NFL makes themselves complicit. They effectively sanction that point of view. They create a culture in which this type of victimization thrives. The Ravens are to blame for their own actions, but ultimately the responsibility lies with the people at the top to deal with the issue or sanction the behavior.

Note that I don't expect this to convert you to my point of view, I'm simply explaining what made it mine.

WinstonSmith · Sep 11, 2014

Tom Wolfe has been inspired to come out of retirement and pen a novel based on this mess; Bonfire of the Fallacies.

Brady'sButtBoy · Sep 11, 2014

Big Daddy Kraft should have stayed on the Cape and had another G&T rather than running to Goodell's defense. At worst Goodell's lying, at best he headed a pathetic investigation, one guilty of a lack of proper effort. Either way, what Goodell's has done with the Rice case is far from "excellent."

Don't overlook the fact that Ozzie Newsome said yesterday that nothing on the 2nd video surprised him, it went down exactly as Rice told him it did. Then Newsome or Goodell must be lying because Newsome went with Rice to see the commish and even if it didn't come up there if defies all credibility to think the NFL investigators didn't call the Ravens to check if Rice's story matched with the one he told Goodell. Goodell insists there was "ambiguity" regarding what happened in the elevator, Newsome says what happened is exactly what he was told - some body's lying.

Not to let Newsome off the hook - if Newsome knew exactly what happened in the elevator, then how could he defend waiting for the tape to be made public to cut Rice?

SB39 · Sep 11, 2014

Haley said:
While you are correct, as that SI article points out, the punishment was seen as light in comparison to punishments meted out for substance abuses. Ray Rice was a big enough name to finally get the attention of even the most casual of football fans regarding this disparity in punishments.

Youre absolutely right about these punishments being light relative to substance abuse punishments, but I have to disagree with this getting attention because Ray Rice is a "big name." It got attention and subsequent outrage because of the video, period.

Haley · Sep 11, 2014

SB39 said:
Youre absolutely right about these punishments being light relative to substance abuse punishments, but I have to disagree with this getting attention because Ray Rice is a "big name." It got attention and subsequent outrage because of the video, period.

You are probably right about that. Certainly the video did a lot, particularly for Raven's fans. A lot of people were in an odd sort of denial until they saw the actual footage. I know I personally took offense to the original sentence after seeing the video because it became clear to me that I had been lied to and the victim blamed.

mayoclinic · Sep 11, 2014

FirstAndGoal said:
Wow, what a coincidence. My father-in-law is a former chairman and managing parter of WilmerHale and I just found out they're doing the investigation through Mueller. WilmerHale is a major firm. I'm going to have to see if I can get some info...doubt it but we'll see. lol

I didn't realize that WilmerHale had such deep connections to the NFL:

When the NFL announced that an independent investigator had been hired to explore the league office’s poor-at-best handling of the Ray Rice case, I thought the league had taken a clear step in the right direction.

When I saw that two old-guard owners would oversee what would otherwise be an independent investigation, I became a little concerned that the investigation wouldn’t truly be independent.

When I realized that the man hired to do the investigation works for WilmerHale, the law firm that helped the NFL recently negotiate a multi-billion-dollar contract with DirecTV, any hope of true and genuine independence evaporated. As explained by ESPN.com, the firm previously has represented Washington owner Daniel Snyder, and several members of the firm have taken jobs with NFL teams.

One such former WilmerHale employee is, coincidentally, Ravens president **** Cass, who joined the club after thirty-plus years at the firm.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/11/how-independent-will-robert-mueller-be/

I hate Florio, but I do find that I little concerning.

1960Pats · Sep 11, 2014

Of all the things Kraft has said, the one that sticks out to me is his first comment, that seeing the tape of Rice hitting his wife was a "turnoff." That word doesn't even come close to describing the severity of what happened.

The more Bob Kraft opens his mouth the less I care about his opinions.

FirstAndGoal · Sep 11, 2014

mayoclinic said:
I didn't realize that WilmerHale had such deep connections to the NFL:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/11/how-independent-will-robert-mueller-be/

I hate Florio, but I do find that I little concerning.

I'm going to sound like a shill for the company now but I do know WilmerHale have an impeccable reputation I'm (me personally) not concerned. They have a 100 year history with everything from the repeal of Prohibition, to going after McCarthy, to arguing the case for Gitmo due process. They've been involved in almost every major legal event over the last 100 years so I'm okay with it.

Again, it's my personal experience and knowing the company through my father-in-law (retired but still holds an office in his retirement there) who as much as he can be out of touch with day to day struggles, has himself an impeccable reputation.

I'm not ruling it out but if you're going to call on a law firm to be independent, they are a good choice. Their reputation is too important to the firm and they've spent a long time building it up so I'd give them the benefit of the doubt for now... again, not trying to convince anyone but I'm okay with the choice.

obgod3 · Sep 11, 2014

I could care less about Bob kraft or Roger Goodell because at the end of the day the wrong people are in the spotlight:

Im listening to everyone talk this morning about about Commissioner Goodell. But we really have our priorities messed up and in particular the media.

1. Where is the outrage against the organization that we know had all videos, that being the state of New Jersey and the District Attorneys office. They are truly to blame in this situation and the fact that this is all one sided again the NFL is misplaced priorities. Yet the media has done nothing on this topic, I watched all the morning shows and while the NFL is under scrutiny the Legal system was never mentioned. If the legal system did their job then none of this ever happens.

2. If the head of the NFLPA fights for reinstatement of Ray Rice I sure hope NOW comes after him also. So should the media.

3. Floyd Mayweather fights Saturday night and will make millions of dollars, and yet no one spoke about the stupid comments he made last night let alone the fact that the Boxing commission in NV and NJ has never done anything to punish Floyd.

Our priorities are really messed up and the media is on the wrong track. Start with the hard questions and hold everyone accountable equally.

FirstAndGoal · Sep 11, 2014

obgod3 said:
I could care less about Bob kraft or Roger Goodell because at the end of the day the wrong people are in the spotlight:

Im listening to everyone talk this morning about about Commissioner Goodell. But we really have our priorities messed up and in particular the media.

1. Where is the outrage against the organization that we know had all videos, that being the state of New Jersey and the District Attorneys office. They are truly to blame in this situation and the fact that this is all one sided again the NFL is misplaced priorities. Yet the media has done nothing on this topic, I watched all the morning shows and while the NFL is under scrutiny the Legal system was never mentioned. If the legal system did their job then none of this ever happens.

2. If the head of the NFLPA fights for reinstatement of Ray Rice I sure hope NOW comes after him also. So should the media.

3. Floyd Mayweather fights Saturday night and will make millions of dollars, and yet no one spoke about the stupid comments he made last night let alone the fact that the Boxing commission in NV and NJ has never done anything to punish Floyd.

Our priorities are really messed up and the media is on the wrong track. Start with the hard questions and hold everyone accountable equally.

I agree on all points but the Ray Rice tape is a catalyst and the DA, as much as everyone is going off about is really doing what happens every day in domestic abuse cases. Until the victims press forward or the laws change, this is SOP for domestic abuse cases...seen it many times. If she said she would be a cooperating witness to the DA, they would have gone after Rice with a vengeance. I'm sure of that. The first question a DA asks is "what do you want to happen". Based on that, they decide whether to be aggressive or to strike a deal... rarely do they completely drop it without some form of probation.

I explained exactly what happens and why it's difficult without the victim cooperating in another thread but if the victim claims it was a mutual combat situation, it becomes difficult to secure a conviction and I'm sure that's what happened (we know it's untrue but that is the DA's difficulty in bringing the case to court).

rochrist · Sep 11, 2014

obgod3 said:
I could care less about Bob kraft or Roger Goodell because at the end of the day the wrong people are in the spotlight:

Im listening to everyone talk this morning about about Commissioner Goodell. But we really have our priorities messed up and in particular the media.

1. Where is the outrage against the organization that we know had all videos, that being the state of New Jersey and the District Attorneys office. They are truly to blame in this situation and the fact that this is all one sided again the NFL is misplaced priorities. Yet the media has done nothing on this topic, I watched all the morning shows and while the NFL is under scrutiny the Legal system was never mentioned. If the legal system did their job then none of this ever happens.

2. If the head of the NFLPA fights for reinstatement of Ray Rice I sure hope NOW comes after him also. So should the media.

3. Floyd Mayweather fights Saturday night and will make millions of dollars, and yet no one spoke about the stupid comments he made last night let alone the fact that the Boxing commission in NV and NJ has never done anything to punish Floyd.

Our priorities are really messed up and the media is on the wrong track. Start with the hard questions and hold everyone accountable equally.

Eh. The NFLPA is basically a player advocate organization. That's what they're paid to do. It's not all that far-removed from blaming a lawyer for defending a client. It's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it.

Also. too: I've seen a number of references to Mayweather in connection to this whole thing.

Zeus · Sep 11, 2014

This thread is two days old now. At this point, with all that's transpired, the title looks absurd.

"The way he handled the situation is excellent."

mayoclinic said:
I didn't realize that WilmerHale had such deep connections to the NFL:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/11/how-independent-will-robert-mueller-be/

I hate Florio, but I do find that I little concerning.

Big, well known law firm

The league has elected to go with the star power of former FBI director Robert Mueller. Mueller's in a tough spot because there will be pressure on him to not do anything that will piss off the NFL as a client.

This could put the NFL in a no win situation. If Mueller's findings are supportive of the process the NFL went through, it will be easy for the press and others to claim that the fix was in.

sb1 · Sep 11, 2014

And so it begins. Inevitable I guess.

http://www.boston.com/sports/column...r_not_spygate_is_now_back_as_part_of_the.html

SB39 · Sep 11, 2014

Zeus said:
The league has elected to go with the star power of former FBI director Robert Mueller. Mueller's in a tough spot because there will be pressure on him to not do anything that will piss off the NFL as a client.

Speaking of pissing the NFL off, anyone but me think ESPN gon' pay for their actions? I can see the Monday night schedule next year being 16 weeks of Cleveland-Buffalo and St. Louis-Jacksonville.

Bobs My Uncle · Sep 11, 2014

Speaking of the NFLPA ... have they issued a statement as of yet?

No matter the outcome, moving forward (with our without Goodell as commish), I can't imagine they are going to sit idle and continue to allow a singular entity be the judge, jury and executioner for its players. Not after just witnessing how an incompetent person, when given such authority, can so totally screw up a situation. The process will have to change.

Ivan · Sep 11, 2014

Got to love the Commissioner, first he says that the NFL relies primarily upon law enforcement for their evidence and then when law enforcement says they gave it to them they say they never got it. So much for relying upon law enforcement.................

SB39 · Sep 11, 2014

Ivan said:
Got to love the Commissioner, first he says that the NFL relies primarily upon law enforcement for their evidence and then when law enforcement says they gave it to them they say they never got it. So much for relying upon law enforcement.................

You're being extremely misleading - either deliberately because of your agenda or simply because of your usual obscene ignorance.

When an unnamed source (who could be anyone) says he did something he admits he wasn't authorized to do and he spoke to an NFL office representative (who could be anyone) and has a 12 second voice mail, that hardly qualifies as law enforcement officially making the claim they provided the league with the tapes.

The fact that you have to be so misleading shows how weak your contention is.

Zeus · Sep 11, 2014

SB39 said:
Speaking of pissing the NFL off, anyone but me think ESPN gon' pay for their actions?

I don't watch ESPN at all unless there's a game on, so I don't know what they're doing to piss the league off. But yes, there will be recriminations. Wasn't there a soap opera style show that ESPN ran a few years back until the league told them to knock it off?

SB39 said:
I can see the Monday night schedule next year being 16 weeks of Cleveland-Buffalo and St. Louis-Jacksonville.

I thought that was the schedule they had already ...

rochrist · Sep 11, 2014

SB39 said:
Speaking of pissing the NFL off, anyone but me think ESPN gon' pay for their actions? I can see the Monday night schedule next year being 16 weeks of Cleveland-Buffalo and St. Louis-Jacksonville.

Yeah, no. That works both ways. I'm pretty sure the NFL doesn't want to go out of their way to piss off what has, until now, been their biggest shill this side of the NFL network.

Not to mention the danger of seriously pissing off the advertisers.

SB39 · Sep 11, 2014

Zeus said:
I don't watch ESPN at all unless there's a game on, so I don't know what they're doing to piss the league off. But yes, there will be recriminations. Wasn't there a soap opera style show that ESPN ran a few years back until the league told them to knock it off?

Ya 10 years ago ESPN cancelled "Playmakers" which was about a fictional football team but hit a little too close to home with regards to things going on in the NFL. It was both critically acclaimed and highly rated (highly rated as far as cable TV goes, that is)

Zeus said:
I thought that was the schedule they had already ...

Good point.

Robert Kraft defends Roger Goodell: "The way he has handled this situation is excellent"

In the Starting Line-Up

2nd Team Getting Their First Start

2nd Team Getting Their First Start

In the Starting Line-Up

In the Starting Line-Up

PatsFans.com Supporter

PatsFans.com Supporter

In the Starting Line-Up

In the Starting Line-Up

In the Starting Line-Up

Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal

PatsFans.com Supporter

PatsFans.com Retired Jersey Club

In the Starting Line-Up

PatsFans.com Supporter

Hall of Fame Poster

In the Starting Line-Up

PatsFans.com Supporter

Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal

In the Starting Line-Up

Similar threads