Goodell is at it again - suspends IK Enemkpali

[Tuck]

Sorry but Goodell is making the right call here. As others have said think about what happened if you punch out a coworker...the guy shouldn't even be in the NFL.

It's an interesting point you bring up and I would love to hear what our member attorneys have to say about this topic.

If criminal law applied to these guys in the same
way it applies to the rest of us, the entire national hockey league would be in jail, so would every Nfl player involved in a training camp fight or MLB players involved in a bench clearing brawl.

I am not a lawyer but I think pro sports may be treated differently than the typical work place when it comes to assault and battery.

 

[turkeyneck]

You're telling me if it was JJ Watt that got in a fight and broke Mallet's jaw he's getting suspended 4 games?

If it benefited the Jets, yes.

 

[turkeyneck]

Idiot. Should have been handed down within a day.

It had to wait until Ik was no longer a Jet.

 

[smurfalarm]

That's because it's laid out quite clearly in the NBA that if a player fights they are ejected and suspended. If a player goes toward a fight, they will be ejected and possibly suspended. Prior notice. Where's the notice that punching a team mate in the NFL is grounds for a four game suspension? Oh, article 46, right?

I guess I didn't really emphasize strongly enough that I agree really strongly with your point on player notice. All I want is for the NFL to come up with a very specific, collectively bargained player policy that notifies players and constrains the league and clubs on penalties for workplace violence such that it is very clear how players will be disciplined for assaulting their teammates, rather than leaving this up to the commissioner's discretion. This is exactly what collective bargaining is meant for. My point of disagreement is that there are a lot of people here who think that the NFL should not even be allowed to create a player policy that specifies discipline for workplace violence and that any penalty harsher than a team cutting a player should not be allowed. I feel that this unnecessarily minimizes the consequences to players for an issue that relates directly to the safety of players and team staff.

 

[venecol]

I'm not sure what the problem is

Dude broke his team mates jaw what would happen if you did that at work?

I hate goodell too but the dude deserves much worse than a 4 game suspension.

The dude got fired by his team! Geno isn't pressing charges. This guy is acting like a HS principal. Is he going to suspend all of the cowboy and ram players that got into the melee in the preseason? What's the difference between the two (aside from the broken jaw)?

 

[Koma]

What about all those other fights between teammates where guys punched each other and did not break each other's jaws? The Idiot Goodell is opening a can of worms. Steve Smith would have many seasons of suspensions under his belt by now.

Exactly. What are the punishment guidelines for fights that don't result in an injury? What if Geno ended up with a black eye, is it a one game suspension, two? What if the aggressor is a star player and the "victim" is a guy who wasn't going to make the team? Does the star get punished more harshly or less?

What about coaches? I don't know how common it is any more, but we've all heard stories of a coach, unhappy with the performance of a player or unit, telling another player to start a fight at practice. Should coaches also be punished for fights between players?

All these are questions (and more) are questions that should be considered before suspending a player. Thinking things through isn't Goodell's strong point, though.

 

[venecol]

Seriously, I've been waiting on that one forever. Probably shouldn't be, though. Goodell will be like "hey man he's already suspended, I can't extend his suspension! Except I have done that to others in the past, but don't worry about that."

He can put him on double secret probation.

 

[Joey007]

He's on the Bills roster isn't he? Or did he get cut again.

Practice squad

 

[Urgent]

...just because Goodell was wrong on whether Patriots ball were improperly inflated doesn't mean he is wrong here. The employer can terminate him, but as we saw the player got another job within the same league inside 24 hours. The league can review league discipline if warranted.

 

[Deus Irae]

Deus: I take your points. But the flaw in your logic is that this action went beyond an "individual" or "off field" issue since it resulted in Smith's inability to play for his "team" "on" the field.

No, it didn't.

It wasn't just a fight in a bar between two teammates. It was a fight that resulted in the disabling of a player to the extent that he could not play the game, exacerbated by the fact that it took place on team premises after a team event (practice). I think the League has a legitimate interest in that.

No, it doesn't.

Steve Smith, 2008

 

[woolster22]

...just because Goodell was wrong on whether Patriots ball were improperly inflated doesn't mean he is wrong here. The employer can terminate him, but as we saw the player got another job within the same league inside 24 hours. The league can review league discipline if warranted.

When in the history of the league has the league issued a punishment on a player involved in a fight on team premises?

I'm sure there are countless examples of TEAMS issuing punishment, but there's a reason the league never has.

So ik gets 4 games for punching his own teammate, while Suh gets off Scott free after hobbling rodgers, on the technicality that he hadn't done something like that in a year or whatever it was? It's absurd. I'm going out on a limb, but I'm going to hazard that there hasn't been a player suspended for more than one game (plus the one he was tossed from) for fighting another player on the field. Hell, the Ravens had a CB toss an official ON THE FIELD IN THE SUPERBOWL, and I don't think he even drew a flag.

Don't get me wrong, I think he should be punished. The problem is Goodell has no prior history to stand by in issuing this suspension. This bumbling idiot never learns. Hell, if he just went for a fine, I'm sure he could get away with it, and nobody would bat an eye. But the suspension has zero precedent.

I really hope Kessler picks thia up pro bono, so in 3 months we can hear "Your honor, article 46. You have no legal standing to overturn our arbitration decision."

 

[SalemPats]

I support IK levelling Goodell

 

[ctpatsfan77]

No, it doesn't.

Steve Smith, 2008

The fact that the league didn't care about something in the past doesn't automatically mean they shouldn't (or, for that matter, should) care about it now.

 

[Deus Irae]

The fact that the league didn't care about something in the past doesn't automatically mean they shouldn't (or, for that matter, should) care about it now.

The fact that it was a team issue then, and that people are being idiots in calling for NFL action now, is what I was pointing out. You (generic, not targeted) are welcome to foolishly want to give power in these matters to the NFL. The MLBPA is welcome to give power over domestic violence discipline, even to the point of lifelong bans, to the MLB commissioner. I'm welcome to call it foolish.

And I will, because leagues those powers is incredibly stupid.

 

[goheels22002]

ESPN's Chris Mortenson is reporting that the voices in his head have told him that, had IK Enemkpali broken Tom Brady's jaw, he would have been given a $100 million multi-year extension with $60 million guaranteed.

Mort could not be reached for comment.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

...just because Goodell was wrong on whether Patriots ball were improperly inflated doesn't mean he is wrong here.

That is correct.

That said, he is in the wrong here. Woolster22 lists all the reasons why. Doesn't mean the league shouldn't try to do something about it in the future if they feel it's a real concern. But, to paraphrase Judge Doty, Goodell continues to show that he doesn't even think there is a CBA.

 

[JarOfMayo51]

I'm not sure what the problem is

Dude broke his team mates jaw what would happen if you did that at work?

I hate goodell too but the dude deserves much worse than a 4 game suspension.

Yea I'm still surprised no charges were brought against him, that's felony assault and could literally kill someone with a punch like that. Geno Smith is an NFL athlete so it's unlikely that a shot like that would ever be fatal, but you never know, that 1 in a million shot to the temple or something CAN kill a human being

He's lucky he's not in prison, so 4 games seems more than fair.

 

[JarOfMayo51]

So a player fighting another grown man should get more than Greg Hardy got for almost killing his girlfriend or Ray Rice got for knocking out a defenseless woman?

It will be very interesting how he spins that punching Geno Smith is worse than punching a girl.

Doesn't matter if he was fighting a man or not, it's never ok to violently assault another human being unless you're defending yourself or another person.

It's felony assault. Hardy should be in JAIL, Rice should be in JAIL, and this guy Ik should be in JAIL.


JJAAAAIIILLLL!! lol

 

[woolster22]

Yea I'm still surprised no charges were brought against him, that's felony assault and could literally kill someone with a punch like that. Geno Smith is an NFL athlete so it's unlikely that a shot like that would ever be fatal, but you never know, that 1 in a million shot to the temple or something CAN kill a human being

He's lucky he's not in prison, so 4 games seems more than fair.

And a vicious blind side hit would from a de could kill many of us, what's your point? Hell, I guess you think hockey players should be charged with assault every time they drop the gloves.

Some reports state geno made contact first (I think I read a push or something), you can shoot people in cold blood in some states as retaliation.

The facts are simple, no charges have been filed. There is strong evidence against the league here in regards to precedent and notice.

While I agree he should be punished, it is clear goodell has once again over stepped his bounds. If he wants these powers/punishments they need to be negotiated. Article 46 does not grant Goodell the power to make up rules and guidelines as he sees fit, contrary to what the Child King would tell you.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Doesn't matter if he was fighting a man or not, it's never ok to violently assault another human being unless you're defending yourself or another person.

It's felony assault. Hardy should be in JAIL, Rice should be in JAIL, and this guy Ik should be in JAIL.


JJAAAAIIILLLL!! lol

I agree with you. Regular people go to jail all the time for this stuff.

I think Rice did get a years probation and had a ton of community service at a battered woman's shelter which TBH doesn't make a lotta sense to me.