Jim Donaldson: Many owners "uncomfortable" and pressuring Goodell to settle

[ausbacker]

So get him the **** out of office. The game is a cash cow. They don't need this assclown in there to keep making money hand over fist.

I recall @Deus Irae making a comment similar to the NFL could run itself and still make a lot of money some time ago. For mine, the NFL and AFL (Australian Rules) are similar in nature. You could put a chicken in the commissioner/CEO seat and both would still print money like it was out of fashion.

 

[Tuck]

To put it bluntly, Brady's legacy really will have an asterisk if he accepts any suspension on this. The obvious perception will be there for good.

I think he'd rather go all the way on this even if he ends up unjustly sitting for 4 games. He can proclaim his innocence and his legacy will be untouched.

I agree with your assessment. It's all or nothing for Brady now. The league has pushed it highest profile player to the brink.

 

[SVN]

I dont know jim donaldson but anyone can like an article like this without actual sources. This could be throwing something out there to see what sticks.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I've said that Donaldson is an over-the-hill hack but by saying that hes spoken to other owners is interesting.

Gotta think one of them is at 1 Patriots Place.

 

[SoCalCPA]

To put it bluntly, Brady's legacy really will have an asterisk if he accepts any suspension on this. The obvious perception will be there for good.

I think he'd rather go all the way on this even if he ends up unjustly sitting for 4 games. He can proclaim his innocence and his legacy will be untouched.

The only interesting part of this article were that some NFL owners are pushing for a settlement - The above post is exactly right - all of the legal commentators are saying they would totally tell Brady not to settle - He is committed to seeing this through to the end as he should - He is an innocent player who is being unjustly accused and persecuted for something that he not only didn't do but never happened in the first place

 

[Deus Irae]

I recall @Deus Irae making a comment similar to the NFL could run itself and still make a lot of money some time ago. For mine, the NFL and AFL (Australian Rules) are similar in nature. You could put a chicken in the commissioner/CEO seat and both would still print money like it was out of fashion.

Yeah, pretty much. Goodell has been great with the money contracts, but he's an anchor when it comes to pretty much everything else. He's a #2/#3 on the totem pole kind of guy. He's a train wreck when you put him in charge and let his inner Hitler shine through.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Yeah, pretty much. Goodell has been great with the money contracts, but he's an anchor when it comes to pretty much everything else. He's a #2/#3 on the totem pole kind of guy. He's a train wreck when you put him in charge and let his inner Hitler shine through.

I question how good he really is at the money contracts. People have said that he did a great job with NFL Ventures and various negotiations but from my perspective every deal as commissioner he needed closed he needed to bring in Kraft, Jones, Mara, Rooney, etc.

Nothing wrong with teamwork but hes the commissioner for crissakes and pulling in $44m a year.

 

[ausbacker]

I question how good he really is at the money contracts. People have said that he did a great job with NFL Ventures and various negotiations but from my perspective every deal as commissioner he needed closed he needed to bring in Kraft, Jones, Mara, Rooney, etc.

Nothing wrong with teamwork but hes the commissioner for crissakes and pulling in $44m a year.

Some people make better troopers than commanders. I dare say Commissioner Goodell is a text book example.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Some people make better troopers than commanders. I dare say Commissioner Goodell is a text book example.

Yep. I'm sure Tags and Rozelle got help too on union and TV deals but it seems with Goody things go off the rails then an influential owner needs to grenade dive to get it back on track.

 

[TruthSeeker]

How could you possibly know that to be true. You don't

I've listened to the reports and have read all the documents. You are right that I don't personally know. However, the reports have been clear and consistent for months now - Tom Brady is livid about these false accusations and determined to fight them. You really think he's about to back down now that he's finally in a neutral forum and public opinion is turning big time against Goodell? Good luck with that thought.

 

[pats_premi]

Jim Donaldson is all over the place with his headlines and opinions from day to day. I think he is taking to take this opertunity to get noticed and nothing else.

 

[MagicMarker]

If my guy that I hired and paid lots of money to for running my organization is caught lying multiple times and squandered money on legal battles that should have been settled easily, I have to at some point pull him aside and say "Settle this now!".

Also, I'm ok with an independent arbitrator for appeals if I'm an owner. It's just not worth the bad publicity. And, I'm ok with deferring punishment until after the season and the data is collected.

If the owners are fed up and want this settled, it would be pretty easy.

 

[SVN]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/08/11/geno-smith-punch-new-york-jets-nfl-mailbag

OPINIONS OF THE OTHER 31 TEAMS?

I know I am getting tired of Deflategate but it also seems like a car wreck—I can't stop watching either. I feel that The MMQB has taken on the discussion from a slightly pro-Tom Brady perspective because of the apparent harshness of the penalty, and therefore Roger Goodell has been at the center of the criticism. But what about the other 31 teams in the league that Goodell represents? It seems to me from what little I've read that they generally support the penalties and suspensions. Brady, Kraft and New Englanders can all be incredulous, but it seems to me the rest of NFL supports at least the concept of the penalties and suspensions. Your thoughts?

—Steve Smith, Burlington, Wisc.

In 2006, the NFL gave the Patriots a stern warning about not videotaping opposing teams defensive signals during games. When it happened again the next year, the league came down hard on the Patriots in the Spygate scandal. There was clear proof that the Patriots were guilty. My feeling in this case is very simple. If you are going to hand down one of the biggest sanctions in NFL history on a player and a team there should be clear proof that it actually happened. In my opinion, I have not seen that clear proof. As far as the feelings of the other 31 teams, I do think that the majority of them are glad to see Goodell hold the line and come down hard on the Patriots. That is certainly the impression I have gotten from several club executives and/or owners since the penalties were announced.

 

[DarrylS]

Do not ever trust Donaldson, never know where he is going from one day to the next.. throughout this whole mess he has taken the side of the NFL.. I have been getting the Projo as long as I can remember and most days I dismiss his point of view.

He is a tired old Journalist whose time has passed, he has been very crappy for a very long time now... from a 29 July column, one might think he knows how the Patriots operate by now..

It certainly was an interesting opening day in Foxboro, with Kraft having his say — but taking no questions, after which coach Bill “Stonewall” Belichick said he would not “be dealing with [Deflategate] at all.”“I’m just trying to get the team ready and prepare for the regular season,” he said with his usual candor and charm.

Brady did not appear at the news conference. He said what he had to say — or what his advisers told him to say — earlier Wednesday morning on his Facebook page.

Quite the start to the 2015 season for the defending NFL champions, wouldn’t you say?

 

[Rob0729]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/08/11/geno-smith-punch-new-york-jets-nfl-mailbag

Jason Coles backs up Donaldson. He said he spoke to three owners and all were all unhappy with how long this is taking and how much this costs.

In fact, Peter King contradicts himself on this because here is what he wrote on August 3rd:

3. I can tell you that smart and influential executives are fed up with this story—fed up that it has bled into the 2015 season, and fed up that the league bungled some of the very basic elements, such as the Gardi letter. I’ve asked a few high-ranking team people in the past few days an open-ended question, with the proviso I wouldn’t use names. The clear sentiment: Teams think league officials are running scared after the Ray Rice verdict backfired on the NFL. Two thought it was ridiculous how long the Wells report took to finish, one saying if the league is going to hire an outside firm to investigate a case, there has to be a deadline. “Why are we fighting this fight now?” one top team executive said. “We should be getting ready for a new season, but we’ve got our biggest star firing bombs at the league and the league firing back, a month before the season starts. It’s ridiculous. The headlines aren’t football. They’re about a scandal that’s eight months old.” (Not quite eight, but you get the picture.)

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/08/02/nfl-training-camp-bruce-dehaven-cancer-carolina-panthers

So which is it Peter? Are the owners and executives happy with Goodell or fed up. You seem to want it both ways.