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- Apr 3, 2006
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1.) Goodell's not in charge of the NFL. He's the league commissioner, nothing more.
2.) The "damaged image" crap is just that. It's crap.
3.) I disagree that a company should have a right to do as you suggest. That's part of collective bargaining, and the players should refuse to accept it.
4.) How the hell are you equating this to coddled athletes? It has nothing to do with it.
5.) I really don't give a rat's ass if the owners support it. People support a lot of stupid things. Hell, once every four years, the entire nation demonstrates its collective stupidity in the presidential elections.
Roethlisberger will not appeal this suspension because you know what will happen if he does? The league will be forced to open its own investigation, and it's no holds barred. The Steelers support the suspension and are looking to get rid of this jackass. Based on the NUMEROUS reports from all over the country that scream of this guy's transgressions, BR and the Steelers know that the best thing to do is take the light punishment and move on.
Just because a high-powered attorney can strong arm a small-town sheriff's office, video surveillance from that night was miraculously destroyed, and a janitor removed all physical evidence from the bathroom, in other words, an investigation was botched and justice was pissed on, does not mean the NFL needs to also sweep it under the rug. Anyone who is outraged about a suspension despite no criminal charges clearly does not understand that conduct has nothing to do with the legal system. The legal system is game with rules, politics, power, and money. As the district attorney pointed out several times, the fact that he is not pursuing a conviction has nothing to do with Roethlisberger's likely guilt or innocence, but has much to do with what can be proven in a court of law beyond reasonable doubt with a unanimous jury.
Plenty of NFL players have been "charged" with a crime and received suspensions for that, before any conviction. Logically, if you want to argue that a player needs to be charged with a crime in order to get suspended, it follows that a conviction should also be required. What this comes down to, as evidenced in previous cases where players are charged with a crime (and still innocent under the law), is that the NFL will make its own judgments on the merits of its each case, independent of the courts. The Roethlisberger case certainly brings in a new precedent, but it really isn't very shocking considering players are regularly suspended regardless of trial outcomes.
I think that a lot of players, in a similar situation, would definitely appeal this and maybe even threaten to sue, but Roethlisberger will not because he knows where this road is going to lead. It is going to lead the league needing to justify its decision and precedent, and it's going to lead to a lot of stinking, disgusting information that festers around regarding #7. We know this guy has plenty of money and lawyers, and that the Steelers have plenty of money and lawyers. The fact that they are accepting the punishment speaks volumes.
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