The League of Dishonorable Gentlemen

[Buchanty]

My late father impressed upon me the importance of honor. "It is", he said, "the only possession that you carry to your grave". Sadly its importance appears to have declined in subsequent generations, to the state today where honor is not even an afterthought by many of the affluent and influential.

The last 8 months have highlighted just how far the value of honor has fallen, and in particular within the offices of the National Football League and an avaricious coterie of its franchise owners.

The Constitution and By-Laws of the NFL require the Commissioner to be a person of unquestioned integrity. Furthermore the NFL Code of Conduct states:

"... as an employee of the NFL or a member club, you are held to a higher standard and expected to conduct yourself in a way that is responsible, promotes the values upon which the League is based, and is lawful. Persons who fail to live up to this standard of conduct are guilty of conduct detrimental and subject to discipline, even where the conduct itself does not result in conviction of a crime.

The phrase "unquestioned integrity" is, I assume, a catch-all for honesty, fairness, openness, toleration and sincerity. These attributes would also be included in the higher standard of conduct suggested above. And yet these injunctions appear to be continuously ignored by all those who have conducted and supported the bizarre Deflategate prosecution.

The Academies of US Military and the US Air Force embrace a Cadet Honor Code that simply states:

"A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do."
​

And it is based on three simple rules of thumb:

1. Does this action attempt to deceive anyone or allow anyone to be deceived?
2. Does this action gain or allow the gain of privilege or advantage to which I or someone else would not otherwise be entitled?
3. Would I be dissatisfied by the outcome if I were on the receiving end of this action?

It is obvious from the disclosures, statements and filings during Deflategate (and for that matter, Bountygate) that the following persons have violated that code of conduct. Goodell, Vincent, Pash, Gardi, Kensil and Blandino to name the most obvious. But (AND ITS A BIG BUT) it also includes those owners (see rules of thumb 2 and 3) who remain steadfast supporters of the continued persecution of the NFLPA and those it represents.

Unfortunately those responsible for administering discipline for such conduct are the very ones guilty of that failure. It is incumbent upon the owners (even the guilty ones) to rectify the obvious conflict of interest and either remove or place in abeyance those officers charged with disciplinary responsibility, until due and fair punishment has been administered.

Until this correction has been completed - the NFL remains a League of Dishonorable Gentlemen.

 

[dales804]

Damn, dude. Good post.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Excellent post...thanks for putting your thoughts into this. It is a sad, sad day for society that these are the leaders of America's largest source of entertainment.

 

[dales804]

Excellent post...thanks for putting your thoughts into this. It is a sad, sad day for society that these are the leaders of America's largest source of entertainment.

Serious question that I don't feel like Googling...what made more money last year, the NFL or the porn industry?

 

[Tony2046]

Integrity:, Honor, Dignity.

 

[dales804]

Integrity:, Honor, Dignity.

View attachment 10077

Indeed.

 

[Concussion Protocol]

Serious question that I don't feel like Googling...what made more money last year, the NFL or the porn industry?

The porn industry

But surprisingly, the NFL has more ****s

 

[fourhour]

Great thoughts. You seriously need to share your post with someone who can broadcast it nationally!

 

[Patriot Missile]

Integrity:, Honor, Dignity.

View attachment 10077

Drugs, alcohol, hookers.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Roger would have to spend a little time with the dictionary if he read this post.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Excellent post. Spot on.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

The porn industry

But surprisingly, the NFL has more ****s

Joke of the year?

 

[Buchanty]

Great thoughts. You seriously need to share your post with someone who can broadcast it nationally!

Thanks. I wish I knew how to do that. Nevertheless the post was intended to be non-Patriots specific, although much of the failures resulted from Deflategate. I have edited the piece to include Bountygate, as the same lack of honor is exhibited there. And if Pherein wishes to copy, modify and paste to the Saints site, I would be more than happy. IF there are any other fans wishing to replicate to their sites please feel free to do the same.

The same applies to any journalist perusing the site. Please feel free to adapt and modify for more general consumption (no reference or acknowledgement is required, as I am a strong advocate of open participation).

I was thinking of posting it on Reddit, but it would be smothered by upvotes of more appetizing fare.

 

[pherein]

Thanks. I wish I knew how to do that. Nevertheless the post was intended to be non-Patriots specific, although much of the failures resulted from Deflategate. I have edited the piece to include Bountygate, as the same lack of honor is exhibited there. And if Pherein wishes to copy, modify and paste to the Saints site, I would be more than happy. IF there are any other fans wishing to replicate to their sites please feel free to do the same.

The same applies to any journalist perusing the site. Please feel free to adapt and modify for more general consumption (no reference or acknowledgement is required, as I am a strong advocate of open participation).

I was thinking of posting it on Reddit, but it would be smothered by upvotes of more appetizing fare.

Yes I would if thats ok, really well thought out. I wouldnt change anything. Just say its from our Pats Fan brothers.

 

[Buchanty]

Yes I would if thats ok, really well thought out. I wouldnt change anything. Just say its from our Pats Fan brothers.

That's more than OK. This is a blemish on the league and should be germane to each and every owner, every team and every fan. This is a non-partisan issue, and makes the US criticism of FIFA, look hypocritical and condescending (we are above laws and codes of honor).

It is far better aired by non-Patriot supporters, as the very mention of this coming from New England would immediately deter many NFL fans from giving it as much as a second's notice.

As goes the common Edmund Burke quote, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing". Witnessing the actions and not saying anything, infers acceptance of the misbehavior, and is dishonorable in its own right.

Fire away and hopefully others can carry the torch

 

[Brewskies]

Thanks for your thoughts and the time to share with us. Excellant

 

[pherein]

Ok I posted it
http://blackandgold.com/saints/73685-pats-starting-see-truth.html

I think fans here need to remeber that we were berated, attacked in every forum, and pretty much alone for years ,hopefully till now.
I see this as a good chance for you to educate our fans about your frustrations, the truth, and what your going threw.
The chat will not always be perfect, but we are good fans and respect the Pats. Just be mindful that its a wound we want to forget. But educate us ok, go slow, and help us to get we all need to work together as fans of football. Theres going to be some NO fans that are still so angry about no one helping us, have patience. Your great fans you can do that.

The olive leaf is put down, what you do with it is up to you. But it takes Pats fans participation and posting your thoughts to make this work, think about that. and no they wont post 1st, we want to forget. Its up to you. Ive done the best I can to connect 2 very good fanbases, and took a big risk by posting it.

 

[Buchanty]

I greatly appreciate your attempt to connect the two very good fanbases, and earnestly hope that your attempt is accepted and honored in both fandoms. From what I have read in the Blackandgold forums there is a good chance that the olive branch will work in both directions. I also recognize that there are always elements with the fanbase who are more extreme, and like to engage in aggressive badinage. As in Patfans the scroll wheel becomes very useful. While I acknowledge their freedom to pen their thoughts, I exercise mine to quickly find text with more relevance and information.

I also suspect that we may have started on the first steps of a very long road, one with an indistinct destination: but I believe it will be a destination that is a vast improvement on the current manifestation of the NFL, and the present incumbents of the league office and their obfuscating procedures. Love of the game is paramount, on that we, as fans, should all agree.

 

[pherein]

thanks Buckanty
If im the only one to explaining things to our fans you guys are really in trouble, lol Im not that smart. We have mostly good fans they will listen. But more important that we start to stick together, and maybe, just maybe others will listen to, and we can do something about it that the NFL wont do. Like all fans working together to boo goodell when ever he shows up. Everything starts small.
Like the American Revolution. you would write the constitution because Im to dumb to lol

 

[Halifax_Pats_Fan]

I enjoyed reading this post...