The NFL and its commissioner are heartless!!!!!

[signbabybrady]

What's the difference if he had a minor injury that kept him out 1 game. I don't think the league is being heartless. The bucs should give him the time off and deal with the situation.

I would be suprised if the Bucs dont but that will leave them short a kicker and unfortuantely that might mean they cut someone else to get a one game kicker.


and to those concerned about the Precident that Goodell would be setting. I don't see that as a problem he wouldn't have to evaluate every situation but instead he would just have to grant the exception everytime someone loses their Child. I have no problem setting a precident like that. As others pointed out he could just make it the immediate family.

 

[Sicilian]

I would be suprised if the Bucs dont but that will leave them short a kicker and unfortuantely that might mean they cut someone else to get a one game kicker.


and to those concerned about the Precident that Goodell would be setting. I don't see that as a problem he wouldn't have to evaluate every situation but instead he would just have to grant the exception everytime someone loses their Child. I have no problem setting a precident like that. As others pointed out he could just make it the immediate family.

The oddest thing is that the NFL doesn't have a previously established bereavement policy for things like this. Even small companies have bereavement leave policies, and while this is a little different obviously, you'd think it would be one of those final tweaks in any CBA.

 

[signbabybrady]

The oddest thing is that the NFL doesn't have a previously established bereavement policy for things like this. Even small companies have bereavement leave policies, and while this is a little different obviously, you'd think it would be one of those final tweaks in any CBA.

Your right it is pretty heartless of them not to have a policy in place and to make these guys suffer, wonder what to do, and/or deal with finding out how they should handle when the ordeal is going on.

 

[Sicilian]

Your right it is pretty heartless of them not to have a policy in place and to make these guys suffer, wonder what to do, and/or deal with finding out how they should handle when the ordeal is going on.

And the blame for that can't rest on the NFL alone. The PA has to take some responsibility for not including this in negotiations. To be fair, it's not like this exact situation happens all the time (thankfully). It may be that this is the occurence that sparks a clause in the new CBA.

 

[signbabybrady]

And the blame for that can't rest on the NFL alone. The PA has to take some responsibility for not including this in negotiations. To be fair, it's not like this exact situation happens all the time (thankfully). It may be that this is the occurence that sparks a clause in the new CBA.

You are right that the PA shares the blame as well. I think when people are critical of the NFL on this they just mean the NFL as whole and not the owners side vs the players side.

 

[TruthSeeker]

The NFL shouldn't be giving roster exemptions because a player is going to miss a game. If the team wants to deal with it by signing another player (and cutting a seldom used player for a week), they can. After all, there are 7 players each week that don't even need to bother suiting up since they're not eligible to play.

It has nothing to do with being heartless; it has everything to do with follow procedures that are fair to all teams.

The other issue of whether to give the player the time-off is a matter for the Vikings to decide. Complain about that if you want, but the NFL is doing exactly the right thing.

 

[Lifer]

I blame the team.

The league is making it difficult but ultimately the team or Gruden, if they had a heart, would say, get out of here and come back next week, we'll deal with it as a team.

and his teammates should say, go, we got your back.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

The oddest thing is that the NFL doesn't have a previously established bereavement policy for things like this. Even small companies have bereavement leave policies, and while this is a little different obviously, you'd think it would be one of those final tweaks in any CBA.

Yah, but then someone creative and obsessed with geting an edge, let's use the initials BB for anonymity, might have a player's say mother-in-law whacked just to get the exemption.

 

[Batman]

The buc should give him the time off i am sure someone else on the team can kick i bet someone did back in high school just like Welker or their punter i bet he has a decent leg to kick with.

It is the teams job to be within the roster allowance they NFL sets that for all teams the bucs should stick him on pup list for a few weeks i doubt 1 week is enough to get over the death of his son.

 

[DaBruinz]

Well, there are millions and millions of people making so little money they have to work regardless of what happens. If they didn't work for a week after the death of a family member, they couldn't make the rent of feed their families. For real feed their families, not the NFL bullcrap.

I feel badly for Bryant's personal situation, but it is working for one afternoon five or six days after a death in the family. It is not unreasonable.

Show some empathy for the working poor in this country and throughout the world, and do your job.

I pray that you never have to experience the loss a child because you can never ever phathom what it feels like. No amount of money can change the turmoil that you go through when you lose a child. NONE. And for you to have such a callous reaction is a scumbag move on your part. Sorry, it is. And any company out there that takes that attitude doesn't deserve to be in business.

 

[DaBruinz]

I have to grudgingly agree. It's a horrible tragedy, but without a standard bereavement policy in place, granting an extra roster spot in this situation would put the league in an untenable position. From that point forward the commissioner's office would be expected to subjectively gauge the relative "importance" of every individual death or personal tragedy. This has to be addressed as a standard policy.

As long as they don't go over the salary cap, what should it matter? There is no "untenable position." Nor would the commissioner's office be expected to "subjectively gauge the relative 'importance' of every individual death or personal tragedy. That is just manure on your part.

Goodell could make a huge coup here and gain a lot of support going into the next CBA if he was to give a 1 week bereavement exemption to the roster of a team as long as they don't go over the salary cap.

The player gets what he wants/needs, the team gets what they need. Win/Win.

 

[DaBruinz]

The oddest thing is that the NFL doesn't have a previously established bereavement policy for things like this. Even small companies have bereavement leave policies, and while this is a little different obviously, you'd think it would be one of those final tweaks in any CBA.

Just another thing that the NFLPA can thank the late Gene Upshaw for.

Sorry, but Upshaw is the NFL's version of Alan Eagleson. Except he did it in broad daylight and the fans cheered him on.

 

[patchick]

The buc should give him the time off i am sure someone else on the team can kick

I blame the team.

The league is making it difficult but ultimately the team or Gruden, if they had a heart, would say, get out of here and come back next week, we'll deal with it as a team.

Just to stop the game of telephone that seems to be developing here: the team IS giving him the time off. This question isn't whether the player will be forced to play or face discipline or lose a paycheck. He won't, that's been clear from the beginning. The question is whether the team will be given a roster exemption from the league to sign an extra player in his absence. And that question only comes up because the player in question happens to be a kicker.

As long as they don't go over the salary cap, what should it matter? There is no "untenable position." Nor would the commissioner's office be expected to "subjectively gauge the relative 'importance' of every individual death or personal tragedy. That is just manure on your part.

Goodell could make a huge coup here and gain a lot of support going into the next CBA if he was to give a 1 week bereavement exemption to the roster of a team as long as they don't go over the salary cap.

Look, we all agree that the lack of a bereavement policy in the NFL is ridiculous. But I disagree with the idea that in this league of 32 teams with a collectively negotiated labor agreement, the commissioner can just swoop in and unilaterally define new terms of ongoing employment in order to "make a huge coup." I can't imagine he even has that authority, and even if he does there are plenty of details to work out to get it right. (Who's covered? What if an immediate family member is in the hospital barely hanging on to life? Etc.)

 

[Dragda]

Well, there are millions and millions of people making so little money they have to work regardless of what happens. If they didn't work for a week after the death of a family member, they couldn't make the rent of feed their families. For real feed their families, not the NFL bullcrap.

I feel badly for Bryant's personal situation, but it is working for one afternoon five or six days after a death in the family. It is not unreasonable.

Show some empathy for the working poor in this country and throughout the world, and do your job.

I had a menial job working through college when my daughter died. The cheap skate boss, all the other working poor coworkers, and even my college pitched in to make sure all my financial needs were met (and that I passed all my classes). At a time like that, people should do everything they can to support someone. The NFL included. I don't know what world you live in, but nobody expects you to buck up and be a productive member of society in those absolutely worst of circumstances.

To be fair to the NFL, they are only disallowing a roster exemption to the team. They aren't really forcing the player to work.

 

[PATRIOT64]

I pray that you never have to experience the loss a child because you can never ever phathom what it feels like. No amount of money can change the turmoil that you go through when you lose a child. NONE. And for you to have such a callous reaction is a scumbag move on your part. Sorry, it is. And any company out there that takes that attitude doesn't deserve to be in business.

Well said


I think if the NFL is to change the policy (and they should) and not particularly the rules in general ,would'nt it be a decent idea to ask the opposing teams FO to consider whether they would allow an exemption from their opponent in this kind of situation?

After all it does affect the opposing team somewhat and I could not see an opposing team decline the request since it WOULD be heartless to deny it.

 

[pao]

Well, there are millions and millions of people making so little money they have to work regardless of what happens. If they didn't work for a week after the death of a family member, they couldn't make the rent of feed their families. For real feed their families, not the NFL bullcrap.

I feel badly for Bryant's personal situation, but it is working for one afternoon five or six days after a death in the family. It is not unreasonable.

Show some empathy for the working poor in this country and throughout the world, and do your job.

One circumstance does not make the other right. Both are wrong. The difference is the NFL has a choice, the people that have to work nonstop to feed their families don't. I'm with most here, the NFL needs let this guy have some time...with pay. They can afford it.

 

[jmt57]

This may be a situation where Goodell does not have the authority to make the roster exception; it would be like changing the rules in mid-season. For example, remember last year after the video taping - Goodell stated NFL by-laws prevented him for taking the earlier first round pick away from the Pats, because it was obtained in a trade. This could be a similar situation where it is up to the NFL competition committee to put a rule in place. If anything, the NFLPA is at fault for not including a bereavement policy as part of the CBA.

In addition, Tampa Bay could have gone out and brought in a couple of kickers for tryouts and signed one of them as soon as this happened. Cut the 53rd player on the team, make Bryant inactive, and re-sign the player who had been cut when Bryant is ready to return. By not signing another kicker they are placing undue pressure on Bryant to play Sunday, even though they are saying that he can take as much time off as he needs.

If anybody is the "bad guy" in this situation, it's the Tampa Bay front office.

 

[Jackson 2]

I pray that you never have to experience the loss a child because you can never ever phathom what it feels like. No amount of money can change the turmoil that you go through when you lose a child. NONE. And for you to have such a callous reaction is a scumbag move on your part. Sorry, it is. And any company out there that takes that attitude doesn't deserve to be in business.

Nothing more needs to be said. Kudos to you.