The Final Word On NEM

[Ian]

This is a very frustrating decision based on facts, not on the opinions of others.

I have received many complaints from members over the years about his behavior and outbursts, threats, etc. Upon further review I have found hundreds (this is not an exaggeration) of instances of threats towards other members. I have found hundreds of instances of him overreacting to simple disagreements in which these threats were used. While I appreciate his passion, as well as all his posts here, this type of behavior has no place in this forum. I have tried repeatedly to get him to tone things down, and there's a lull for a while before something explodes.

Guys, it's very simple. I can't allow it anymore. I don't want to ban him permanently from the board, so he is now limited to the Political forum only.

This is a football forum. This is a place to come kill a few hours and hang out, and talk about our favorite team. While I don't expect everyone to get along, I can't even find one instance of any other member threatening another in all the years we've had this forum. I can't just accept it as "NEM being NEM" anymore. Unfortunately it's reached a point where enough is enough.

He's a great guy and someone I've known for a lot of years, and this is a difficult decision I've had to make. But the fact is there are plenty of other people who are here that have also been here for years and seem to understand the rules and have never given me an instance where I've even needed to get involved. He's also undergoing some personal issues that I truly believe may have been caused by the amount of time spent here. Hopefully having his time limited here may help him get his life in order as well. Had he been able to conduct himself the same way all of you do here, we wouldn't even be having this discussion.

I am not reversing this decision. Hopefully all of you will understand my reasoning even if you don't agree with it. I can't have different standards for new posters and then let others slide because of their tenure. It's not fair to everyone here, and I just can't allow it to continue anymore.

Ian

 

[PatsSox363804]

Thanks for the clarification Ian.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Its like Belichick cutting someone that we like, we dont understand it , but we respect it..

 

[SoCal Bong]

Thanks Ian. Now that the decision has been made and is final, I would suggest locking the "Is NEM banned thread" so that no further feuds get stirred up. I would consider also locking any new threads (including this one) on the topic or moving them to the political forum. Otherwise there's gonna be a lot of mudslinging going around here.

 

[Tunescribe]

Does this mean Josh McDaniels can stay?

 

[PromisedLand]

Ian, I am sure your reasoning is solid, and speaking for myself, you don't need to justify your action to ban NEM or anyone else. This is a place to discuss football, which after all is (gasp ) just a form of entertainment, and if certain individuals (not just NEM) cannot do so in a civil manner then it's fine with me if you show them the door.

Basically, what I'm saying is that I appreciate the hard, payless and mostly thankless work you put into running this site and whatever you say is fine with me. You make the rules, we abide by them, and if someone breaks them, they suffer the consequences.

 

[shmessy]

Thanks Ian. Now that the decision has been made and is final, I would suggest locking the "Is NEM banned thread" so that no further feuds get stirred up. I would consider also locking any new threads (including this one) on the topic or moving them to the political forum. Otherwise there's gonna be a lot of mudslinging going around here.

I can see your point. But for purely selfish reasons, I disagree. Keeping it to these two open threads would mean we (Mods) won't have to play "Whack-A-Mole" with the other threads that would inevitably pop up to discuss it.

 

[patsox23]

I think this being as permanent as you make it sound is sadly over the line.

 

[WestPat]

Thank you Ian, I am a new poster( long time lurker), but I always admired how this forum is run. the efforts you and the Mod are very much appreciated.

 

[Triumph]

Ian could be sued if NEM actually followed through with his threats. You just cannot turn a blind eye no matter how harmless it may seem anymore. A few years ago, NEM threatened a teenage poster on a different board and got banned for that episode too.

I've never seen Ian be unfair to anyone on his board. NEM had his chances. Likely more than we will ever know.

If I step out of line and begin threatening other posters and constantly disrupting this board then I expect to get banned too.

Is it that hard to act right??

 

[DarrylS]

Ian, your decision, albeit difficult, is respected. Imo this is the best forum for Pats stuff on the internet. Keep up the good work.

 

[Bella*chick]

I think this being as permanent as you make it sound is sadly over the line.

I don't have an opinion one way or the other on the NEM thing, but I have to say....Ian hasn't stepped over the line. Ian draws the line here.

 

[scout]

Now we must be waaaaayy under the cap!

 

[Patriots4Ever]

Though I see why you did what you did Ian.I dont necessarily think its the best decision to make.I wont make an issue of it.I wish It hadnt had to come to this point....I also think it's a good idea if this thread would be LOCKED...

 

[Patjew]

Must have been a very difficult decision, Ian. Thanks for all of your efforts to keep this a great place.

 

[PatsMyBoyz!]

**LOL I had an entire post all typed out on the subject only to find the thread was locked
No matter-that,too,was a good move imo. Anyway,my basic thought was to agree with the need to make some kind of a move based upon the fact that an ongoing,pervasive problem has existed on this forum for a long time,and at times has even taken it over. That fact is indisputable and has no relation to how anyone may feel about NEM or anyone else. It has nothing to do with free speech and I highly doubt it had anything to do with opinions about Josh McDaniels. It has to do with making an attempt to redirect the focus of your site back to it's original intent,which is football and the Patriots.
An owner has that right to maintain his forum,and like any owner,his decisions will always be of a damned if you do,damned if you don't nature.
I would have done the same thing,and I hold no personal animosity towards anybody here,including NEM. You sometimes have to do what you have to do.
Thank you to Ian who is stand-up enough to even post this thread and address it.A lot of people would not have done so.

 

[Krugman]

I respect your decision,Ian,thanks for the explanation also.

 

[edzo44]

Thanks for the explanation, Ian.
I realize it must have been a difficult decision for you to ban NEM from the football forum. I do not however have a lot of sympathy for self-inflicted wounds so I have no problem endorsing it. Thank you for the fine work you do maintaining this board, it's one of my daily enjoyments to get away from the mundane world for a while.

 

[Ian]

I appreciate the feedback. I don't want this thread to turn into an NEM bashing thread, so I am going to lock it. I didn't really want to make this a public issue, and tried to handle this privately. Unfortunately that obviously wasn't possible.

I want everyone to know that I do like him as a person and he's not banned from the site. He's limited to the political forum only, which is a place where he does spend a lot of his time here. Again, hopefully his limited time here will allow him to get his life in order, as he is dealing with some difficult personal issues right now.

Ian

 

[mgteich]

Not a chance!

After supporting Charlie against NEM for all those years, I guess I will need to be one of the leads in fight to improve our OC performance.

Does this mean Josh McDaniels can stay?