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- Mar 19, 2006
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So let's pull way back from the usual talk of thisgate and thatgate. Here in Patsland, we tend to feel that the League* railroaded the Pats on at least the most recent occasion, and very selectively targeted the Pats on the first occasion. We know what "everybody else" thinks too. Okay set that aside.
It's now Zeke Eliot (sp?) in the barrel, and in the past we've seen a handful of others. In the last CBA negotiation, the players allowed the League* office to mete out "discipline" or whatever you want to call it. Suddenly the commish has become a prosecutor.
The simple explanation is a bunch of rubbish about integrity and "the shield" and blah blah blah. But it's missing something, the need for seemingly capricious punishments enabled by a low standard of proof. Okay, you CAN do that, because of the CBA... but WILL you? If so, why???
Looking back on the money side: the players caved for the "greater good" (money for all players, capricious punishment for a few... and they had not yet seen said capricious punishments executed).
So I'm sorry if this has been done and re-done... but...
Let's say you're about to renegotiate the CBA. In the last CBA, you have exacted from the players the right to decide "discipline" without any independent arbitration and with whatever standard of proof the League* uses.
So what happens at renegotiation, if the players (writ large) perceive the League* as a just arbiter? The default position would be to say "well, you're doing okay. Let's talk money and forget the whole arbitration thing, you're doing fine."
On the other hand, if the League's* responsibilities have been horribly mishandled, and any player can be targeted at any time without much proof, players perceive arbitration as an item worth monetary concessions to get out from under.
The issue of top-down "investigations" and the top cop commissioner model, in this admittedly tin-foil-helmet world, becomes something of value. You can therefore "sell" the right to capriciously punish and replace it with neutral arbitration.
But it'll cost ya, NFL*PA.
The part that I love is that the Top Cop Commissioner is only worth concessions to rein in, if he's really horrible at it.
I dunno, I'm up late tonight. Everybody tell me I'm a moron if you want.
It's now Zeke Eliot (sp?) in the barrel, and in the past we've seen a handful of others. In the last CBA negotiation, the players allowed the League* office to mete out "discipline" or whatever you want to call it. Suddenly the commish has become a prosecutor.
The simple explanation is a bunch of rubbish about integrity and "the shield" and blah blah blah. But it's missing something, the need for seemingly capricious punishments enabled by a low standard of proof. Okay, you CAN do that, because of the CBA... but WILL you? If so, why???
Looking back on the money side: the players caved for the "greater good" (money for all players, capricious punishment for a few... and they had not yet seen said capricious punishments executed).
So I'm sorry if this has been done and re-done... but...
Let's say you're about to renegotiate the CBA. In the last CBA, you have exacted from the players the right to decide "discipline" without any independent arbitration and with whatever standard of proof the League* uses.
So what happens at renegotiation, if the players (writ large) perceive the League* as a just arbiter? The default position would be to say "well, you're doing okay. Let's talk money and forget the whole arbitration thing, you're doing fine."
On the other hand, if the League's* responsibilities have been horribly mishandled, and any player can be targeted at any time without much proof, players perceive arbitration as an item worth monetary concessions to get out from under.
The issue of top-down "investigations" and the top cop commissioner model, in this admittedly tin-foil-helmet world, becomes something of value. You can therefore "sell" the right to capriciously punish and replace it with neutral arbitration.
But it'll cost ya, NFL*PA.
The part that I love is that the Top Cop Commissioner is only worth concessions to rein in, if he's really horrible at it.
I dunno, I'm up late tonight. Everybody tell me I'm a moron if you want.