Curran interview of Merton Hanks.. league penalties/fines

[DaBruinz]

This is a good read and gives Hanks view on how things are going:

Former NFL executive Hanks hits hard on Troy Vincent and NFL's Operations Department

Great quote by Hanks, imho:

The league has set itself up as an entertainment piece as well as an athletic piece. But its rules inherently skew toward the athletic piece, even though its presentation is an entertainment piece. So when you have athletes who have a clear picture of what the NFL is and understand part of its great nature is entertainment -- as the league likes to brag on, the top-rated shows in the history of television and so forth -- every player understands part of his athletic duty is to entertain the crowd. The way the rules are written, they’re not allowed to do that. So it’s almost as if the player is put in a position where he cannot fulfill his contractual duty within the larger scheme of the National Football League.

Best line is this, though, by Curranl:

Part of being an adult is being able to use discretion and differentiate between truly unsportsmanlike conduct -- like stomping on a fallen player’s leg or taking out a receiver’s knees from behind when he isn’t even thrown the ball -- and having a little fun.

That's a clear shot at Burfict and the league's response.

Also, towards the end, the fact that Hanks refuses to endorse Vincent is pretty telling, imho

 

[NashuaPats]

Curran is awesome. He has become my favorite sports journalist over the past year or so for the way he has gone after the league. He did it again today in a story about the Josh Brown domestic violence investigation and suspension.

Curran: NFL embarrasses itself yet again in Josh Brown case

 

[DaBruinz]

Curran is awesome. He has become my favorite sports journalist over the past year or so for the way he has gone after the league. He did it again today in a story about the Josh Brown domestic violence investigation and suspension.

Curran: NFL embarrasses itself yet again in Josh Brown case

Curran has gotten better since returning to his roots.. There was a while, there, that he was just another mediot.. I'm glad he's stepped up his game.

 

[The Brandon Five]

This is a good read and gives Hanks view on how things are going:

Former NFL executive Hanks hits hard on Troy Vincent and NFL's Operations Department

Great quote by Hanks, imho:


Best line is this, though, by Curranl:


That's a clear shot at Burfict and the league's response.

Also, towards the end, the fact that Hanks refuses to endorse Vincent is pretty telling, imho

The bios on the NFL site for the Ops team are nearly a perfect 100 out of 100 on the Unintentional Comedy Scale:


Troy Vincent

...
His transformational leadership approach promotes professional development of staff, players, coaches and officials by applying a vision of clarity, consistency and credibility to all aspects of football operations. Vincent holds a broad range of responsibilities for the business of football, including game analytics, accountability, integrity of the game, development and growth, and policies and procedures relating to NFL games, including protecting players from unnecessary risk.

I'd say that's 0 for 2.

Dave Gardi

...
Gardi is the gatekeeper of policies and procedures that control competitive balance, where he utilizes a Juris Doctorate in Law from Hofstra as the watchdog over integrity of the game policies, and rules administration on game day. As a former quarterback for Brown University, Gardi is also a driving force in communicating the department’s accountability initiatives to clubs, coaches and players.

Apparently that requires lying to the accused.


Dean Blandino

...
Blandino knows the benefits of a strong work ethic. He played tight end in high school, and studied communications at Hofstra University.

Hopefully he took a nap after that ordeal!

“Whether it is answering the tough questions, reviewing the calls, or embracing new technology, Dean does whatever it is in his power to make our game better,” said Troy Vincent, Executive Vice President of Football Operations. “He has a deep and thorough knowledge of the rules and communicates them clearly and concisely to owners, coaches, players and fans.”

He must not have much in his power.

Arthur McAfee

“Arthur brings a distinguished body of work in player advocacy to our team,” said Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent. “His vast experience will further assist our department in advancing the game by serving all players — past, present and future.”