NFL threatens to suspend 4 players from Al Jazeera report indefinitely if they don't interview

[Huckleberry1]

Hopefully, but there are still so many delusional fans with blinders on.

A Steelers fan commenting on PFT said, paraphrasing, that the Steelers would accept any suspension to Harrison, and that should be an example of how the Pats should have handled things rather than drag it out in the courts for months.

That is so easy to say when the player in question is a bottom of the roster guy at the end of his career.

I wonder if he'd sing the same tune if they lost a 1st round pick and Big Ben or Antonio Brown for four games over a non-existent offense.

Actually I don't wonder, I think we all know his response would be different.

What is always conveniently lost in all of this is that Brady never took anyone to court, the NFL filed in Manhattan in hopes of getting Goodells verdict rubber stamped but lost, then the league took it to the 2nd court of appeals. The media are so ignorant that they continue to claim Brady was the instigator when in truth he wasn't And as far as Harrison goes the team doesn't get to accept the penalty that is his decision.

 

[Huckleberry1]

I have been saying this for a long time, the owners want to trade an independent arbitrator for an 18 game season. They are complete scumbags. They don't give one sh.t about player health and are willing to destroy players to make a few more bucks.

 

[Froob]

The bolded section is exactly why. That's the reason why Spygate became a huge thing. People like Ron Borges kept wanting to dig into Belichick and drive him out of town, but couldn't because he kept winning. The old-school media hates him. And they're the ones who create the negative attention Belichick "brings upon himself". Remember before Spygate, after the 2006 season AFCCG they lost to the Colts, how Belichick was "disrespectful and unprofessional" in his post-game press conference? Again, this is before anyone ever thought of the Patriots as cheaters.

I think a lot of the younger guys now - people who just got into business by the time BB came here - understand Belichick's positions more and don't have the same agendas. The demise of the local newspaper in favor of the broad-based internet also plays a part here. But the old guard - Borges, CHB, etc. - expected the coaches to understand that THEY wield the power in this town, and the coach had to play nice with them if they wanted to stick around. Belichick never did that, in part because he *did* do it in Cleveland and got backstabbed anyway.

And then the fake story that Belichick snubbed Dungy after that game when he went out and hugged him clear as daylight.

 

[archstanton543]

The problem is the players have an adversarial relationship with one another. The NBA does not have this problem. They are competitive, but don't buy into the theories of the old school guard (fans and players) that they need to hate each other because the players know that united they can get more of the pie and it worked. Soft salary cap and guaranteed contracts. This is what the NFLPA cannot help the players see. They are too busy hating on other players and in turn do not support each other when they see an abuse of power taking place. The NFL knows this and is using it against them.

I think that's part of it. I think the other, bigger part is that the average time someone is in the NFLPA is pretty short as NFL careers tend to be pretty short. If you only play in the league two or three years then you're not going to support your union all that much. Plus most of these guys are in their early to mid-20's and who's thinking about unions and stuff like that at that age? Yeah I know they all went to college but most NFL players aren't Rhodes Scholars either.

 

[pdangle]

I know I don't have to reiterate how much I loathe and abhor this cretin's very existence. This much has been obvious to every person who has ever spent even an hour reading this board over the years. I really hate this about myself, that the only living human being on this planet that can elicit this response from me in my entire lifetime is THIS shytbird.
But you know, it pains me to no end that this cretin is stealing oxygen from all of us, no matter how infinitesimal this theft may be. Our children, our brothers and sisters and moms and dads and uncles and aunts and cousins...our families are being ROBBED of the oxygen this mutt breathes every day to remain extant. This really, really aggravates me.

It's even worse than that... We all got particles of that shytbird up our nose!

Maddenation: Caesar's Last Breath

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

I have been saying this for a long time, the owners want to trade an independent arbitrator for an 18 game season. They are complete scumbags. They don't give one sh.t about player health and are willing to destroy players to make a few more bucks.

The players need to start taking a page out of the league's book and start blatantly abusing loopholes. Just start taking advantage of the concussion protocols until the game is nothing but 4th stringers. They'd be idiots to give up anything for neutral arbitration.

 

[Dorito Dink]

S*xburgh

Can't wait to call them all cheaters when I head up there October 23

 

[The Boston Patriot]

Well, Goodell is slowing making his way through the other teams in the league, screwing them over.. First it was the Pats. Then the Saints. Recently it was the Chiefs.. Now it's the Steelers and Packers..

All the "goodwill" that some reporters have claimed that Goodell has is slowly eroding in my honest opinion.

And, I am convinced now, more than ever, that Goodell had it out for Brady because of the lawsuit stemming from the contract dispute. I wouldn't be surprised if Manning told Goodell that he only signed on because of Brady and that is why Goodell swept the Manning PEDs accusation away despite there being MORE evidence of wrong doing there than in the Brady situation. And yes. I still believe that Goodell told the officials to make sure that the Broncos won so Peyton could ride off into the sunset ala Ray Lewis..

never underestimate the greed and egos of the billionaires that will paralyze them when considering change.

 

[ChessToCheckers]

As I see it, unless SCOTUS agrees to hear and then overturns the Brady Reversal, the NFLPA can never win in the courts against the NFL* at any time, for ANY case, until they negotiate a new CBA.

NOTHING stops Goodell from suspending any player for any reason for any length of time. This is only 2016. We have several more years of this to look forward to.

If the Patriots get deep into the playoffs again this year, "The 31" may just decide to take Brady off the field again, this time BEFORE the Super Bowl, and Goodell would happily do it. We have learned that any allegation, no matter how absurd, is all that is required. No one will stop them because the 31 other fan bases will love it and the money train will keep rolling.

I certainly hope I'm wrong,

The NFL* is completely out of control at this point, and I don't see how it can be stopped.

 

[Huckleberry1]

The players need to start taking a page out of the league's book and start blatantly abusing loopholes. Just start taking advantage of the concussion protocols until the game is nothing but 4th stringers. They'd be idiots to give up anything for neutral arbitration.

Unfortunately they can't because sh!tbird has absolute power.

 

[NJPatsfan26]

As I see it, unless SCOTUS agrees to hear and then overturns the Brady Reversal, the NFLPA can never win in the courts against the NFL* at any time, for ANY case, until they negotiate a new CBA.

NOTHING stops Goodell from suspending any player for any reason for any length of time. This is only 2016. We have several more years of this to look forward to.

If the Patriots get deep into the playoffs again this year, "The 31" may just decide to take Brady off the field again, this time BEFORE the Super Bowl, and Goodell would happily do it. We have learned that any allegation, no matter how absurd, is all that is required. No one will stop them because the 31 other fan bases will love it and the money train will keep rolling.

I certainly hope I'm wrong,

The NFL* is completely out of control at this point, and I don't see how it can be stopped.

the NFLPA and the owners coming together and realizing the monster they have created with GODell

it will never happen as the owners want more money and the NFLPA has absolutely no power

 

[sb1]

This argument that Brady and the rest of the union "agreed to it because they signed the CBA" is so disingenuous.

They did not agree to it being used by this commissioner to violate the spirit of the CBA.

 

[Danger Zone]

This argument that Brady and the rest of the union "agreed to it because they signed the CBA" is so disingenuous.

They did not agree to it being used by this commissioner to violate the spirit of the CBA.

A CBA does not [should not] rule out the basic intrinsic expectations of fairness from the arbitrator.

 

[NJPatsfan26]

/nm/mn

A CBA does not [should not] rule out the basic intrinsic expectations of fairness from the arbitrator.

hey hey now......fairness.........expectations

not from this GODell

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

Unfortunately they can't because sh!tbird has absolute power.

Suspend players for having concussions because integrity? It would be hilarious to watch unfold.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

In a shocking twist, the players involved have caved (except Mike Neal, who is still a free agent). Way to continue to show you're the worst union in all of sports, guys!

Players accused in Al-Jazeera America report will talk to NFL

 

[SalemPats]

These guys suck, i have no respect for James Harrison anymore after he talked a big game.

 

[RobertWeathers]

In a shocking twist, the players involved have caved (except Mike Neal, who is still a free agent). Way to continue to show you're the worst union in all of sports, guys!

Players accused in Al-Jazeera America report will talk to NFL

The evidence must be compelling, if not overwhelming.

 

[Ross12]

It's more probable than not that these players' teammates were at least generally aware of them taking PEDs - 4 game suspensions for all players on all involved teams.

 

[SVN]

the nfl may actually use these 4 to show they are 'fair' . Say they cooperated and they had nothing so we did nothing and insinuate brady/pats didnt do cooperate. Thats what i am more afraid of that it will come back to how uncooperative brady was.