Schefter: Michael Floyd "expected to face a multigame suspension from the NFL" in the 2017 season

[Big Bucks]

I must admit, I'd like the NFL to change tack on how it deals with substance abuse. When these things happen I'd prefer them put an arm around the player and talk about the issues causing the alcoholism instead of banning and all in sense leaving people to fend for themselves (Josh Gordon).
It breaks my heart when I see individuals lives collapse around them due to substance abuse. We had a great football (soccer) player in the late 80's early 90's called Paul Gascoigne playing for Tottenham Hotspur and since retiring his life has been one cluster**** because of alcoholism and I think now what could of, should have been done whilst he was playing the sport to entertain us.
I'm no liberal leftie nutter, I'd like the death penalty here in England, but when help can be given I don't think it is given in the right way, punishing some sportsman IMO only exasperates the situation for me.

Clearly, Floyd has a problem, but is banning him the answer Roger!.

 

[long distance]

Why is this even newsworthy. The NFL has consistently suspended players who have gotten DUI's But in typical NFL fashion the punishment has been rather INCONSISTENT ranging from 1-4 games. So IF Floyd is deemed by the court to have been DUI, then he WILL be suspended. I don't think anyone in that 35 page thread on this subject would be surprised by this.

I don't know why this suddenly became news just because Adam Schechter tweeted the obvious. What's next, a tweet informing us there are games to be played on Sunday. Stop the presses

Relax, Ken. The article states two new things in the discussion that might have an impact in either decisions re. him or his availability or both.
1. Michael Floyd's discipline after DUI arrest to depend on BAC test
2. Arizona has some of the country's strictest DUI laws, and there are some who think Floyd could serve jail time if his results are high.

The fact is this is not a clear cut situation (personal things, rehab etc. also possibility) and will affect his (and possibly Pats) offseason. Lets first see if he can be useful this season (playoffs).

 

[Huckleberry1]

Opening up a new thread, because if Michael Floyd agrees to a 1 or 2-year contract with New England (assuming he even gets offered one), he will likely not be able to play for even a whole entire season. According to Schefter, the league is awaiting the results of his blood test, and will likely determine a suspension based on the severity of his intoxication.



Between his DUI incident and declining production on the field, this all but diminishes Floyd's chances of receiving any kind of large contract in free agency, especially while this suspension looms over him.

On the flip side, if he remains in New England, he could end up being a nice, 1st round talent on a bargain contract.

I hope Floyd is able to revive his career here...I truly do....but do the Patriots really want to go through another controversy-filled offseason, where a key player on our roster ends up serving a suspension to start the season?

He's a fourth or fifth WR, how does that make him a "key player on the roster?" A suspension was a given, this just makes it easier to sign him to a short term deal if he pans out.

 

[Froob]

Floyd should get ahead of them and have Exponent do a test to determine if there's a link between drinking and raising BAC.

 

[PittPatriot]

I don't see why his level of drunkenness should affect the punishment. He was drunk and behind the wheel, that's all he should be punished on. Seems more like a "level of punishment will be determined by who he plays for", or a "you're not getting a compensatory pick" kind of tactic.

Did you expect something more objective and less sensationalized from the NFL?

 

[Huckleberry1]

This just in from John Clayton: When the New England Patriots signed Micheal Floyd NFL security retested his blood alcohol level 12 times and 11 out of 12 of those tests came back between 11.00 and 11.6, a full 7.7 + points higher than the blood alcohol level of .40 that would kill any normal human being. Having known Charlie Weiss and being Irish, like Brian Kelly, Tom Brady was generally aware that Micheal Floyd might drink and as a repeat offender for possible general knowledge Brady will be suspended for the entire 2017 season, and all wins that put him ahead of Peyton Manning will be stricken from the books, and any future wins disallowed.

So there you have it folks, thanks to Micheal Floyd Peyton Manning will permanently be the all times win leader. In a statement regarding this episode Commissioner Roger Goodell said: "The rules apply to every player. The rules apply to every team . We apply the rules equally to every player and every team. That's what we do, we apply the rule equally to every player and every team. Perhaps mister Brady will think about having different parents and heritage the next time around. That's all for today folks, I'm going to be late for my pedicure."

 

[long distance]

The way to clearly address the issue, avoid speculative actions and avoid “awarding“ the guilty party would be that any player arrested for DUI is suspended immediately (including no transactions possible and w salary suspended as well). In this case the full responsibility has to be on the players. There are more and more rich spoiled boys in the business and the problem will be growing. Its not about the league office, its about teams losing their investment and hold of the team (even BB addressed the issue of how difficult it is getting finding talented players that will buy in etc.)

Now it is very possible that Floyd gets the same ring as Blount or Brady. It is completely irrelevant how I feel about it of course (except for me), but I doubt its a good thing for the sport going forward ..

 

[RobertWeathers]

So the amount of booze in your body determines the severity/length of suspension? Even if no one got hurt?

That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.

You drink. You drive. Penalty . That's it.

Or better yet, base your punishment on what the courts decide.

Why add the layer of complexity? Does the league believe it deters players from getting completely sloshed?

This league needs to get over itself.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

Uh Sheldon Richardson only got 1 game. I guess we already know why....

It's the degree of the offense, remember??? If he was going 170 mph with 2 kids and 2 guns in his car, that would have pushed him over the threshold to earn 2 games!

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

Not if he signs with the Giants.........

 

[Brewskies]

I don't see why his level of drunkenness should affect the punishment. He was drunk and behind the wheel, that's all he should be punished on. Seems more like a "level of punishment will be determined by who he plays for", or a "you're not getting a compensatory pick" kind of tactic.

I agree with you. It's like being only a little bit pregnant.

 

[nabwong]

If he gets a longer suspension than Sheldon Richardson did, that will be laugh-out-loud ridiculous. Basically if we needed confirmation that any vague affiliation with the Pats = triple punishment, punishing Floyd more harshly than Richardson would totally do it.

Came to post this. Richardson led police on 143mph chase, resisted arrest, loaded semi auto gun and 12 year old in the back seat. But plays for jets.

 

[ChessToCheckers]

The NFL* is corrupt. It really wouldn't surprise me if he were to be suspended during the upcoming Patriots playoff run.

We need a Hitler video that talks about how he cleared waivers.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

Between his DUI incident and declining production on the field, this all but diminishes Floyd's chances of receiving any kind of large contract in free agency, especially while this suspension looms over him.

I tend to agree, although you never know in this crazy league. Greg Hardy got a one-year, $11M deal despite his suspension. Aldon Smith got cut from the 49ers after being suspended and dealing with a wheelbarrow of issues. The Raiders signed him to a pretty big one-year deal for $8M, only to see him get suspended for a year. His contract didn't toll, so the Raiders re-signed him to a 2-year, $11.5M (no guaranteed money at least) and he still hasn't come back.

I agree that a large, multi-year agreement is out, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a lucrative one-year deal from somebody with a ton of cap room and a need.

 

[raduray]

The way to clearly address the issue, avoid speculative actions and avoid “awarding“ the guilty party would be that any player arrested for DUI is suspended immediately (including no transactions possible and w salary suspended as well). In this case the full responsibility has to be on the players. There are more and more rich spoiled boys in the business and the problem will be growing. Its not about the league office, its about teams losing their investment and hold of the team (even BB addressed the issue of how difficult it is getting finding talented players that will buy in etc.)

Now it is very possible that Floyd gets the same ring as Blount or Brady. It is completely irrelevant how I feel about it of course (except for me), but I doubt its a good thing for the sport going forward ..

The way to address this issue is to let the law handle this. The NFL has no business dealing with any issues that don't affect competitiveness.

 

[BTTA]

The way to address this issue is to let the law handle this. The NFL has no business dealing with any issues that don't affect competitiveness.

Yes. This is the only relevant point. All of the rest of the conversation is just arguing details inside a debate that shouldn't even exist.

It puts the League and the players into a parent-child relationship that is bad for everyone involved in multiple ways. Psychologically, it even encourages players to act out. Couldn't be any more stupid.

 

[RobertWeathers]

The purpose of the NFL's PCP is that it's intent is to show sponsors, fans and business partners that it holds its players accountable for poor behavior.
They do this for optics, integrity of the game, and to have better control over the players and the revenue streams.

The reality is that ratings are down, sponsors are pulling out of SB because the games are not as interesting and concerns over the game's integrity, quality and Goody's behavior.

Ironic.

 

[jah]

BAC will be a factor considered in court and in sentencing for DUI, so why should the NFL ignore it?

From the bolded comment I infer you think the BAC will result in a harsh penalty by the league, but as the linked story reports the BAC number is not yet available. It's possible his BAC will be very high, but it could also be lower than expected considering he was tired (played in Miami and flew home before driving home) and it was very late. Let's wait and see.

To me it just sounds like they're reserving the right to suspend him as long or short as they like.

 

[primetime]

Yeah, "passed out at the wheel" could mean he was very drunk, or he could have been exhausted after playing a game and flying home across the country across three time zones.

Then again, employers shouldn't be able to withhold pay for this kind of thing either.

In any case, at worst, this means the Patriots can sign him cheap and they'll get a free roster spot for a few games for a second tier target. Even if he thrives in New England, he'll still be in that crowded second tier of options along with Mitchell, Hogan, Amendola, Lewis, White, and Bennett.

(The first tier is Edelman and Gronk, of course, and at this point you could argue Mitchell and the RBs are a sort of tier 1.5)

 

[Froob]

I hope there is a dash cam video so we can have Hochuli go into the booth and look at it for half an hour to review it.