giveittodeuce
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- Joined
- Nov 30, 2006
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- 184
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Nothing can be done to fix yesterday's debacle, obviously. Those in the media who are trying to muddy the water with "what about" scenarios concerning other calls/noncalls earlier in the game and other mistakes the Saints made during the game miss the point entirely, and they are only rubbing salt in the wound. It's not possible to explain this away. The team and its fans were robbed and life isn't fair. Those are the facts today and they will not change.
That stated, for my own purposes, I am trying to identify the conditions under which I can see myself returning to the NFL as a fan. So far as I can tell there are 3 things that must happen, at a minimum:
1. An unequivocal statement must be issued by the NFL acknowledging the blown call. Hearsay about a call between Payton and the league after the game is not enough. This statement can be short and to the point, but the NFL PR folks need to be very careful about any kind of hedging or CYA nonsense in the statement. For me, the league needs to confront and own the mistake, or it will permanently lose any shred of credibility it currently has (I know many here will contend it already has no credibility, and fair enough).
2. Some consequence needs to be felt by those responsible for the officiating. I don't know exactly what this needs to look like except that, at a minimum, those responsible for the non-call on the field cannot be allowed to officiate another playoff game. Perhaps other heads need to roll too, but I don't see how any outcome short of this works.
3. The NFL needs to take concrete steps this offseason to improve the officiating process so this cannot happen again. As with point 2, I do not know exactly what this change needs to be and it will probably take months of debate and review to determine the details. That's process/review period is ok with me, as long as the eventual outcome is a better system.
If all 3 of those things occur, I can see myself coming back. If any of those 3 things do not occur, I doubt I will be able to continue as a consumer of the NFL's products.
Rant over.
That stated, for my own purposes, I am trying to identify the conditions under which I can see myself returning to the NFL as a fan. So far as I can tell there are 3 things that must happen, at a minimum:
1. An unequivocal statement must be issued by the NFL acknowledging the blown call. Hearsay about a call between Payton and the league after the game is not enough. This statement can be short and to the point, but the NFL PR folks need to be very careful about any kind of hedging or CYA nonsense in the statement. For me, the league needs to confront and own the mistake, or it will permanently lose any shred of credibility it currently has (I know many here will contend it already has no credibility, and fair enough).
2. Some consequence needs to be felt by those responsible for the officiating. I don't know exactly what this needs to look like except that, at a minimum, those responsible for the non-call on the field cannot be allowed to officiate another playoff game. Perhaps other heads need to roll too, but I don't see how any outcome short of this works.
3. The NFL needs to take concrete steps this offseason to improve the officiating process so this cannot happen again. As with point 2, I do not know exactly what this change needs to be and it will probably take months of debate and review to determine the details. That's process/review period is ok with me, as long as the eventual outcome is a better system.
If all 3 of those things occur, I can see myself coming back. If any of those 3 things do not occur, I doubt I will be able to continue as a consumer of the NFL's products.
Rant over.
