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So odd.
The NFL did a much better job with the closure involving Spygate. Of course, NE team. Would have changed NFL history had Belichick et al been suspended.
It is obvious how damaging the penalties were already in 2012. To announce a final determination now is dumb, and the whole idea of this still not being over by 2013 draft is spiteful.
I don't expect Goodell to change his view because Goodell, but I would think it is fair for him to have to articulate his reasoning, if only to make him feel uncomfortable.
Short thoughts...
It's because the NFL thought they had something much bigger here to use against the former players in the concussion lawsuit.
When the NFL thought we had a player specific bounty against Brett Favre to take him out of the game, they rushed in like Bulls in a China shop.
At the end of the day, they found that we had a PFP like everyone else. Except, at some point 3 years later, they got information from Mike C. They jumped on that stupid napkin that reiterated the Favre bounty. However, the only real evidence he really had were Power Point slides from the defensive meetings. Those slides had pay outs for sacks, fumbles, knock outs and cart offs.
So, the NFL saw their chance to use us as the scape goat, because the payments for a knock out or cart off, regardless of the intent or how the tackle was made, can be "letter of the law" taken as a bounty. So, boom. NFL wins. That's all they needed. Everything else was hype, because they really thought they had the coup de gras with the Vilma accusation. But that faltered, but it didn't matter, because the reality was all they needed was one PP slide that showed anyone got money for a "cart off".
But that's not sexy, so they added all that other flourish.
The coaches are Management, so they get stuck taking the medicine.
But I agree.. the Saints took their poison pill, they mostly played nice, so why isnt' Goodell entertaining giving the 2nd rounder (or the other financial penalties that he also said could be reduced) back?
Is it just as simple as we haven't asked for it? Or were we actually denied?