Swampfox
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Don Banks of SI wrote at least 10 articles between March 2 and May 4 bashing the Saints while blindly, obediently - relentlessly - beating the NFL bountygate bandwagon drum, applauding the harsh punishments doled out to the coaches and players. His stories mirrored those of the many media lemmings caught up in the rush to judgment.
In his most recent articles, after the player suspensions were announced, Mr. Banks complained that this story is now "beyond tiresome." Arguing that we should be putting bountygate in the “rearview mirror” he stated:
“To the NFL I would say: Stop telling us about the mountain of ‘multiple and independent first-hand accounts and corroborating documentation’ that proves the evidence against the accused players and find a way to show us some of it. The fans, media and the rest of the league want to hear it, want to see it and want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the NFL's investigation has this story completely correct. Take this saga out of the realm of ‘Trust us, we have the evidence,' and prove it to the point where even the union can't refute it.”
He then suggested that the Hargrove declaration would do nicely.
Yet he continued (just to cover all his bases, I guess, in case the mountain turned out to be a molehill?):
“…[E]ven if the truth winds up being that the Saints took a larger bullet than they deserved …. isn't it better if the league over-reacted rather than under-reacted?” (Emphasis added).
Really, Mr. Banks? In this country? In the 21st Century?
This weekend, I sent him the following e-mail:
‘Okay Mr. Banks, you got your wish. The Hargrove "declaration" has been released. Regardless of whether his statements are true or not, even you must admit that the declaration does not say the things that the NFL says it says.
‘Next, the "smoking gun" e-mail sent by the convicted felon associate of Sean Payton has been largely discredited, now that someone finally thought to interview the sender. His comment about a "bounty" was a joke.
‘I can’t wait to read your next column. Will you finally acknowledge the real story here? “Multiple” “credible” sources told Czaroger they saw smoke; he claims to have found the fire. So far all he has shown us is smoke and mirrors.
‘I think your comment about something being amiss in New Orleans is true. Reread your March 5 column concerning the Saints’ likely defense: a rogue coach (Williams) acting independently and without the knowledge of the head coach or general manager. You were quick to dismiss this argument, yet, so far, that’s all there is.
‘Czaroger has offered Sean Payton up as the primary sacrificial lamb. Payton has been publicly flogged, vilified, humiliated and disgraced, not for what he did or for what he knew, but for what Czaroger thinks he SHOULD have known! To tell this Super Bowl winning coach who he can and can’t talk to?
‘The one-year suspension imposed upon Payton for not knowing Williams was running a pay for performance program is an unprecedented and unwarranted intrusion into the day-to-day operations of a multi-million dollar business. The absurdity of one man having this much power is mind-boggling. The fact that the 32 millionaire / billionaire owners tolerate his hypocritical abuse of it is sickening.’
So far, he has not responded.
And I’m not holding my breath.
I Googled "Roger Goodell hypocrite" and got about 79,400 results in 0.25 seconds. You don't have to read very long before you realize that this man has a history of maintaining inconsistent positions on very important issues. Why anyone would take what he says at face value is a mystery.
Meaning of “smoke and mirrors”?
Wikipedia.org: “…a metaphor for a deceptive, fraudulent or insubstantial explanation or description.”
Phrases.org: “…obscuring or embellishing of the truth that is employed by spin doctors and the like in order to deceive the general public.”
That about says it all.
Stay tuned.
In his most recent articles, after the player suspensions were announced, Mr. Banks complained that this story is now "beyond tiresome." Arguing that we should be putting bountygate in the “rearview mirror” he stated:
“To the NFL I would say: Stop telling us about the mountain of ‘multiple and independent first-hand accounts and corroborating documentation’ that proves the evidence against the accused players and find a way to show us some of it. The fans, media and the rest of the league want to hear it, want to see it and want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the NFL's investigation has this story completely correct. Take this saga out of the realm of ‘Trust us, we have the evidence,' and prove it to the point where even the union can't refute it.”
He then suggested that the Hargrove declaration would do nicely.
Yet he continued (just to cover all his bases, I guess, in case the mountain turned out to be a molehill?):
“…[E]ven if the truth winds up being that the Saints took a larger bullet than they deserved …. isn't it better if the league over-reacted rather than under-reacted?” (Emphasis added).
Really, Mr. Banks? In this country? In the 21st Century?
This weekend, I sent him the following e-mail:
‘Okay Mr. Banks, you got your wish. The Hargrove "declaration" has been released. Regardless of whether his statements are true or not, even you must admit that the declaration does not say the things that the NFL says it says.
‘Next, the "smoking gun" e-mail sent by the convicted felon associate of Sean Payton has been largely discredited, now that someone finally thought to interview the sender. His comment about a "bounty" was a joke.
‘I can’t wait to read your next column. Will you finally acknowledge the real story here? “Multiple” “credible” sources told Czaroger they saw smoke; he claims to have found the fire. So far all he has shown us is smoke and mirrors.
‘I think your comment about something being amiss in New Orleans is true. Reread your March 5 column concerning the Saints’ likely defense: a rogue coach (Williams) acting independently and without the knowledge of the head coach or general manager. You were quick to dismiss this argument, yet, so far, that’s all there is.
‘Czaroger has offered Sean Payton up as the primary sacrificial lamb. Payton has been publicly flogged, vilified, humiliated and disgraced, not for what he did or for what he knew, but for what Czaroger thinks he SHOULD have known! To tell this Super Bowl winning coach who he can and can’t talk to?
‘The one-year suspension imposed upon Payton for not knowing Williams was running a pay for performance program is an unprecedented and unwarranted intrusion into the day-to-day operations of a multi-million dollar business. The absurdity of one man having this much power is mind-boggling. The fact that the 32 millionaire / billionaire owners tolerate his hypocritical abuse of it is sickening.’
So far, he has not responded.
And I’m not holding my breath.
I Googled "Roger Goodell hypocrite" and got about 79,400 results in 0.25 seconds. You don't have to read very long before you realize that this man has a history of maintaining inconsistent positions on very important issues. Why anyone would take what he says at face value is a mystery.
Meaning of “smoke and mirrors”?
Wikipedia.org: “…a metaphor for a deceptive, fraudulent or insubstantial explanation or description.”
Phrases.org: “…obscuring or embellishing of the truth that is employed by spin doctors and the like in order to deceive the general public.”
That about says it all.
Stay tuned.
