WWLTV Opinion piece: The time has come for NFL to show its hand (1 Viewer)

[Flipx99]

I think where Goodell screwed up is when he went with the nuclear option on JV. If he had only given him 4 games he may have decided it wasn't worth the fight.

That's the thing about blackmail, you can't play the card and retain your leverage.

 

[*_deuce_*]

Very good read.

 

[VPCajun]

I firmly believe that the NFL has overexagerated these charges and led the press and the public to believe that the Saints are far guiltier than anything their actual evidence can show. The part I am having a hard time understanding is why would the NFL do this? How does this help them out on the player lawsuits to trump up that any of their teams have had a three year "bounty" program? If the NFL wants to use the Saints as a scapegoat, than just come right out and say that "there has been an accusation that the Saints had a bounty on Brett Favre, in the championship game. In our investigation, it has been determined through admissions of Gregg Williams and Joe Vitt that there was a pay for performance system taking place with the Saints and an admission that they lied about it during the NFL's earlier investigation". Then come down with penalties that are actually appropriate to what took place. The NFL shows that they take these allegations seriously, and the players (past and present) and the public believes that the NFL can be trusted to act responsibly when it comes to player safety. When all this is said and done, the Saints will suffer greatly by losing their head coach, our franchise will be forever tarnished, a greater portion of the public will come to realize that Goodell and his cronies have very little integrity, and there will be less trust from the players towards the league. I just don't understand what Goodell's master plan is in all of this.

Cuz he's nothing but a LITTLE man with a Huge Ego.

He is infuriated that the Saints DARED TO QUESTION his accusations and thus threw the book at them!

 

[reverse]

I think where Goodell screwed up is when he went with the nuclear option on JV. If he had only given him 4 games he may have decided it wasn't worth the fight.

Somehow I don't think Vilma would've even let it slide with a 4 game suspension. He has a high character and doesn't like his reputation being put into question with the type of allegations he is being accused of.

 

[FlySaint]

I think that once Herr Kommisar went nuclear on Payton and Loomis he had to find a player to crush too. Or if the punishment levels between the mgmt and players were too far out of synch it might have made the initial mgmt sanctions seem even more draconian. And that's why, even with weak/no evidence to support it, his majesty went postal on Vilma.

 

[Saint Jeremy]

This whole thing never made sense to me from the beginning. And I think most people took the NFLs word for it, thinking why would they make something like this up.

But it's looking more and more like this was blown way out of proportion, whether by accident or on purpose. Now Goodell has backed himself into a corner. He should cut his losses and lessen the suspensions.

 

[Saint Jeremy]

The one piece that the rest of the country and the media still cling to is that the coaches admitted to the bounty and accepted their suspensions so the NFL must be right on the whole bounty gate.

My thought on this though is that the coaches were forced to accept their suspensions in order to save their careers. The coaches really had no power to battle their employer.

So my question now is, would the saints players, past and present, have the right to file suit againtst the NFL to place an injunction on the coaches suspensions? The players claim could be 1) that the allegations directly reflects the players reputations. 2) an NFL career for players is short and that the unjust suspension causes significant damage to their career and earnings.

If the players could sue on behalf of the coaches it would shield the coaches from league retaliation. .... and on top of that is would be just another sore spot on Goodells behind that he has to deal with.

None of the coaches admitted to a 'bounty program'. Only to a pay for performance program.

 

[Firecross]

The longer the NFL doesn't show its hand the worse they will look to those in the media who begin to question it. I think more attention needs to be brought to the lack of evidence so the other 31 teams fans can't escape it and join in the outrage. I guess the question other teams fans need to ask is this: If Goodell can do this to our team with "lackluster evidence" what makes you think he can't eventually do it to your team? Sure it might not be a "bounty scandal" but if he can convict the Saints on "Disgruntled employee's" heresay, then he can do it to any other team in the league.

I'm not saying the Saints aren't guilty of pay for performance, but I don't think the Saints are guilty of "Bounties" and think for how harsh the punishments have been that Goodell needs to show his hand to protect the shield. If it can happen to the Saints it certainly can happen to anyone else.