Goodell is taking a stance he HAD to take. Unfortunately, it's against our beloved Saints, who in many ways have ONLY themselves to blame. Regardless of whether your agree with the punishments or not, which I absolutely don't in regards to severity, the whole situation really could not have played out any other way. Goodell, with the full backing of the owners, has taken a firm stance on player safety. Partly due to the fact that it needed to happen, but mostly because of looming litigation that could cut into everyones piece of the pie. Then, the Saints have an active bounty program in place that they refused to end and refused to cooperate with the league and Goodell's office in any way. It really doesn't matter how you and I see the bounties. It doesn't matter that these programs have always been in the NFL. It doesn't matter if we agree that the punishment doesn't fit the crime. My guess is if this had happened to the Falclowns, Saintsnation would be 90% on bashing them and wishing for the league to drop the hammer on them. It hurts and is disappointing but you have to take a step back and look at it objectively. The bottom line is Goodell had no choice but to decide things as he did and the Saints only have themselves to blame. I don't like it. But, it is what it is.

Friend, I am looking at this as objectively as I can and I don't see how this is in any way a statement for player safety. The league accused the Saints of intentionally hurting players. This has nothing to do with standard pay for performance "big plays". The NFL knew that type of thing was going on and had a rule against it, but never seriously enforced it. If it were about that, and the league had a history of consistency in enforcing that rule, I would agree with you that the Saints got what they deserved. But what they told the Saints to stop, is exactly what the Saints are saying they were never doing in the first place... Know what I mean?

If someone in your neighborhood got beat up and the cops showed up at your house and told you to stop beating people up, without any evidence that you beat that person, how do you stop doing something you didn't do in the first place? That's what this is about. And until Goodell comes up with anything other than hearsay, we're not going to leave him alone.

With a 3-year investigation only 176 pages of ducuments were provided and most contained nothing to prove/disprove what was accused. A 3-year investigation of the league as a whole probably would have had more than 176 pages discovered regarding pay-for-performance and more than one team involved.

If ANY team had a 3-year investigation the league should be able to provide more than circumstancial evidence for what was presented in the press as overwhelming and implicating 22-27 people.

I don't care what team/player is involved, I want to know the next team/player/coach implicated will get an impartial person to deal with whatever the situation is - on/off the field.

This didn't have to play out this way people. It shouldn't have. The league has to change how it is viewed, and that's a tall task because the violent culture of the NFL has been marketed - BY the NFL - that way for decades.

Enter the lawsuits. The NFL is all of a sudden (and don't be fooled, they don't care otherwise) interested in player safety. It's the motivation to make a public display of their shift in morality that has caused all the drama.

Roger could have done the right thing. He could have dealt with the Saints employees in a respectful way, acknowledging the fact that what they were doing was historically part of the game - the pay for performance jockeying that goes on between players. They broke a rule, and yes, we all know other players on other teams are guilty of the same. But they broke the rule, so pull them aside, explain the situation to them like men, make the fines/suspensions reasonable, and this was over 3 months ago.

But that's not what Roger wanted. He wanted this to be just a public as he could make it. His actions from the very beginning are transparent. This is likely why he and the NFL defended so vigorously the Commissioner's "all powerful" position while negotiating the latest CBA - because they knew then this was coming. Remember the players tried (to some degree) to whittle away at Roger's power tree but were turned back during negotiations. Maybe they didn't try hard enough...that's debatable...but to be fair to them, nobody has ever abused the power of that office the way Roger has. Nobody. Ever.

I believe Roger could have had a group meeting and told the players and coaches this: "Look guys. The NFL is in a tight spot. The culture has to change. I need to guys to, in essence, take one for the team here."

Had he done that I'm willing to bet we'd be talking football right now and not pretending we know a damn thing about the law. But he DIDN'T do that, and he never considered doing that. His plan from the beginning was to spin this in the worst way possible and use his media whores to broadcast it and sway public opinion.

As Halo said (I think it was Halo), how can Roger expect the players to defend themselves against something he hasn't proved they have done? Goodell isn't stupid, but clearly his approach to the players and to the Union is as if he believes THEY are stupid. They're not stupid. They're between a rock and a hard place.

I'm willing to bet Roger saw that much drama would unfold - but I'm also willing to bet he never saw Vilma's lawsuit coming. And once he finally was force (and believe that - he WAS forced, otherwise he would have destroyed everything by now) to reveal what little he had the NFLPA rightfully has fallen in line right behind Jon. What else can they do?

Because it's NOT about player safety from the NFLPA, at least not about on the field safety. It's about protecting the players from the power drunk commissioner on a mission to save the league's ass in court. Any player(s) thinking they aren't in his cross-hairs is an idiot. The man has established that he will do any and everything - there are no limits on who he will throw under the buss, based on facts or not, to further his agenda. The player's association HAS to act, and they have to do it now.

I've had conversations with 626 about why the players cannot strike, and I confess that I don't fully understand his reasoning on why they can't. Clearly he has more knowledge than do I. Still, collateral damage be damned, I think the players should not pick up another football until Roger is dealt with.

Right now, the biggest threat to players in the NFL is not head trauma, it's Roger Goodell. They best get wise to that if they aren't already, because he's insane with power and threatens their ability to earn money. That's just accurate. They have to force him to come out from behind the CBA and deal with them as equals and as men...respectfully...by whatever means is necessary.

Yeah, we ain't heard anything from him since. His advisors must have told him to STFU!!!! I can see the judge looking at interview after interview when he called us scum even before he hand handed down his vengence err....... uhm........sentence(yeah that's it) :rolleyes:

It's just fun watching Goddell squirm over this bull

This is a stall tactic....

What really needs to happen is that those 4 players need to check all the boxes before lawsuits are filed... At this point they have not followed through with the Leagues dispute resolution program..

A recap:
1. CBA gives Goodell the power on this.
2. Goodells right to rule over this case was upheld by an appellate that was not Goodell.
3. Goodell's rulings were upheld by the appellate outlined in the CBA.
4. The CBA dictates that the NFL's dispute resolution program be used.. The players have not used that program and refuse to meet with Goodell.
5. Goodell has asked to meet with the players and said he would consider what the players lay out on the table in regards to reduced sentences.... The players refuse.



Point:
Roethlisberger - Met with Goodell and his punishment was reduced.
Vick - met with Goodell and punishment was reduced.


Everyone need to understand that "there is no evidence of guilt" means absolutely nothing... let it go...

Case: Ben Roethlisberger, Never convicted, never Tried, Never charged, never even arrested... Punished by Goodell.

And the fact that Goodell punished Ben Roethlisberger for something that he wasn't convicted of and didn't even have anything to do with football is another example of his abuse of power.

Why should players continue to accept this? With all due respect, letting it go is the worst answer. They need to fight, and perhaps they'll lose, but they have to try. This is out of control.