TheOak

Since someone else touched upon this in a thread I figured I could lay out my conspiracy theory and at least one person wouldn't think I am batsh1t crazy.

I will lay out some structure.

Rank and file for the NFL:
Owners (34) Two teams are co-owned (Raiders/Giants) and Green Bay Packers Inc. (363,491 stockholders) owns the Packers (Owners collectively referred to as the "NFL Shield" for the rest of this)
Godedell - Meat puppet for Owners. Protector of the Shield (Owners interest)
Coaches - I think players and coaches are on equal levels because the NFLPA is stronger than the NFLCA
Players - Enployees / Salesmen

Reasons 95% of the owners own a team:
Make Money - These are businessmen.

Largest item threatening the NFL Shield:
As of 2 September 2012, there are roughly 140 individual lawsuits brought on behalf of over 3,300 former NFL players.

What does the NFL Shield have to rebut those lawsuits:
Until 21 March 2012, nothing... Then they perused a systemic Bounty program.

Whats to gain or lose from perusing or not Bounty punishment:
To recognize NFL bounties in realistic terms, is to admit bounties are a systemic part of the NFL for decades. It also means that the NFL Shield has no plausible "we have taken reasonable actions to protect our players", in a courtroom to defend against the Concussion Suits. To pursue it gives them "reasonable" actions taken.

What Does the NFL Shield risk with bounty gate? A black eye.
What Does the NFL Shield risk not pursuing bounty gate? Being destroyed by law suits.

Who gets hurt due to Bounty Gate? 4 members of management of 1 team, 4 players, and the fans of 1 of 32 franchises. Also a commissioner who understands his place as meat shield has his name drug through the dirt because he is inept.

So now I have laid out the risk reward. Doing nothing risks the entire league and 32 franchises. Pursuing it is minimal damage.

The Select Players Punished: (out of supposedly more than 20 Saints/ probably hundreds in the league)
Vilma - 8 year veteran near end of career and has been accused of Bounty before.
Smith - 9 year veteran near end of career.
Fujita - 11 year veteran near end of career, and heralded for his integrity.
Hargrove - 8 year veteran near end of his career, the man that was caught on tape wanting his money but later proven to have not been that guy. He is still tangled up in this because he lied.

Lay suits by these players for lost wages if the truth ever came out would be minimal as not many of them have much of a career left.

The Juicy Conspiracy Theory:
In an effort to save his Empire from law suits (lets face it, season ticket sales have not dropped off, and I doubt the sales of Saint's merchandise will be off for more than one season) Tom Benson not only knew about Bounty Gate before it came down, but was part of the reason it happened. He allowed it, he ushered it, and he sits back quietly watching it happen to protect his investment in court.

Not possible you say? This is the same man that wanted to move the team to San Antonio for "business reasons".

A few questions for you to think about before you reply:

1. What owner of a company (Saints) would allow an employee (Goodell) punish him? Unless he was OK with it?

2. If the owners had no hand in this and no buy in, do you think Jerry Jones would let the Dallas Cowboys get massacred in the media like this as Benson has?

3. Which team in the NFL has the most loyal fans that have endured the most losing seasons, hurricanes, team almost moved, yet STILL remain loyal?

4. Which team with those fans could be publicly massacred with out scaring the precious chosen teams that the NFL adores?

So we as fans have fallen for the plan. The plan was to protect the NFL Shield in court, Goodell is the scape goat for the owners and would weather all of the hate and blame.

The NFL shield is protecting its multibillion dollar empire, by crippling one franchise on the field for only one season.

Starting 2013, the Saints will have recovered, ticket and merchandise sales will have recovered, All Players and Coaches will be back, and the NFL has something they can use in court to protect its multibillion dollar empire against concussion lawsuits.

Quite possibly the soundest business plan ever put together to protect an Empire. Hate on Goodell... nahh he is just a pupet with a lot of hands up his azz. Benson is the man that should be taken to task for allowing all of this. And if Benson is not the man and a part of all of this.. SHAME on him for getting fat watching it.