WhoDat!656

For months, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been acting like the prosecutor in the New Orleans Saints bounty case. Now former commissioner Paul Tagliabue at least seems to be acting like a judge.

Tagliabue, who was brought in to hear the players' latest round of appeals, certainly won't find the Saints innocent of all the bounty accusations he's been reviewing the past two weeks. And he might even wind up reaching many of the same conclusions that Goodell reached.

But Tagliabue at least did something that Goodell never did. He took a thorough look at the whole picture, hearing arguments from all sides in a courtroom-style setting, before making his ruling, which is expected next week.

Paul Tagliabue is taking the approach Roger Goodell never did in Saints bounty case | NOLA.com

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."

Beastmode

Acting like a judge and being a judge are not the same thing. Tagliabue's loyalty is to the NFL period. A real judge has already stated she has a problem with the NFL.

CharityMike

Bottom line is players shouldn't have been punished at all. If this "warning" to the Saints brass did come down, who is to say they told the players? How would the players know this?

The league has themselves in a real pickle and I love it! If Tag don't drastically reduce things, the Judge will. Either way, the NFL has mudd on it's face!

AsylumGuido

What could they have warned the players about? They were accused of placing bounties on opposing players. That wasn't happening. They were told to stop placing bounties on opposing players. Whether or not the coaches told them to stop, how the heck do you stop doing something you weren't doing?

Payton got screwed over on this whole deal more than anyone.

No, I take that back. WE as fans got screwed over more than anyone and we need to ensure that Goodell's future visits to our friendly city are a living hell.

D_it_up

In short, he better pack a lunch when he comes to New Orleans for the Super Bowl, because no dining establishment, in their right mind, would feed him.

Jamessr

It would be nice if all the hotels in New Orleans WOULD NOT rent him a room. Let him travel From Atlanta... he obviously has strong ties with those ********s

Beastmode

It certainly won't be a good expereince for him and his extra bodyguards. It would behoove him to seriously consider being absent. Having the apex of season being overshadowed by overwhelming boos when he gets on that stage....embarrassing and shameful to say the least. I fully exspect the media to cover this topic and ask the fans to show restraint.

TheOak

Paul was commissioner when a crap load of the same thing happened, and he did nothing about it so for him to take any other approach would be hypocritical.

Paul also has enough sense to come to the realization that punishing 1 of 32 for something that 10 or more have done or are doing is just wrong in any book, and sends NO message.

"If" there is any punishment that can be dealt on facts it would be that management lied to Goodell. However you want to classify things people know somethign should have been stopped. For that only Payton and Williams are left to finish their punishment.

The players should have NEVER been punished unless there is proof they were specifically told to stop something. This has never surfaced, only the front office was told to stop doing anything.