What’s interesting in the fallout of Tom Brady’s overturned suspension, Jolly Roger seems to have had his legs cut out from under him. Throw in the Bounty-gate overturning, and the absolute bungling of the Ray Rice/Greg Hardy suspensions overturnings and reinstatements, players these days are immune to misdeeds. Barring convictions. Seeing as most of these guys can lawyer up pretty hard, and can therefore put things off til the season is over, they are pretty much able to live abouve the law and hide behind the shield.
I’m sure this isn’t was Goodie Goodell intended by being a hard-ass not interested in due process, but now the players use that very tactic to put off legal proceedings.
Aldon Smith is the latest example of a guy who has burned bridges and broken laws at every turn, and yet gets a make-good deal with the Raiders. And we all know that if he was a scrub, he’d be working at Home Depot stocking shelves. But hey, I don’t begrudge the guy a damn thing. Get what you can get while you can. There’s no law against accepting a job offer.
My point is some should make a stand regarding this. Tiring, sure to point this out again, but the league and the owners don’t care that some of their players are habitual criminals. Domestic abusers, child abusers, drunk drivers, and drug-fueled steroid freaks. All is fine as long as the collective perception jives with the reality that no one really cares what these guys do. Except for the victims of their misdeeds, of course.
So who makes the stand? Well, in the Niners case recently, Jim Harbaugh hid behind the very due process keeping these guys on the field. Of course he gave Seattle and the Ravens shit for the steroid problems and the Ray Rice deal, but he sure wimped out when the chickens came home to roost in the form of Aldon Smith and Ray McDonald. He ate teo big helpings of crow over that shit.
Course it took 3 strikes to force the Nienrs hand with both RayMac and Aldon. Now they can at least try to get in front of another situation by benching Ahmad Brooks. The team? Hiding behind the shield. Same with Sir Jed Tweetsalot. Seeing as Harbs wimped out, maybe Jim Tomsula will be the one to make a stand.
I believe the NFL should not discipline off field issues. It is a league that was formed to play football. It was not formed to teach America morals. If a player gets in trouble with the law and can’t play he should not be paid. If he can play he should and be paid. All the NFL is doing is opening itself up to be targets for special interest groups. I say play football and let the courts adjudicate. On field issues are different. Fines for late hits and deflating football are on field issues. BYW, IMO Brady was fined and suspended for not cooperating more than anything else.
I would not have cut Aldon Smith, I would have let him go through the process and get put in jail if that is what happens. If I had to guarantee his contract for the entire year for being on the team for opening day I might have cut him. I would not want to pay a player 9 million for being in jail. I don’t know what those circumstances were but money aside, I would not have cut Smith.
Chuck- I’ve got a post in the spam filter.
What is going on at Texa$$? Mack Strong has changed OCs after one game and according to Reece Davis on ESPN radio, the alumni are starting to call for his head if he doesn’t step up his recruiting. Texa$$ is probably the most money hungry of all schools. They just hired this coach one year ago. Relax.
The greater threat to the NFL long term is not discipline and criminality in the ranks, but demographics. I heard on the radio the other day that pee wee and youth football rosters are way way down. It’s the concussion thing. As more info comes out, and it will, this is the real danger to the future of the NFL — fewer bodies will be playing football at all levels to supply the player pipeline…
They’ll just play when they get older. It’s good money.
Don’t miss St Jim’s hitotionics on the sidelines. He comes unglued over obvious penalties.
Squawks signed Moody to their PS.
Shocker
squawk!
Pillars hit ‘im and Jim Stuckey got the ball! Yes, it’s that time of year again.
(It’s only most of the 2nd half for you without it on DVD or anything. I have it on VHS like I still have a VCR – at least I can stare at the tape cartridge. Sooner or later, youtube will black this out cuz the NFL’s a monstrosity.)
This time Lucy didn’t pull the ball away.
RT- It never gets old and nothing can take it away.
Seen from another angle, here’s the whole game (I think).
Berger with regard to Aldon being released.
I can’t help but go back to the situation with Leonard Little and the Rams many years ago.
Granted, Aldon hasn’t killed anyone. Yet.
For a talented guy that is fighting demons in his personal life, it only seems a matter of time before he self-destructs.
His resumé of poor judgement events was hard to ignore
I believe Baalke made several attempts to protect him from himself.
There appeared to be a good faith effort, on both sides, to keep him in the fold as well.
Whatever took place to create the separation is unfortunate.
IMO, if Baalke had quit on him, a trade attempt may have been made a year ago, when his value was much more obvious.
I’m also of the opinion that Brady’s successful challenge to Goodell’s punishment practices weakened any potential influence he might seek against Aldon now as well.
Many of us thought Aldon’s 9 game suspension last year was excessive and, may have created the thought that he’d get hit even harder after the recent transgressions.
Now, Goodell may be inclined to take an about face on potential punishment?
We’ll see what comes soon enough.
Aldon is on a 1yr deal so, if there’s anything left in terms of a relationship in SF, he could be available as a FA next year.
Assuming he cleans up his life between now and then.
NJ, the CBA is pretty clear on drug/alcohol issues. I doubt Aldon will have a case, even with Goodie weakened.
I don’t disagree RT.
Just that the timing of Aldon’s signing seemed a bit odd, in relationship to Brady’s successful appeal.
Sure, there’s a good chance Oakland won’t have his services, if/when the CBA portion of this topic is determined.
Calculated risk on Oakland’s part I’m sure.
Another guy I put in the same conversation is Donté Stallworth.
He managed to turn a DUI vehicular death into a misdemeanor of sorts by writing a check.
Some of these guys are out of control yet, they skirt serious punishment, by virtue of being NFL athletes, with lots of protection available to them in the Court of Law.
The League has got to be just a little wary of any added appeals too.
Goodell isn’t looking too confident in his decisions regarding punishments in recent years.
His boat is taking on water, so to speak.
High risk, high reward. If Aldon’s just a punk with or without alcohol, there’s no hope. If not, AND he can stop drinking, he would be well worth the risk. He’s a perennial Pro Bowler or should be.
NJ- I’ll read your shit tomorrow. At this point anything you say just sounds like another Democrat. Your advice is usually teacheristic Democrat.
And just how does my opinion on football equate to politics Berger?
Teacheristic Democrat huh?
That’s original.
I’d prefer to consider myself an Open-Minded Independent my friend 😀
On the “other” blog you guys would be inmates of the Skeebers asylum. On this blog you’re respected members of the community.
There’s another blog???
Crabs with a nice send-off to his previous coach. . .
“With all the stuff going on on the other side, it just feels so good to be on this side.” He already was on record last year questioning the play calling.
He’ll be the #3 with Oakland. Wait til he’s not catching passes for the Raiders. He talks a great game yet hardly backs it up
Bullshit call there. Seattle’s like looks shakey.
Yet again, these calls should be reviewable. Huge call that there’s no recourse for.
Funny how pedestrian RW looks without an O line.
Funny how unfettered Greg Roman looks in Buffalo without Colin Kaepernick.
You mean without Harbaugh…
Best Pass of the Year: Nick Foles with a two handed push pass while he’s being sacked on third down in Seahawk territory. First Down! Too bad they fumbled the ball away on the very next play.
That fumble, with the score tied in the 4th, is looking like the decisive play. Instead of the Rams up by at least 3, they’re down 7 with 2:00 left.
Alex Smith has thrown three TDs today.
I’ll give ya three guesses how many have gone to a WR.
Rams look for real, or SHawks down a notch this season. Probably both…
Wow! Seattle corner beaten like a pup. 37 yd. straight down the field TD pass from Foles and the corner wasn’t even in the same zip code. Tied up at 31 with 0:53 left.
Hawks have received the benefit of a couple of questionable calls in this game, both of them huge imo.
Rams just lost Sims. Looks like an achilles. If the Rams hold on to the ball, they are up 13.