Larry Gude
Strung Out
...up the chain of command.
Roger Goodell has fumbled. On the goal line no less. Poised to take in the winning score and demonstrate that the NFL will protect it's integrity regardless of the offender.
Consider;
Pac Man Jones, most notable among others, got punished severely for his behavior. His off the field behavior. Behavior that has nothing to do with the integrity of the game itself. He wasn't gambling. He wasn't enhancing his ability to play well or cheat on the field in any way.
So, rightly in my view, the NFL has said we will not accept thuggish behavior from our employees anywhere, anytime. Good on you Roger.
To reaffirm that goes for everyone, Goodell sacked one of the leagues true superstars, Mr. Vick. Again, for bad or worse, what Vick did had nothing to do with the game itself. Real good on you Roger.
The leagues has, for some time, stood head and shoulders above the other major sports in punishing drug and steroid use. Certainly not to exclusion in a league filled with super humans, but they are at least appearing to try even kicking Ricky Williams out for dope smoking for perhaps life. So, you can't make yourself better or worse with drugs. Goodell gets further kudos for keeping up with these already established policies.
Now, we come to the Patriots caught, not accused, caught video taping the other teams hand signals in direct violation of, apparently, specific guidelines prohibiting this very practice. So, this is no 'oh, you mean that kind of cheating?' first time offense.
So, why did the they it? To make a few more plays. To win games. What they did goes to the core of the game, a game above all the others immersed in what?
GAMBLING
Imagine, if you will, the affect not only on wins and loses but the affect on POINT SPREADS and individual stats that cheating on the other guys plays would have. Think about it.
Every wager result on Pats games, win or lose, point spread and, yep, FANTASY football concerning both teams and players on both teams in every Patriots game the last few years is now suspect.
Think Pac man would be glad to pay a fine and be playing this season? Think Mike Vick would be more than happy to pay millions to put his troubles behind him? How about steroid uses? Pot smokers? Wife beaters? Car crashers?
I'll add one more facet; I am sick and tired of the race card being played every time a black athlete does something stupid and/or illegal but, but, there is no denying that Belichick is white and the Pats owner is white. It is now fair game to ask if Goodell would have treated this the same if Dungy or Smith or any of the other black coaches had been accused of the same. I, personally, think he would, but, the question is fair and it's fair because the Pats got off light, real, real light, cheating on the game itself, calling the integrity of the game itself into question for more than others have who were also punished far, far more severely than a few bucks to a probably billion franchise.
At the very, very minimum the Pats should have to forfeit the game and Belichick suspended, without pay, for the season. If not, it calls into question all the other punishments the league has handed out and the motivations behind them.
Goodell dropped the ball. Big time.
Roger Goodell has fumbled. On the goal line no less. Poised to take in the winning score and demonstrate that the NFL will protect it's integrity regardless of the offender.
Consider;
Pac Man Jones, most notable among others, got punished severely for his behavior. His off the field behavior. Behavior that has nothing to do with the integrity of the game itself. He wasn't gambling. He wasn't enhancing his ability to play well or cheat on the field in any way.
So, rightly in my view, the NFL has said we will not accept thuggish behavior from our employees anywhere, anytime. Good on you Roger.
To reaffirm that goes for everyone, Goodell sacked one of the leagues true superstars, Mr. Vick. Again, for bad or worse, what Vick did had nothing to do with the game itself. Real good on you Roger.
The leagues has, for some time, stood head and shoulders above the other major sports in punishing drug and steroid use. Certainly not to exclusion in a league filled with super humans, but they are at least appearing to try even kicking Ricky Williams out for dope smoking for perhaps life. So, you can't make yourself better or worse with drugs. Goodell gets further kudos for keeping up with these already established policies.
Now, we come to the Patriots caught, not accused, caught video taping the other teams hand signals in direct violation of, apparently, specific guidelines prohibiting this very practice. So, this is no 'oh, you mean that kind of cheating?' first time offense.
So, why did the they it? To make a few more plays. To win games. What they did goes to the core of the game, a game above all the others immersed in what?
GAMBLING
Imagine, if you will, the affect not only on wins and loses but the affect on POINT SPREADS and individual stats that cheating on the other guys plays would have. Think about it.
Every wager result on Pats games, win or lose, point spread and, yep, FANTASY football concerning both teams and players on both teams in every Patriots game the last few years is now suspect.
Think Pac man would be glad to pay a fine and be playing this season? Think Mike Vick would be more than happy to pay millions to put his troubles behind him? How about steroid uses? Pot smokers? Wife beaters? Car crashers?
I'll add one more facet; I am sick and tired of the race card being played every time a black athlete does something stupid and/or illegal but, but, there is no denying that Belichick is white and the Pats owner is white. It is now fair game to ask if Goodell would have treated this the same if Dungy or Smith or any of the other black coaches had been accused of the same. I, personally, think he would, but, the question is fair and it's fair because the Pats got off light, real, real light, cheating on the game itself, calling the integrity of the game itself into question for more than others have who were also punished far, far more severely than a few bucks to a probably billion franchise.
At the very, very minimum the Pats should have to forfeit the game and Belichick suspended, without pay, for the season. If not, it calls into question all the other punishments the league has handed out and the motivations behind them.
Goodell dropped the ball. Big time.
