http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000109646/article/tagliabue-vacates-suspensions-of-saints-bounty-case-players

Quote :

"The suspenions of the players -- Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove -- involved in the New Orleans Saints bounty program have been vacated, a league spokesperson announced Tuesday."

LOL

12/11/2012 1:42:31 PM

Haha he shit on goodell

12/11/2012 1:46:15 PM

Good night...sweet prince

12/11/2012 1:48:39 PM

I AM THE LAW

LAWWWWWW

12/11/2012 1:49:50 PM

well that was strange

[Edited on December 11, 2012 at 1:51 PM. Reason : ]

12/11/2012 1:50:44 PM

Good night... sweet prince

12/11/2012 1:50:57 PM

Good night... sweet prince

12/11/2012 1:57:20 PM

12/11/2012 1:58:28 PM

I really don't get all the Goodell hate. I guess it's trendy to hate the guy in charge

Do people think Goodell was out to get these guys? It's really fucking simple:

The NFL has over 4000 open lawsuits against them related to concussions. Estimates say that it will grow to 9000 over the next 18 months (im fuzzy on the numbers, might not be spot on with these)

but the point is that the NFL is getting fucking hammered on concussions. That will only increase. To the point where you've heard these stories over the past 6 months about a future without the NFL because head injuries are being understood to be more and more severe as time goes on.

The NFL is currently trying to cover their ass over these concussion issues so they can lessen the rate of these lawsuits popping up; see the new rules, the concussion tests by a third party, etc.

Goodell, as the steward of the NFL, COULD NOT afford to have their own employees offering incentive to basically increase the risk of concussions. To have that behavior established and being able to be referred to in the court of law would be DISASTROUS as the lawsuits continue.

Concussion lawsuits are the #1 threat facing the NFL, and Goodell had to use his pimp hand, so there would be precedent to say "Hey, look, we went to extreme measures to curtail this behavior"

also if you don't like Goodell, go back and watch the first round of a recent NFL draft and look how fucking happy he is for the players as they get drafted. That's real emotion. He's a good dude.

12/11/2012 5:13:07 PM

Quote :

"Do people think Goodell was out to get these guys?"

it's pretty fucking clear that he was, especially after today. dude went out of his way to make an example and it completely backfired

how anyone could defend him after all of this is beyond me

shit has been hitting the fan and he completely used this as an attempt to save face

12/11/2012 5:22:57 PM

BAN KICKOFFS!!!!!

12/11/2012 5:25:44 PM

did you just stop reading after the quoted part?

12/11/2012 5:26:09 PM

no, that argument is exactly why he comes out of this looking like a jackass

he overreacted and didn't allow due process in a hollow attempt to make up for 50+ years of NFL negligence

12/11/2012 5:28:47 PM

you're not thinking about the NFL as a business and the threat it faces. The NFL has grown to a point where there is really only one thing that can destroy it, and it's an onslaught of litigation.

You watch, this issue (bountygate) will come up again in future lawsuits, and it will be used against the NFL.

12/11/2012 5:28:59 PM

Man, I wish we had a forum on here to discuss sports related issues

12/11/2012 5:29:36 PM

I'm more than aware of the shit that the NFL is in

this isn't the way to go about attempting to "make up for it"

it was a show trial

12/11/2012 5:31:25 PM

12/11/2012 5:35:43 PM

Quote :

"He's a good dude."

No he's not. He's a spineless, hypocritical lackey who follows every dictate of the owners, regardless of the impact on the league. If you believe that a commissioner's job is to simply be a yes-man, he's doing great. But if you believe that his foremost concern should be the health and integrity of the league, he is an abject failure. The player lockout; "Bountygate"; cap penalties for the Redskins, Cowboys, Raiders, and Saints; and especially the ref lockout are all evidence that he fucking sucks balls.

12/11/2012 5:41:49 PM

oh man he sure does suck, the NFL is doing terrrrrible

12/11/2012 5:49:01 PM

i don't think you actually know what his job is

12/11/2012 5:49:24 PM

BAN AGGRESSIVE CONTACT

SOY MILK IN THE GATORADE BOTTLES

12/11/2012 5:56:25 PM

you or I could be the commissioner of the NFL and I think it'd still be doing fine

it certainly isn't killing it because of him

12/11/2012 5:58:28 PM

Quote :

"oh man he sure does suck, the NFL is doing terrrrrible"

Attendance has been falling since 2007 and TV ratings, even with the rise of fantasy football, fell last year and look like they're going to again this year.

Quote :

"i don't think you actually know what his job is"

So enlighten me.

12/11/2012 6:05:39 PM

attendance has fallen in ncaa football, at its lowest since 2003

we lub our hdtvs dawg

and ratings? i call bullshit on that. nfl is constantly the highest rated program on tv, except for maybe an ncis here or there

12/11/2012 8:41:44 PM

Goodell is obviously trying to prevent/limit future concussion-related lawsuits to save the league money...he doesn't give a fuck about player safety, he cares about the league making money

the problem with bountygate is he used some hearsay to try and pin bounties on a few players instead of actually using evidence, and as is evidenced by what happened today, it backfired in his face

all he is is a spokesman for the 32 owners anyway, he's just a front man, he's just doing what the owners vote him to do, which is protect their finances

he's still a dickhole

12/11/2012 8:46:57 PM

To say that the NFL attendance has fallen since 2007 because of Goodell is silly. Maybe you've forgotten, but there was a huge economic downturn that began in 2007.

Furthermore, Goodell was heavily involved with the success of the NFL before he took over as commiss. He had been the NFL's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since 2001, and did a lot at those positions. Not gonna spell out all he did for you, but go check it out if you're interested.

I don't really care one way or the other about this bounty program crap, because it really has absolutely nothing to do with what I'm watching on Sunday. Sure, the saints might be a little bit better, but for the most part, they'd be about the same. So if you're getting hung up on something that really isn't affecting the game, then I'd say yeah, it must be trendy to be hating on the man in charge.

Now on the other hand... IF HE SUSPENDS KICKOFFS I'M DONE WITH HIM.

12/11/2012 9:11:38 PM

count me in the minority of people who give a fuck about this as it reflects on the commish. it's pretty clear that the findings support the fact there was a player funded and driven bounty system. and the players have been lying their ass off about it for months. fuck those assholes. you don't get to lie to try and cover up the fact you were being dirty pieces of shit.

i'm driving the goodell bus, son

12/11/2012 9:16:13 PM

there's nothing trendy at all about it

he's had an awful season with this and the bullshit with the refs

12/11/2012 9:17:34 PM

Quote :

"attendance has fallen in ncaa football, at its lowest since 2003"

And NFL attendance is the lowest it's been per game since 1998.

Quote :

"we lub our hdtvs dawg and ratings? i call bullshit on that. nfl is constantly the highest rated program on tv, except for maybe an ncis here or there"

While the NFL does still dominate, ratings have fallen. And even with increased interest from women, the ratings continue to fall this year.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-05/nfl-tv-ratings-fell-this-season-with-espn-suffering-9-6-decline.html

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/490707-NFL_Ratings_Are_Down_But_Still_Rate_High_With_Men_and_Women.php

Quote :

"Furthermore, Goodell was heavily involved with the success of the NFL before he took over as commiss. He had been the NFL's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since 2001, and did a lot at those positions. Not gonna spell out all he did for you, but go check it out if you're interested."

And he was also part of the League leadership that downplayed and denied the impact that continued head trauma had on players in their later lives, thus helping to create the problem that a lot of his policies and decisions have been trying to alleviate.

Quote :

"I don't really care one way or the other about this bounty program crap, because it really has absolutely nothing to do with what I'm watching on Sunday. Sure, the saints might be a little bit better, but for the most part, they'd be about the same. So if you're getting hung up on something that really isn't affecting the game, then I'd say yeah, it must be trendy to be hating on the man in charge."

Really? You don't think "this bounty program crap" has affected the game? The Saints lost their Super Bowl-winning head coach, defensive coordinator, GM, and several players for significant periods of time. The Rams lost a very good defensive coordinator. I think the season would have played out very, very differently had Goodell not been looking so hard for a few patsy/scapegoats.

And "this bounty program crap" is only one of several reasons I listed as to why he sucks. The lockout, the cap penalties and especially the replacement refs have all had a negative impact on both the game and the perception of the league.

Quote :

" it's pretty clear that the findings support the fact there was a player funded and driven bounty system."

What findings? To my knowledge, the NFL hasn't released any "evidence" except one slideshow and some audio of Gregg Williams, neither of which explicitly mentions a pay-for-injury program. That's the whole point of Jonathan Vilma's defamation lawsuit. He doesn't believe the league can produce evidence that he participated in a bounty program.

Now...having said that, I don't doubt for a second that there was a bounty program. I don't doubt that every single team had one in some form or other. But without any further damning evidence than stuff that likely occurs in every locker room, it is apparent that the only reason Goodell pursued it was to make an example of them and have something to point at in the pending lawsuits while not actually giving fuck about player safety (as evidenced by the replacement ref debacle and lobbying for an 18 game season).

12/11/2012 9:58:11 PM

It's going to be a fun offseason for Goodell when his replacement refs cost Jerry Jones or Dan Snyder a playoff spot.

12/11/2012 10:15:18 PM

i love football, but if they cancelled the NFL and college football to prevent the proliferation of long-term concussion-related brain injuries, i would support it.

12/11/2012 10:27:51 PM

I think we should outlaw youth football and let the higher levels slowly die

12/11/2012 10:30:17 PM

an NFL contract basically includes language thats says, in laymans terms, "are you willing to risk serious injury or death to make millions of dollars" and the players sign them

12/11/2012 10:30:54 PM

^^ clearly that's a repressive and probably communist approach to solving the problem. the only righteous solution is to taunt, humiliate and publicly shame children and their parents who pursue those behaviors, thus decreasing the participation in an organic manner.

[Edited on December 11, 2012 at 10:37 PM. Reason : amirite]

12/11/2012 10:37:08 PM

^^ the league has done everything in its power to hide the true impact of the game on long term health from its players

as those efforts are detailed in court those contracts won't mean shit

[Edited on December 11, 2012 at 10:39 PM. Reason : t]

12/11/2012 10:38:21 PM

the players know the risks

12/11/2012 10:40:10 PM

Quote :

"And he was also part of the League leadership that downplayed and denied the impact that continued head trauma had on players in their later lives, thus helping to create the problem that a lot of his policies and decisions have been trying to alleviate."

Alright now that's just ridiculous. You can't pin everything that the league has done since the 80s on Goodell. I was talking about what HE has done, not what the LEAGUE has done. And even if he was the main one downplaying head trauma, who cares? Are these football not intelligent enough to realize a career of debilitating hits could cause them trouble later in life? Especially in a game that concussions are common in? They know it's football. That's why they are getting paid millions.

Quote :

"Really? You don't think "this bounty program crap" has affected the game? The Saints lost their Super Bowl-winning head coach, defensive coordinator, GM, and several players for significant periods of time. The Rams lost a very good defensive coordinator. I think the season would have played out very, very differently had Goodell not been looking so hard for a few patsy/scapegoats."

Um, no. The only player the saints lost was Vilma, I'm not sure about hargrove, but Will Smith has actually been playing this year, and Fujita isn't even on the team anymore. The GM, really doesn't have an effect once the season begins, the defense sucked before the coordinator wasn't there, and I'll give you that the coach could make a difference... but no, the season would not have played out very very differently at all. The falcons would still be winning the division, and best case scenario the Saints would be in a wildcard spot. The Rams... no, they'd still be about the same.

12/12/2012 1:57:39 AM

Quote :

"Will Smith has actually been playing this year"

after serving his 4-game suspension

12/12/2012 2:01:08 AM

I'm just gonna leave this here:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20121211/saints-bounties-overturned/?hpt=hp_t3


(I'm sure there will be a bunch more in the next couple of days)

12/12/2012 12:10:40 PM

i just dont see what is so bad about paying players to hit hard

12/12/2012 4:53:07 PM

^the NFL doesn't want to see real defense being played, because it scares off the casual fans.

12/12/2012 6:13:23 PM

I'm going to chalk that up as some serious troll bait, because I really hope someone couldn't be that ignorant

[Edited on December 12, 2012 at 6:52 PM. Reason : my god]

12/12/2012 6:51:48 PM

even though you and i disagree, i respect your fervor

much more than ^^(^), because no no that's not trolling, that's the majority of folks, actually.

12/12/2012 6:55:00 PM

it's a very nuanced issue

of course there is a serious problem with player safety and life after football and of course something has to be done to keep the league alive in the future, it's just I think (along with many others) that this was the wrong way to attempt to put all of your eggs in your basket in an extremely transparent way to save face

he's proven to care more about profit than player safety on many occasions, this has just been his most vocal (and biggest failure to) talk about the safety issue

/soap box

12/12/2012 7:14:30 PM