NFL: Al-Jazeera-implicated players must speak or face suspension

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From Florio:

NFL prepares to use Brady precedent to force cooperation with PED investigation

The obvious headline from the letter sent Monday by the NFL to the NFL Players Association regarding the Al Jazeera investigation is that the league has threatened to suspend Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, Packers linebacker Julius Peppers, Steelers linebacker James Harrison, and free-agent defensive lineman Mike Neal if they don’t submit to interviews by August 25. The deeper message comes from the NFL’s use of the precedent created by the Tom Brady suspension, appeal, and litigation to threaten the players with suspension for failure to cooperate with a league investigation.

Armed with the immense power given to the Commissioner by the federal appeals court ruling in the Brady case, the league can now disregard the terms of the PED policy and invoke Article 46 to compel cooperation with an investigation under the PED policy, despite the plain terms of the PED policy. Before Brady, no player had ever been suspended for failing to cooperate with or obstructing a league investigation. Now, based on the Brady precedent, the NFL has a hammer that it never specifically obtained through bargaining.

Pulling the controversy out of the PED policy also allows the NFL to avoid the neutral arbitration process that was adopted in 2014 for PED violations. Instead, it will be the Commissioner who will handle the appeal of the indefinite suspension that will be imposed on Matthews, Peppers, Harrison, and Neal — and the Commissioner surely will uphold the approach taken by those who work for him.
 
If the commish suspended TB for a situation he equated to steroid use, what is his penalty for , you know, actual steroid use?
 
At least the commish is wielding his power in a consistent manner
except for letting Manninhgh off the hook completely.

Manninhgh followed Cris Carter's advice and had a fall guy...his wife. Plus he had goons who were dispatched to the snitch's house for intimidation and to the clinic which gave full access so they could sanitize his records. Note to Goodell...that's classic obstruction so hop on that with as much force as you're using against these other players.

We'll see how this plays out. Maybe we'll be able to add the Packers and Steelers ownership/fans to the growing list of owners/fanbases who already hate Goodell and the job he's doing as commish.

1. Saints - Bountygate
2. Dolphins - Bullygate
3. Ravens - Ricegate
4. Patriots - Deflategate
5. Vikings - ADgate

Pending:
6. Packers
7. Steelers

Plus I'm certain there's a contingent of Cowboys and Redskins fans who resent cap space being taken from their clubs as the penalty for spending over the cap in the "uncapped" year even though Jerrah and Rog have kissed and made up. Strange we haven't heard a peep out of Snyder. Some people don't get mad, but they do get even. We're waiting, Dan.
 
From Pats Pulpit. I am not sure the PA/players will wait until 2021 to settle the issue of article 46 and Roger's abuse of it.

Roger Goodell and the NFL is trying to ruin the careers of four more players

By Rich Hill  @PP_Rich_Hill on Aug 16, 2016, 5:00a

The NFL commissioner is taking the power granted from DeflateGate and using it immediately.

 TWEET SHARE (7) PIN
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is taking the power granted to him under article 46 of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and shoving it down the players’ throats.

Goodell ruined the career of Saints DT Anthony Hargrove because the NFL failed to admit that they were wrong during BountyGate. Patriots QB Tom Brady will serve a four-game suspension this season because Goodell had to save face with the owners after spending millions on a tainted investigation.

Now Goodell is trying to suspend the players named in the Al Jazeera America documentary on steroid use for an indefinite period of time.

"For those players whose interviews do not take place on or before [Aug. 25], or who fail meaningfully to participate in or otherwise obstruct the interview, their actions will constitute conduct detrimental and they will be suspended, separate and apart from any possible future determination that they violated the steroid policy," NFL vice president of labor policy and league affairs Adolpho Birch wrote. "The suspension for each such player will begin on Friday, August 26 and will continue until he has fully participated in an interview with league investigators, after which the Commissioner will determine whether and when the suspension should be lifted."

Patriots fans should recognize the intentional word choice of “conduct detrimental” and realize that this penalty is two-fold. These players are going to be suspended for not speaking with the league in addition to whatever future suspension comes with the steroid policy.

Goodell has unilateral ability to determine whether or not a player has performed “conduct detrimental” to the league and can suspend the player as he wishes, with few exceptions (ie: there is already a penalty structure in place that aligns perfectly with what the player is alleged to have done).

Fans that threw confetti in the air when the courts ruled in Goodell’s favor over Brady should realize that this means that Goodell is going to impose his power on every player that steps out of line. If the four players in the Al Jazeera America report- Packers defenders Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews III, Steelers defender James Harrison, and free agent defender Mike Neal- don’t speak with the NFL investigation, they will never play another down of football.

Retired quarterback Peyton Manning was the fifth NFL player listed in the report and he complied with the league “investigation” because he wants to have a future role in an NFL front office. I don’t think a single person on the planet believes the investigation into Manning was given the same resources and attention as the one into Brady. It certainly didn’t have as many leaks from the NFL office.

This isn’t to say that these players didn’t do anything wrong. I wouldn’t be shocked if all five were a part of the drug delivery scheme that was laid out in the documentary, but has since been recanted. But the obvious animosity between the NFL and the NFLPA due to the past behavior and poor track record of Goodell and the league office feeds the desire of the players to fight back.

In reality, Goodell’s move here has nothing to do with performing enhancing drugs (PEDs), or upholding the “integrity of the league.” It’s about the NFL league office flexing the muscles granted to it under the CBA and the United States legal system. Goodell wants the NFL Players Association to bend to his every whim.

I can’t wait for the next lockout when the CBA ends in 2021.
 
chevss454 said:
At least the commish is wielding his power in a consistent manner
except for letting Manninhgh off the hook completely.

Manninhgh followed Cris Carter's advice and had a fall guy...his wife. Plus he had goons who were dispatched to the snitch's house for intimidation and to the clinic which gave full access so they could sanitize his records. Note to Goodell...that's classic obstruction so hop on that with as much force as you're using against these other players.

We'll see how this plays out. Maybe we'll be able to add the Packers and Steelers ownership/fans to the growing list of owners/fanbases who already hate Goodell and the job he's doing as commish.

1. Saints - Bountygate
2. Dolphins - Bullygate
3. Ravens - Ricegate
4. Patriots - Deflategate
5. Vikings - ADgate

Pending:
6. Packers
7. Steelers

Plus I'm certain there's a contingent of Cowboys and Redskins fans who resent cap space being taken from their clubs as the penalty for spending over the cap in the "uncapped" year even though Jerrah and Rog have kissed and made up. Strange we haven't heard a peep out of Snyder. Some people don't get mad, but they do get even. We're waiting, Dan.
Click to expand...

Except the Fins and Ratbird fans are clueless because Incognito is "just a guard" and Rice sucked at the time anyways. Add to that no team penalties. They really don't understand, or care to understand, what happened.

Boys and Skins fans still don't really know what happened to their teams and it happened 5 years ago, so with short memories, they have no clue.

Vikes fans are about to find out when they have to play the 1st half of the season without AP.

The Pack and Steelers remain to be seen. Let's see which players cave.
 
We've said this all along. That the other players and fans who cheered when Brady was hammered by the league, that there would come a time when the smiles would fall very quickly from their faces.

Because of one simple fact. If Goodell and the league could do what they did to Tom, the poster boy of the NFL, clean cut, never involved in any scandals, a proven winner, all American lad and one of the most recognisable and successful athletes in all sport; then they can do this to anybody.

That's what all players should have realised very quickly. A total BS charge levied at a player with no proof of any wrongdoing, yet they dragged this fantastic advertisement for the league through hell, tarnished his name and reputation, all to satisfy the ego of a little dictator egged on my bitter old men.

You would think players would think very clearly, "s**t, it they can do that to Tommy, what happens next time it's one of us?" Some players did get it, guys like Sherman could see the dangers straight away. But too many stood silent when they should have spoken up.

This was a dangerous happening from the word go for all players, it rode roughshod over all basic decency and fairness.
 
bideau said:
Except the Fins and Ratbird fans are clueless because Incognito is "just a guard" and Rice sucked at the time anyways. Add to that no team penalties. They really don't understand, or care to understand, what happened.

Boys and Skins fans still don't really know what happened to their teams and it happened 5 years ago, so with short memories, they have no clue.

Vikes fans are about to find out when they have to play the 1st half of the season without AP.

The Pack and Steelers remain to be seen. Let's see which players cave.
Click to expand...

AP will not miss any games. He just has to pay out his game checks.
 
Roberto71 said:
We've said this all along. That the other players and fans who cheered when Brady was hammered by the league, that there would come a time when the smiles would fall very quickly from their faces.

Because of one simple fact. If Goodell and the league could do what they did to Tom, the poster boy of the NFL, clean cut, never involved in any scandals, a proven winner, all American lad and one of the most recognisable and successful athletes in all sport; then they can do this to anybody.

That's what all players should have realised very quickly. A total BS charge levied at a player with no proof of any wrongdoing, yet they dragged this fantastic advertisement for the league through hell, tarnished his name and reputation, all to satisfy the ego of a little dictator egged on my bitter old men.

You would think players would think very clearly, "s**t, it they can do that to Tommy, what happens next time it's one of us?" Some players did get it, guys like Sherman could see the dangers straight away. But too many stood silent when they should have spoken up.

This was a dangerous happening from the word go for all players, it rode roughshod over all basic decency and fairness.
Click to expand...

Screw the other players, screw the rest of the league.
I hope every single one of them feel some pain.

Mazz22 said:
AP will not miss any games. He just has to pay out his game checks.
Click to expand...

My bad. So we can remove Viking fans from the list. They're happy as can be.
 
Goodell and Peyton are opportunistic sycophants with daddy complexes.
 
chevss454 said:
at least the commish is wielding his power in a consistent manner
except for letting manninhgh off the hook completely.

Manninhgh followed cris carter's advice and had a fall guy...his wife. Plus he had goons who were dispatched to the snitch's house for intimidation and to the clinic which gave full access so they could sanitize his records. Note to goodell...that's classic obstruction so hop on that with as much force as you're using against these other players.

We'll see how this plays out. Maybe we'll be able to add the packers and steelers ownership/fans to the growing list of owners/fanbases who already hate goodell and the job he's doing as commish.

1. Saints - bountygate
2. Dolphins - bullygate
3. Ravens - ricegate
4. Patriots - deflategate & spygate - 2 1sts robbed
5. Vikings - adgate

pending:
6. Packers
7. Steelers

plus i'm certain there's a contingent of cowboys and redskins fans who resent cap space being taken from their clubs as the penalty for spending over the cap in the "uncapped" year even though jerrah and rog have kissed and made up. Strange we haven't heard a peep out of snyder. Some people don't get mad, but they do get even. We're waiting, dan.
Click to expand...

fyp
 
Integrity:

Brady and alleged deflated footballs investigation proceeds with the intensity and speed of response like a cigarette flipped out the highway window in drought season brushfire.

HgH? Let's wait until Pey-Pey wraps this up, the draft passes, TC and pre-season starts. Yeah. Then we'll talk.

And no, not at your house Mr. scary Harrison.
 
Curt Menefee ‏<s>@</s>curtmenefee <small class="time"> </small>
By threatening suspension 4 not cooperating re unsubstantiated claims, NFL just made it heckuva lot easier 4 public to blackmail players


Pay up or I'll make a statement implicating your rich ass. :cool:
 
Conduct detrimental charges make all other violations in the CBA superfluous, and the range is vast.
 
Since I am firmly convinced the NFL does nothing without thoughts of how it's going to effect the pocketbook let me make this prediction.

For the next 3-4 years Roger will be a total Faquad, his draconian disciplinary edicts will make it look like Brady got off lightly and AP received a slap on the wrist. The NFLPA and most of the leagues fans will be beside themselves with rage.

When negotiations kick off the disciplinary process will be at the top of the Union's list, and the League will be willing to negotiate, for a steep price.
 
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