Ray Rice's Domestic Abuse Presser Sends Wrong Message (1 Viewer)

[Arsenal of Doom]

Bill Simmons killing Goodell in here.

 

[timschochet]

What we do know is that Mortensen's source told him contemporaneous with the Goodell meeting that Rice hit Janay "hard." And, of course, even without the tape, Goodell had other avenues to clear up any ambiguities. At a bare minimum, if Rice told Goodell he "hit" Janay, Goodell should have asked a number of questions to clarify any ambiguities. "How hard did you hit her?" "Did you use a closed fist?" He should have asked Janay the same questions (and should have asked her without Rice and the Ravens officials present).

Which is to say nothing about the fact that the NFL's investigators could have asked casino employees who saw the tape to describe the incident as well. It's disingenuous of the NFL to suggest that the only evidence available was the tape or Rice's characterization of the incident. And if the NFL is saying that Rice misled them, they should come out and say that and not rely on weaselly language like "ambiguities."

great points. I don't see how anyone can dispute this.

 

[The Commish]

What we do know is that Mortensen's source told him contemporaneous with the Goodell meeting that Rice hit Janay "hard." And, of course, even without the tape, Goodell had other avenues to clear up any ambiguities. At a bare minimum, if Rice told Goodell he "hit" Janay, Goodell should have asked a number of questions to clarify any ambiguities. "How hard did you hit her?" "Did you use a closed fist?" He should have asked Janay the same questions (and should have asked her without Rice and the Ravens officials present).

Which is to say nothing about the fact that the NFL's investigators could have asked casino employees who saw the tape to describe the incident as well. It's disingenuous of the NFL to suggest that the only evidence available was the tape or Rice's characterization of the incident. And if the NFL is saying that Rice misled them, they should come out and say that and not rely on weaselly language like "ambiguities."

The fact that Rice didn't say it was an accident and she was unconscious when the elevator doors opened seems like it's enough to understand the gravity of what happened. I'm not sure closed fist / open hand whatever really matters. We know he hit her hard enough that she was knocked out. Goodell felt that was worthy of a 2 game suspension.

 

[Joseph]

What we do know is that Mortensen's source told him contemporaneous with the Goodell meeting that Rice hit Janay "hard." And, of course, even without the tape, Goodell had other avenues to clear up any ambiguities. At a bare minimum, if Rice told Goodell he "hit" Janay, Goodell should have asked a number of questions to clarify any ambiguities. "How hard did you hit her?" "Did you use a closed fist?" He should have asked Janay the same questions (and should have asked her without Rice and the Ravens officials present).

Which is to say nothing about the fact that the NFL's investigators could have asked casino employees who saw the tape to describe the incident as well. It's disingenuous of the NFL to suggest that the only evidence available was the tape or Rice's characterization of the incident. And if the NFL is saying that Rice misled them, they should come out and say that and not rely on weaselly language like "ambiguities."

It seems like what most likely happened is that Rice told the NFL he hit her and she was knocked out, they were fine with that, and didn't realize exactly how violent it looks to hit someone hard enough to knock them out. Then they saw the video and realized, "Oh ####, that looked a lot more like an MMA knockout than a slapping scuffle so we'd better do something different."

The "ambiguities" weren't in what they were told, but in how they perceived it.

Which is still all bull####, but that's probably what happened.

 

[Doug B]

Is anyone else getting the impression that the NFL's "independent investigation" gambit is working? Discussion of this issue has already gone stale in the Shark Pool and, to a lesser extent, in this thread.

That's because the beast is no longer being fed. If TMZ or somebody does't come out with an immense smoking gun very soon, Goodell is in the clear. In saying that, I am assuming the "independent investigation" presents no findings until February 2015 (cf. Incognito-Martin).

 

[Dondante]

Is anyone else getting the impression that the NFL's "independent investigation" gambit is working? Discussion of this issue has already gone stale in the Shark Pool and, to a lesser extent, in this thread.

That's because the beast is no longer being fed. If TMZ or somebody does't come out with an immense smoking gun very soon, Goodell is in the clear. In saying that, I am assuming the "independent investigation" presents no findings until February 2015 (cf. Incognito-Martin).

Good. He deserves to lose his job about as much as Rice deserves to keep his.

 

[fatness]

NFL finally contacts casino according to TMZ.

To find out who leaked the video.

NFL officials belatedly contacted the Revel Casino Wednesday ... attempting to find out if someone sent the Ray Rice elevator attack video to a League official back in April.

We're told the NFL is trying to find who was in a position to send a video to the League.

Sources familiar with the internal investigation tell TMZ ... the NFL was told casino employees burned 3 DVDs for distribution shortly after the incident. One DVD was burned for the Risk Management department at the Casino.

A second DVD was burned for Casino Security Investigations. We're told this DVD was supposed to be forwarded to local police.

As for the third DVD ... it's curious. We're told it went to a state law enforcement agency. Our sources would not reveal which agency or why the State of New Jersey was involved.

Our sources say just before the casino closed down ... the original version -- not the dub -- was sent over to Risk Management so it could be secured. We're told the risk manager who had received the first copy had left the casino, so her replacement received the original. We do not know if the replacement ever got the dub her predecessor received.

We're told the NFL contacted the casino Wednesday AFTER a report surfaced that someone at the NFL received a DVD back in April.

So on Wednesday the league was already investigating who leaked the video to the league. Not Mueller. The league. So who's running this investigation? And why are Mara and Rooney directing the scope of it?

On Thursday the league says Mueller is ready to start his investigation any time.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/11/rooney-mara-say-mueller-report-findings-will-be-shared-with-public/

“We have spoken with Mr. Mueller today, and he has informed us he is prepared to begin immediately,” Mara and Rooney said. “No timeline was established and we stressed that he should take as much time as necessary to complete a thorough investigation. We agreed that the scope of the investigation should be aimed at getting answers to specific questions, including what efforts were made by league staff to obtain the video of what took place inside the elevator and to determine whether, in fact, the video was ever delivered to someone at the league office, and if so, what happened to the video after it was delivered.”

 

[fatness]

Is anyone else getting the impression that the NFL's "independent investigation" gambit is working?

The "independent" investigation is to keep sponsors from bolting, and keep owners from bailing on their support for Goodell. It may accomplish both those things, at least for now.

 

[timschochet]

Is anyone else getting the impression that the NFL's "independent investigation" gambit is working? Discussion of this issue has already gone stale in the Shark Pool and, to a lesser extent, in this thread.

That's because the beast is no longer being fed. If TMZ or somebody does't come out with an immense smoking gun very soon, Goodell is in the clear. In saying that, I am assuming the "independent investigation" presents no findings until February 2015 (cf. Incognito-Martin).

yes- maybe. Don't forget that all of us here and in the Shark Pool are NFL fans, so we're going to be focused on the games no matter what happens. I think the key to this situation are the people not normally related to sports like NOW and the like. If they start staging public protests, and sponsors start getting nervous, that could possibly result in more immediate action.

 

[Dondante]

Is anyone else getting the impression that the NFL's "independent investigation" gambit is working?

The "independent" investigation is to keep sponsors from bolting, and keep owners from bailing on their support for Goodell. It may accomplish both those things, at least for now.

Why would the owners bail on Goodell?

 

[Henry Ford]

Real issue here is tone deafness. World evolves. NFL's views on player health and treatment of women don't. Goodell is a caveman and the league needs to evolve too or lose

sponsors.

Not really, the real issue is that there is tape of the event. NFL players have been smacking women around regularly for years and the media and general public hasn't blinked an eye.

That's because they smack women around less often than the general public.

Link?

I'm guessing he was talking about this. Obviously it's a little more complicated than just comparing arrest rates, though. Rich people don't get arrested nearly as much generally, and with domestic violence it's safe to assume that wealth plays an even bigger role (battered spouse has much more to lose if they report the crime). There's also the fact that their fame probably keeps them out of trouble on occasion- see for example the worst of the various Roethlisberger cases, where the starry-eyed cops clearly didn't do their job.

My guess would be that once you adjust for economic status their rate is way above average.

Yeah. Comparing the NFL arrest rate to the relative victimization rates of people making "over $75,000.00 per year" isn't exactly a reasonable income adjustment. And restricting general data to 20-27 year olds should mean that only NFL 20-27 year olds are taken into account in the comparison. That article is terrible.

Do you have something better?

If I didn't have a hammer and someone handed me a dog turd to use instead, I wouldn't use it even if I didn't have something better.

 

[Henry Ford]

http://www.upworthy.com/the-4-terrifying-dating-secrets-abusers-are-counting-on-you-not-knowing?c=ufb1

On the issue of "how does this kind of relationship happen? and "why don't women just leave?"

 

[Arsenal of Doom]

Is anyone else getting the impression that the NFL's "independent investigation" gambit is working? Discussion of this issue has already gone stale in the Shark Pool and, to a lesser extent, in this thread.

That's because the beast is no longer being fed. If TMZ or somebody does't come out with an immense smoking gun very soon, Goodell is in the clear. In saying that, I am assuming the "independent investigation" presents no findings until February 2015 (cf. Incognito-Martin).

No. The media isn't likely to sit back and wait for the independent investigators, and now everyone will be trying to track down casino employees, lawyers, anyone who had access to the tape trying to figure out how to pin it back on the NFL. Too much blood is already in the water, Goodell is done.

 

[fatness]

Is anyone else getting the impression that the NFL's "independent investigation" gambit is working?

The "independent" investigation is to keep sponsors from bolting, and keep owners from bailing on their support for Goodell. It may accomplish both those things, at least for now.

Why would the owners bail on Goodell?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2014/09/11/owners-prepared-to-oust-roger-goodell-if-investigation-shows-egregious-misconduct/

 

[JaxBill]

A well-written and very sobering look at Ray Rice and the cycle of domestic abuse

http://deadspin.com/the-only-thing-unusual-about-ray-and-janay-rice-is-that-1633583402

 

[Doug B]

Thought experiment, situation hypothetical:

Centerplate CEO Des Hague was recently fired after footage of him mistreating a dog was made public. Would Roger Goodell face similar sanction if a comparable video of him mistreating a dog was made public?

 

[fatness]

Question on another site

Q: So I have to wait for someone Goodell hired to find out if Goodell is lying?

 

[Dondante]

Is anyone else getting the impression that the NFL's "independent investigation" gambit is working?

The "independent" investigation is to keep sponsors from bolting, and keep owners from bailing on their support for Goodell. It may accomplish both those things, at least for now.

Why would the owners bail on Goodell?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2014/09/11/owners-prepared-to-oust-roger-goodell-if-investigation-shows-egregious-misconduct/

From the article "...Thursday that the media and others are focusing wrongly on the potential missteps by Goodell rather than on the misconduct of Rice."

Pretty much. I'm glad that the players are getting closer to realizing their dream of a) getting a prominent white man fired and b) being more comfortable taking punishment from a black commissioner. The Goodell witch hunt is nearly as disgusting as Rice's act.

 

[Doug B]

If they start staging public protests, and sponsors start getting nervous, that could possibly result in more immediate action.

NFL sponsors have feet of clay -- there'd have been some pullouts by now if the choice was to pull ads from, say, The Big Bang Theory as opposed to NFL games.

That said - I have wondered how stakeholders would truly respond to protest in numbers at NFL stadiums? The number of protesters at each venue would have to be counted in the thousands, though -- a few dozen diehards with signs and bullhorns won't cut it.

 

[Henry Ford]

A well-written and very sobering look at Ray Rice and the cycle of domestic abuse

http://deadspin.com/the-only-thing-unusual-about-ray-and-janay-rice-is-that-1633583402

Very well written and considered. Thumbs up.

 

[Doug B]

Why would the owners bail on Goodell?

There are conceivable, if contrived, reasons the owners could bail on Goodell. Whether the threshhold is even beginning to be met here with the Ray Rice fallout remains to be seen -- though I think Goodell is beginning to trend up.

 

[Dondante]

Why would the owners bail on Goodell?

There are conceivable, if contrived, reasons the owners could bail on Goodell. Whether the threshhold is even beginning to be met here with the Ray Rice fallout remains to be seen -- though I think Goodell is beginning to trend up.

The only thing that could even come close to a justifiable reason to remove Goodell is if he can be directly linked to any kind of cover-up. Anything that's been brought forth to this point is not substantial enough to dismiss him. No matter how much the Vilma crowd wants it to be so.

 

[timschochet]

Vilma crowd? I don't get the reference.

 

[Doug B]

The only thing that could even come close to a justifiable reason to remove Goodell is if he can be directly linked to any kind of cover-up. Anything that's been brought forth to this point is not substantial enough to dismiss him. No matter how much the Vilma crowd wants it to be so.

I meant "conceivable" as in "imagineable, and not necessarily related to the Ray Rice fallout". Your response in post #1211 suggested to me that you were thinking that, in an absolute sense, there was really nothing that Goodell could do to ever get himself ousted.

 

[Doug B]

Vilma crowd? I don't get the reference.

Narrowly -- Jonathan Vilma, Scott Fujita, and others directly affected by the 2012 Bountygate flap.

Broadly -- same group, plus James Harrison and other players who have publicly aired vitriol against Goodell.

...

Dondante, I don't think any moves to oust Goodell are driven by NFL players. Players are largely reduced to taking potshots on Twitter.

 

[timschochet]

Vilma crowd? I don't get the reference.

Narrowly -- Jonathan Vilma, Scott Fujita, and others directly affected by the 2012 Bountygate flap.

Broadly -- same group, plus James Harrison and other players who have publicly aired vitriol against Goodell.

so according to this guy, they're the ones behind getting rid of Goodell? Not the women's groups or anyone outraged by this story? It's just Saints fans trying to get even?

 

[TobiasFunke]

Vilma crowd? I don't get the reference.

Narrowly -- Jonathan Vilma, Scott Fujita, and others directly affected by the 2012 Bountygate flap.

Broadly -- same group, plus James Harrison and other players who have publicly aired vitriol against Goodell.

so according to this guy, they're the ones behind getting rid of Goodell? Not the women's groups or anyone outraged by this story? It's just Saints fans trying to get even?

My link

 

[The Commish]

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Vilma crowd? I don't get the reference.

Think Flintstones.

 

[timschochet]

Vilma crowd? I don't get the reference.

Think Flintstones.

you mean the German version?

 

[Doug B]

It's just Saints fans trying to get even?

No ... if I'm following him right, it's NFL players behind the scenes pulling strings.

Although -- you have to ask: does DeMaurice Smith truly have nothing to say at all?

 

[Emerson Biggens]

The 49ers have suspended radio broadcaster Ted Robinson for 2 games because he suggested that Janay should have spoken up right after the incident, and for calling her pathetic for marrying Rice after the incident.

iBeing in the position he is in he shouldn't have said it publicly, but I agree with both things. She's an idiot. Why marry the POS?

 

[TobiasFunke]

The 49ers have suspended radio broadcaster Ted Robinson for 2 games because he suggested that Janay should have spoken up right after the incident, and for calling her pathetic for marrying Rice after the incident.

iBeing in the position he is in he shouldn't have said it publicly, but I agree with both things. She's an idiot. Why marry the POS?

http://www.domesticabuseproject.com/get-educated/compelling-reasons-women-stay/

 

[TheIronSheik]

Vilma crowd? I don't get the reference.

Think Flintstones.

you mean the German version?

Interesting. A loudmouth guy with black hair ordering around a blonde guy?

 

[chet]

My boxing coach said this to me this morning:

I saw that Ray Rice video. I wish my left was that quick.

 

[Tom Servo]

Is anyone else getting the impression that the NFL's "independent investigation" gambit is working? Discussion of this issue has already gone stale in the Shark Pool and, to a lesser extent, in this thread.

That's because the beast is no longer being fed. If TMZ or somebody does't come out with an immense smoking gun very soon, Goodell is in the clear. In saying that, I am assuming the "independent investigation" presents no findings until February 2015 (cf. Incognito-Martin).

As I said upthread....

 

[Tom Servo]

Vilma crowd? I don't get the reference.

Think Flintstones.

you mean the German version?

Nice job Tim.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

Is anyone else getting the impression that the NFL's "independent investigation" gambit is working?

The "independent" investigation is to keep sponsors from bolting, and keep owners from bailing on their support for Goodell. It may accomplish both those things, at least for now.

Why would the owners bail on Goodell?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2014/09/11/owners-prepared-to-oust-roger-goodell-if-investigation-shows-egregious-misconduct/

Has an owner said anything negative about him yet? The only 2 I have heard had nothing but good things to say about him. He also makes them just a little bit of money and tries to keep their players on the field.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Is anyone else getting the impression that the NFL's "independent investigation" gambit is working?

The "independent" investigation is to keep sponsors from bolting, and keep owners from bailing on their support for Goodell. It may accomplish both those things, at least for now.

Why would the owners bail on Goodell?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2014/09/11/owners-prepared-to-oust-roger-goodell-if-investigation-shows-egregious-misconduct/

Has an owner said anything negative about him yet? The only 2 I have heard had nothing but good things to say about him. He also makes them just a little bit of money and tries to keep their players on the field.

A commissioner is basically the owners' chief employee, spokesperson and public face. You don't #### on someone in that role until they're out the door.

 

[jonessed]

Real issue here is tone deafness. World evolves. NFL's views on player health and treatment of women don't. Goodell is a caveman and the league needs to evolve too or lose

sponsors.

Not really, the real issue is that there is tape of the event. NFL players have been smacking women around regularly for years and the media and general public hasn't blinked an eye.

That's because they smack women around less often than the general public.

Link?

I'm guessing he was talking about this. Obviously it's a little more complicated than just comparing arrest rates, though. Rich people don't get arrested nearly as much generally, and with domestic violence it's safe to assume that wealth plays an even bigger role (battered spouse has much more to lose if they report the crime). There's also the fact that their fame probably keeps them out of trouble on occasion- see for example the worst of the various Roethlisberger cases, where the starry-eyed cops clearly didn't do their job.

My guess would be that once you adjust for economic status their rate is way above average.

Yeah. Comparing the NFL arrest rate to the relative victimization rates of people making "over $75,000.00 per year" isn't exactly a reasonable income adjustment. And restricting general data to 20-27 year olds should mean that only NFL 20-27 year olds are taken into account in the comparison. That article is terrible.

Do you have something better?

If I didn't have a hammer and someone handed me a dog turd to use instead, I wouldn't use it even if I didn't have something better.

The guy does a good job of accounting for salary and age in his comparisons. In fact, given the data he seems to have gone to great lengths to make the comparisons as accurate as possible. It certainly beats the hell out of guessing.

 

[Henry Ford]

Real issue here is tone deafness. World evolves. NFL's views on player health and treatment of women don't. Goodell is a caveman and the league needs to evolve too or lose

sponsors.

Not really, the real issue is that there is tape of the event. NFL players have been smacking women around regularly for years and the media and general public hasn't blinked an eye.

That's because they smack women around less often than the general public.

Link?

I'm guessing he was talking about this. Obviously it's a little more complicated than just comparing arrest rates, though. Rich people don't get arrested nearly as much generally, and with domestic violence it's safe to assume that wealth plays an even bigger role (battered spouse has much more to lose if they report the crime). There's also the fact that their fame probably keeps them out of trouble on occasion- see for example the worst of the various Roethlisberger cases, where the starry-eyed cops clearly didn't do their job.

My guess would be that once you adjust for economic status their rate is way above average.

Yeah. Comparing the NFL arrest rate to the relative victimization rates of people making "over $75,000.00 per year" isn't exactly a reasonable income adjustment. And restricting general data to 20-27 year olds should mean that only NFL 20-27 year olds are taken into account in the comparison. That article is terrible.

Do you have something better?

If I didn't have a hammer and someone handed me a dog turd to use instead, I wouldn't use it even if I didn't have something better.

The guy does a good job of accounting for salary and age in his comparisons. In fact, given the data he seems to have gone to great lengths to make the comparisons as accurate as possible. It certainly beats the hell out of guessing.

I wholeheartedly disagree. The average age of a male in the U.S. is about 36. We wouldn't use the statistics for males age 35-39 to represent the "U.S. as a whole" statistics. Comparing the 25-29 statistics to the NFL as a whole just because the average age of an NFL team is around that number is similarly bad demographic equivalence.

The age in the NFL runs from 21 to 41 (turning 42 during the season.) Also, the writer uses a number of players for the year of 2,560 - that's 80 per team. However, there are only 80 players per team for part of the year, and the youngest of those players included in that 80 are often not included in the "average age" of an NFL team (practice squad, didn't make the team, undrafted free agents who never make it, etc.)

The salary is also seriously skewed by the "80 player" deal, too - a large number of those 2,560 players won't make $75,000 per year as a result of being cut, practice squaded for part of the year, etc. Many will make upwards of $1 million per year. $1 million per year is a big difference from $75,000.00 per year in a demographic issue, especially with arrest records and/or conviction records.

 

[pantagrapher]

Anyone see this Bill Polian interview? That should put any conspiracy talk to rest.

 

[Doug B]

Bill Simmons killing Goodell in here.

Must read for anyone following all this. Favorite quote:

... I agree with everything [one of his readers] wrote, especially this: “The Ravens and NFL were willing to embrace the man right up until public opinion made that a bad business move.”Perfect. That’s exactly what happened. And that’s my biggest issue with Goodell — it’s not just his tone deafness and his penchant for reacting instead of acting. He’s so freaking calculated. About everything. For eight years, he’s handled his business like some father of a high school kid who’s hosting a prom party, sees some unresponsive drunk kid sprawled across the bathroom floor, then thinks to himself, Crap, I might get sued, what do I do? instead of This kid might be hurt, we have to help him! He needs to go.

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

It is amazing how astute the NFL owners are, they play the public and media like a fiddle. Goodell is their puppet, bought and paid for by them. Almost nobody is taking to task Steve Bisciotti even though he was Ray Rice's employer and his organization basically blames the victim. Nope, everyone wants to fry Roger while the owners line their pockets and laugh at how easily it is to distract the sheep.

 

[TobiasFunke]

It is amazing how astute the NFL owners are, they play the public and media like a fiddle. Goodell is their puppet, bought and paid for by them. Almost nobody is taking to task Steve Bisciotti even though he was Ray Rice's employer and his organization basically blames the victim. Nope, everyone wants to fry Roger while the owners line their pockets and laugh at how easily it is to distract the sheep.

I kind of disagree. Maybe not Bisciotti personally, but the entire Ravens organization is getting absolutely killed, which is basically the same thing.

 

[Sammy3469]

It is amazing how astute the NFL owners are, they play the public and media like a fiddle. Goodell is their puppet, bought and paid for by them. Almost nobody is taking to task Steve Bisciotti even though he was Ray Rice's employer and his organization basically blames the victim. Nope, everyone wants to fry Roger while the owners line their pockets and laugh at how easily it is to distract the sheep.

I kind of disagree. Maybe not Bisciotti personally, but the entire Ravens organization is getting absolutely killed, which is basically the same thing.

Not really, Bisciotti is lying through his teeth (his own GM contradicts him) and no one is calling him on it (this is afterall the same team that's supported Ray Lewis and Suggs).

One of the reasons the owners are still behind Goodell is they know once he's gone, the media will be looking at them next. There's no way Bisciotti, Richardson, or the 49ers owner what questions about what they are doing right now.

 

[Doug B]

I kind of disagree. Maybe not Bisciotti personally, but the entire Ravens organization is getting absolutely killed, which is basically the same thing.

I wonder if any local sponsors are distancing themselves ever so slowly?

The pride of the Rice-jersey wearers last night has to give someone pause, you'd think.

 

[jonessed]

Real issue here is tone deafness. World evolves. NFL's views on player health and treatment of women don't. Goodell is a caveman and the league needs to evolve too or lose

sponsors.

Not really, the real issue is that there is tape of the event. NFL players have been smacking women around regularly for years and the media and general public hasn't blinked an eye.

That's because they smack women around less often than the general public.

Link?

I'm guessing he was talking about this. Obviously it's a little more complicated than just comparing arrest rates, though. Rich people don't get arrested nearly as much generally, and with domestic violence it's safe to assume that wealth plays an even bigger role (battered spouse has much more to lose if they report the crime). There's also the fact that their fame probably keeps them out of trouble on occasion- see for example the worst of the various Roethlisberger cases, where the starry-eyed cops clearly didn't do their job.

My guess would be that once you adjust for economic status their rate is way above average.

Yeah. Comparing the NFL arrest rate to the relative victimization rates of people making "over $75,000.00 per year" isn't exactly a reasonable income adjustment. And restricting general data to 20-27 year olds should mean that only NFL 20-27 year olds are taken into account in the comparison. That article is terrible.

Do you have something better?

If I didn't have a hammer and someone handed me a dog turd to use instead, I wouldn't use it even if I didn't have something better.

The guy does a good job of accounting for salary and age in his comparisons. In fact, given the data he seems to have gone to great lengths to make the comparisons as accurate as possible. It certainly beats the hell out of guessing.

I wholeheartedly disagree. The average age of a male in the U.S. is about 36. We wouldn't use the statistics for males age 35-39 to represent the "U.S. as a whole" statistics. Comparing the 25-29 statistics to the NFL as a whole just because the average age of an NFL team is around that number is similarly bad demographic equivalence.

The age in the NFL runs from 21 to 41 (turning 42 during the season.) Also, the writer uses a number of players for the year of 2,560 - that's 80 per team. However, there are only 80 players per team for part of the year, and the youngest of those players included in that 80 are often not included in the "average age" of an NFL team (practice squad, didn't make the team, undrafted free agents who never make it, etc.)

The salary is also seriously skewed by the "80 player" deal, too - a large number of those 2,560 players won't make $75,000 per year as a result of being cut, practice squaded for part of the year, etc. Many will make upwards of $1 million per year. $1 million per year is a big difference from $75,000.00 per year in a demographic issue, especially with arrest records and/or conviction records.

OK. You have described an ideal comparison. Assuming we have moved beyond guessing as the best accesible tool. How would you take the available data and make a better comparison?

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

It is amazing how astute the NFL owners are,

they play the public and media like a fiddle. Goodell is their puppet, bought and paid for by them. Almost nobody is taking to task Steve Bisciotti even though he was Ray Rice's

employer and his organization basically blames the victim. Nope, everyone wants to fry Roger while the owners line their pockets and laugh at how easily it is to distract the sheep.

I kind of disagree. Maybe not Bisciotti personally, but the entire Ravens organization is getting absolutely killed, which is basically the same

thing.

I must have missed all the calls for Bisciotti to sell the team and Ozzy & Cass to get fired.

 

[Steve Tasker]

It is amazing how astute the NFL owners are, they play the public and media like a fiddle. Goodell is their puppet, bought and paid for by them. Almost nobody is taking to task Steve Bisciotti even though he was Ray Rice's employer and his organization basically blames the victim. Nope, everyone wants to fry Roger while the owners line their pockets and laugh at how easily it is to distract the sheep.

I agree with this pretty much completely. My focus is on the Ravens ownership and top management and Rice himself. They should be ashamed of themselves.

The sad part is that I think every other NFL team would do pretty much the same thing the Ravens did. There are people playing in the NFL who've done worse than Rice, but as long as the video isn't plastered all over the internet and on every news channel, the owners will continue to willfully bury their heads in the sand to make a buck. Shameful.