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

[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.

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

Like i said, not Bisciotti personally, but the team is definitely getting a ton of heat. You wondered why nobody was critical of their "blame the victim" strategy but they got absolutely killed for that for a long time. Same goes for that insane blog column by their VP, Kevin Byrne defending Rice. People still rip them for that. Their rep is certainly damaged for a while; they'll be getting jokes like this one for the foreseeable future.

I think part of the reason everyone's gunning for Goodell is that this is just the latest and worst of a series of mistakes. And I agree that people have been letting the owner personally off the hook. I was just saying that they definitely haven't been letting the organization off the hook, nor should they of course.

 

[Doug B]

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.

Thinking further about this ... going forward, there will certainly be more "Ray Rice tapes" available.on other players doing other things. More cameras out there than ever, and the numbers just keep increasing. Not just everyone's phones, but surveillance/security camera set-ups being so much cheaper than it was in the past. The league can't afford to think that once the Ray Rice stuff blows over, they are in the clear forever more.

10,000 paper cuts can do a lot of damage.

 

[timschochet]

Bisciotti's failure to properly punish Rice in the first place and his subsequent attempt to mislead the public about it are, IMO, far worse than having a private conversation with your girlfriend in which you urge her not to be seen with black men.

 

[roadkill1292]

Bill Simmons killing Goodell in here.

We had a discussion recently in the Grantland thread about Simmons' previous Goodell column, where he was generally praised for his pointed criticism of one of ESPN's biggest partners.

In retrospect, while I enjoyed today's mailbag linked here, I think ESPN really doesn't care if the NFL gets roasted as long as it stays in the news. Yeah, too much poison can kill you, but having periodic scandals erupt drives interest in the league and eyeballs to Sports Center and dot.com. Without the icky stuff, it's just Shark Pool meat.

 

[roadkill1292]

Bisciotti's failure to properly punish Rice in the first place and his subsequent attempt to mislead the public about it are, IMO, far worse than having a private conversation with your girlfriend in which you urge her not to be seen with black men.

I renew my call for the NFL to be dismantled as condemned property and professional football re-established in a completely different structure.

Football is too important to be left to the Bisciottis of the world to run.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Bisciotti's failure to properly punish Rice in the first place and his subsequent attempt to mislead the public about it are, IMO, far worse than having a private conversation with your girlfriend in which you urge her not to be seen with black men.

Sterling's sin was not the conversation. His sin was being an unrepentant racist. The private conversation was simply one (overwhelming) piece of evidence of that. I think that if he'd immediately apologized, and come up with some crazy explanation for his comments, and if he didn't have a long history of racism prior to that conversation, he might still own the team. But that wasn't the case, because he's an unrepentant racist.

Maybe I missed something, but I'm not aware of anything Bisciotti has done that demonstrates a character flaw as bad as unrepentant racist.

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

world class spin right here:

“If this is a seminal moment for domestic violence and the way we handle it as a society, then that’s not a burden for us to be the poster boy. It’s not,” Bisciotti said. “Now, I’m embarrassed about it. But five years from now, if things have changed significantly for the better, I’ll be proud of it.”

 

[timschochet]

Bisciotti's failure to properly punish Rice in the first place and his subsequent attempt to mislead the public about it are, IMO, far worse than having a private conversation with your girlfriend in which you urge her not to be seen with black men.

Sterling's sin was not the conversation. His sin was being an unrepentant racist.

Not true, because the entire NBA knew about his racism for years. If that had been his sin, he would have been removed long since. Sterling got caught and was publicly exposed- THAT was his crime, just as in this case. The reason that the NFL is in so much trouble right now is because people are waking up to the fact that they will basically let players get away with anything so long as it can't be publicly proven. The NBA is the exact same way. Why did nobody ask the NBA Commissioner, "How long have you known Sterling was a racist?"

 

[TobiasFunke]

Bisciotti's failure to properly punish Rice in the first place and his subsequent attempt to mislead the public about it are, IMO, far worse than having a private conversation with your girlfriend in which you urge her not to be seen with black men.

Sterling's sin was not the conversation. His sin was being an unrepentant racist.

Not true, because the entire NBA knew about his racism for years. If that had been his sin, he would have been removed long since. Sterling got caught and was publicly exposed- THAT was his crime, just as in this case.The reason that the NFL is in so much trouble right now is because people are waking up to the fact that they will basically let players get away with anything so long as it can't be publicly proven. The NBA is the exact same way. Why did nobody ask the NBA Commissioner, "How long have you known Sterling was a racist?"

They may have known but they couldn't prove it in a way that the public (and the other owners) would find acceptable until they had the recording.

I honestly have no idea what point you're trying to make with the comparison. Also, I think you're totally wrong about why the NFL is in trouble right now- their biggest problems right now by far are gender issues and transparency/lying to the public, not discipline. The two situations are not remotely comparable, for many reasons.

 

[Sammy3469]

Bisciotti's failure to properly punish Rice in the first place and his subsequent attempt to mislead the public about it are, IMO, far worse than having a private conversation with your girlfriend in which you urge her not to be seen with black men.

Sterling's sin was not the conversation. His sin was being an unrepentant racist. The private conversation was simply one (overwhelming) piece of evidence of that. I think that if he'd immediately apologized, and come up with some crazy explanation for his comments, and if he didn't have a long history of racism prior to that conversation, he might still own the team. But that wasn't the case, because he's an unrepentant racist.

Maybe I missed something, but I'm not aware of anything Bisciotti has done that demonstrates a character flaw as bad as unrepentant racist.

I'm not sure the whole thing blows up in Sterling's face so badly if the recording wasn't also out there. If there's one similarity between these two case is that there is recorded evidence.

 

[timschochet]

Without the recording, Sterling would still be the owner of the Clippers, even though the NBA knew what kind of guy he was.

Without the 2nd video, Ray Rice would be getting ready right now to start in Week 3, even though the NFL and the Ravens knew what he did in that elevator.

And that's the comparison I'm making, though there are others to be made as well between the two incidents.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Without the recording, Sterling would still be the owner of the Clippers, even though the NBA knew what kind of guy he was.

Without the 2nd video, Ray Rice would be getting ready right now to start in Week 3, even though the NFL and the Ravens knew what he did in that elevator.

And that's the comparison I'm making, though there are others to be made as well between the two incidents.

That's not a comparison between Sterling and Bisciotti.

It's not really a comparison between Sterling and Rice either, in that you don't seem to have any sort of point as far as I can tell. It's more of a fact that's common to two different situations.

Unless your point is that recorded evidence of wrongdoing makes people look bad, and that businesses will account for that when they deal with those people? If that's your point, yes, I agree.

 

[timschochet]

So here's a theory I've been thinking about in my mind- it's only a theory, and I'm not sure how right it is. If you want to laugh at it, fine, but here goes:

Our social morality regarding domestic violence has changed since the 1940s and 50s. In those days, privacy trumped domestic violence. Beating up your wife was a crime, but somebody telling on you, whether it be your wife, a neighbor, or a friend, was considered to be a worse crime, at least in terms of public opinion. Basically society turned a blind eye and let people alone. That's why kids would show up to school badly bruised, and nobody would report anything. Women would show up in public battered, and nobody would say anything, and the woman would never say anything. It was "private business"; nobody interfered.

Since the woman's movement in the 1960s and evolving into today, that's all changed. Rape, child molestation, spousal abuse- these crimes get reported, and neighbors and friends feel a social duty to report them, which they didn't before the 1950s. (In the case of teachers, there is a legal duty as well.) EXCEPT- one of the longstanding criticisms of organized sports is that it represents perhaps the last throwback in our society to a more masculine age. This was discussed heavily during the Michael Sam story- how pro sports would be the last bastion of homophobia, for example, even after it had diminished in every aspect of society.

So if that's true about sports being a throwback, then maybe, in terms of domestic violence, the morality of the 1950s is still prevalent in organized sports: privacy is not to be interfered with. Which would explain the reluctance by the NFL to seek out the second videotape- not because they were trying to cover up anything, but because they felt intuitively that it was none of their business somehow. This would also explain why the authorities at Penn State appeared to be covering up for the actions of Sandusky- because they and Paterno somehow considered such stuff a "private affair."

Again, I'm not sure if I'm at all correct about any of this. So feel free to tear into me if you disagree.

 

[Doug B]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

 

[T Bell]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

I'd say so. They've been following it closely and haven't been afraid to nuke other media outlets for getting facts wrong.

 

[Joseph]

So here's a theory I've been thinking about in my mind- it's only a theory, and I'm not sure how right it is. If you want to laugh at it, fine, but here goes:

Our social morality regarding domestic violence has changed since the 1940s and 50s. In those days, privacy trumped domestic violence. Beating up your wife was a crime, but somebody telling on you, whether it be your wife, a neighbor, or a friend, was considered to be a worse crime, at least in terms of public opinion. Basically society turned a blind eye and let people alone. That's why kids would show up to school badly bruised, and nobody would report anything. Women would show up in public battered, and nobody would say anything, and the woman would never say anything. It was "private business"; nobody interfered.

Since the woman's movement in the 1960s and evolving into today, that's all changed. Rape, child molestation, spousal abuse- these crimes get reported, and neighbors and friends feel a social duty to report them, which they didn't before the 1950s. (In the case of teachers, there is a legal duty as well.) EXCEPT- one of the longstanding criticisms of organized sports is that it represents perhaps the last throwback in our society to a more masculine age. This was discussed heavily during the Michael Sam story- how pro sports would be the last bastion of homophobia, for example, even after it had diminished in every aspect of society.

So if that's true about sports being a throwback, then maybe, in terms of domestic violence, the morality of the 1950s is still prevalent in organized sports: privacy is not to be interfered with. Which would explain the reluctance by the NFL to seek out the second videotape- not because they were trying to cover up anything, but because they felt intuitively that it was none of their business somehow. This would also explain why the authorities at Penn State appeared to be covering up for the actions of Sandusky- because they and Paterno somehow considered such stuff a "private affair."

Again, I'm not sure if I'm at all correct about any of this. So feel free to tear into me if you disagree.

Whether that's the underlying reason for the situation is somewhat irrelevant imo. Those attitudes aren't acceptable anymore and the NFL and other "oldschool" mentality institutions will be dragged into the modern world whether they want to or not.

 

[Koya]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?

It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

Punch your wife out, risking her life and well being? 2 games

Lie to a guy that no longer deserves the respect he tried to earn as a bully? OOOOH. NOW you on trouble!

 

[Sammy3469]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?

It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

Punch your wife out, risking her life and well being? 2 games

Lie to a guy that no longer deserves the respect he tried to earn as a bully? OOOOH. NOW you on trouble!

That's the thing, everything I've read says Rice didn't lie to Goodell. He told him he knocked her out. I'm pretty convinced either the NFLPA or more likely Rice will be suing the NFL (can't wait for the discovery).

Goodell's just hoping this buys him enough time for the media glare to subside.

 

[The Commish]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

 

[Todd Andrews]

Goodell is spinning madly now.

The only people who believe this line of bs are Rooney, Mara, Kraft, and Christo.

 

[Koya]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

Class action? Have a bunch of others been subject to indefinite suspensions for "lying" to the Commish?

 

[RUSF18]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?

It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

Punch your wife out, risking her life and well being? 2 games

Lie to a guy that no longer deserves the respect he tried to earn as a bully? OOOOH. NOW you on trouble!

That's the thing, everything I've read says Rice didn't lie to Goodell. He told him he knocked her out. I'm pretty convinced either the NFLPA or more likely Rice will be suing the NFL (can't wait for the discovery).

Goodell's just hoping this buys him enough time for the media glare to subside.

And the police report said he knocked her out, and I think that was by his own admission. Either way, I doubt Goodell would be taking a player's word over what's written in a police report based on a victim's statement.

This is obviously a crock of ####.

 

[Henry Ford]

Goodell is spinning madly now.

The only people who believe this line of bs are Rooney, Mara, Kraft, and Christo.

Mmm.... Rooney Mara.

 

[Henry Ford]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

Class action? Have a bunch of others been subject to indefinite suspensions for "lying" to the Commish?

Yeah, I think that class may fail on numerosity grounds, counselors.

 

[Guest]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

League is tripling down on stupid. I agree that Goodell and his team set the NFL up for a very large wrongful termination suit - possible in the 10s of millions. Because Rice can claim that a process was followed and that the NFL conspired to break union and internal protocols by lying in order to suspend him and thereby severely limit his future career options / possibly end his career. I know what you're thinking, but he hit a woman... But that doesn't factor much in my opinion. Clearly, he should have gotten a more severe sentence initially, but he didn't and the arbitrary nature of the potentially career ending suspension is something the NFL's insurance company is going to have to settle. Goodell, in light of credible reports to the contrary, seems to be taking the line that Ray Rice lied in their meeting, and may be looking to employ the old Ronald Reagan "I can't recall" excuse. The insurance company is going to get to depositions and realize they're totally and utterly ####ed, and will end up writing a very large check before it goes to trial. Another stupid move that shows the reactive and deceptive nature of Goodell's "leadership."

 

[T Bell]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

League is tripling down on stupid. I agree that Goodell and his team set the NFL up for a very large wrongful termination suit - possible in the 10s of millions. Because Rice can claim that a process was followed and that the NFL conspired to break union and internal protocols by lying in order to suspend him and thereby severely limit his future career options / possibly end his career. I know what you're thinking, but he hit a woman... But that doesn't factor much in my opinion. Clearly, he should have gotten a more severe sentence initially, but he didn't and the arbitrary nature of the potentially career ending suspension is something the NFL's insurance company is going to have to settle. Goodell, in light of credible reports to the contrary, seems to be taking the line that Ray Rice lied in their meeting, and may be looking to employ the old Ronald Reagan "I can't recall" excuse. The insurance company is going to get to depositions and realize they're totally and utterly ####ed, and will end up writing a very large check before it goes to trial. Another stupid move that shows the reactive and deceptive nature of Goodell's "leadership."

I agree with this. I'm no Ray Rice fan, but the league and even his own team have decided to sacrifice his career to save face by greatly increasing the punishment on what was a settled matter (absent some further infraction on his part). Just add this to the list of things the NFL is doing embarrassingly wrong.

 

[The Commish]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

Class action? Have a bunch of others been subject to indefinite suspensions for "lying" to the Commish?

Not sure why I said "class action" Meant civil.

 

[The Commish]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

League is tripling down on stupid. I agree that Goodell and his team set the NFL up for a very large wrongful termination suit - possible in the 10s of millions. Because Rice can claim that a process was followed and that the NFL conspired to break union and internal protocols by lying in order to suspend him and thereby severely limit his future career options / possibly end his career. I know what you're thinking, but he hit a woman... But that doesn't factor much in my opinion. Clearly, he should have gotten a more severe sentence initially, but he didn't and the arbitrary nature of the potentially career ending suspension is something the NFL's insurance company is going to have to settle. Goodell, in light of credible reports to the contrary, seems to be taking the line that Ray Rice lied in their meeting, and may be looking to employ the old Ronald Reagan "I can't recall" excuse. The insurance company is going to get to depositions and realize they're totally and utterly ####ed, and will end up writing a very large check before it goes to trial. Another stupid move that shows the reactive and deceptive nature of Goodell's "leadership."

I agree with this. I'm no Ray Rice fan, but the league and even his own team have decided to sacrifice his career to save face by greatly increasing the punishment on what was a settled matter (absent some further infraction on his part). Just add this to the list of things the NFL is doing embarrassingly wrong.

Agreed....is it possible that in a civil case, Rice could win and be forced to give the "winnings" to charity....say some sort of battered women's cause or some such?

 

[Henry Ford]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

League is tripling down on stupid. I agree that Goodell and his team set the NFL up for a very large wrongful termination suit - possible in the 10s of millions. Because Rice can claim that a process was followed and that the NFL conspired to break union and internal protocols by lying in order to suspend him and thereby severely limit his future career options / possibly end his career. I know what you're thinking, but he hit a woman... But that doesn't factor much in my opinion. Clearly, he should have gotten a more severe sentence initially, but he didn't and the arbitrary nature of the potentially career ending suspension is something the NFL's insurance company is going to have to settle. Goodell, in light of credible reports to the contrary, seems to be taking the line that Ray Rice lied in their meeting, and may be looking to employ the old Ronald Reagan "I can't recall" excuse. The insurance company is going to get to depositions and realize they're totally and utterly ####ed, and will end up writing a very large check before it goes to trial. Another stupid move that shows the reactive and deceptive nature of Goodell's "leadership."

I agree with this. I'm no Ray Rice fan, but the league and even his own team have decided to sacrifice his career to save face by greatly increasing the punishment on what was a settled matter (absent some further infraction on his part). Just add this to the list of things the NFL is doing embarrassingly wrong.

Agreed....is it possible that in a civil case, Rice could win and be forced to give the "winnings" to charity....say some sort of battered women's cause or some such?

Forced by whom?

 

[TobiasFunke]

As I said earlier today, the Ravens aren't getting a pass. They have and will continue to get killed in the press for their tone-deaf stupidity. Here's the latest.

 

[T Bell]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

League is tripling down on stupid. I agree that Goodell and his team set the NFL up for a very large wrongful termination suit - possible in the 10s of millions. Because Rice can claim that a process was followed and that the NFL conspired to break union and internal protocols by lying in order to suspend him and thereby severely limit his future career options / possibly end his career. I know what you're thinking, but he hit a woman... But that doesn't factor much in my opinion. Clearly, he should have gotten a more severe sentence initially, but he didn't and the arbitrary nature of the potentially career ending suspension is something the NFL's insurance company is going to have to settle. Goodell, in light of credible reports to the contrary, seems to be taking the line that Ray Rice lied in their meeting, and may be looking to employ the old Ronald Reagan "I can't recall" excuse. The insurance company is going to get to depositions and realize they're totally and utterly ####ed, and will end up writing a very large check before it goes to trial. Another stupid move that shows the reactive and deceptive nature of Goodell's "leadership."

I agree with this. I'm no Ray Rice fan, but the league and even his own team have decided to sacrifice his career to save face by greatly increasing the punishment on what was a settled matter (absent some further infraction on his part). Just add this to the list of things the NFL is doing embarrassingly wrong.

Agreed....is it possible that in a civil case, Rice could win and be forced to give the "winnings" to charity....say some sort of battered women's cause or some such?

Legally he could not be forced to unless he was contractually obligated to somehow (highly unlikely). There's certainly no law mandating this otherwise.

That said, that would be a brilliant PR move on his part, though the point of the lawsuit would be to recover the money he'd receive for the remainder of his career assuming he couldn't play anymore, and I'm figuring his earning capacity outside of that will be pretty limited, so he may want to hold onto a lot of that money...

 

[Guest]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

League is tripling down on stupid. I agree that Goodell and his team set the NFL up for a very large wrongful termination suit - possible in the 10s of millions. Because Rice can claim that a process was followed and that the NFL conspired to break union and internal protocols by lying in order to suspend him and thereby severely limit his future career options / possibly end his career. I know what you're thinking, but he hit a woman... But that doesn't factor much in my opinion. Clearly, he should have gotten a more severe sentence initially, but he didn't and the arbitrary nature of the potentially career ending suspension is something the NFL's insurance company is going to have to settle. Goodell, in light of credible reports to the contrary, seems to be taking the line that Ray Rice lied in their meeting, and may be looking to employ the old Ronald Reagan "I can't recall" excuse. The insurance company is going to get to depositions and realize they're totally and utterly ####ed, and will end up writing a very large check before it goes to trial. Another stupid move that shows the reactive and deceptive nature of Goodell's "leadership."

I agree with this. I'm no Ray Rice fan, but the league and even his own team have decided to sacrifice his career to save face by greatly increasing the punishment on what was a settled matter (absent some further infraction on his part). Just add this to the list of things the NFL is doing embarrassingly wrong.

Agreed....is it possible that in a civil case, Rice could win and be forced to give the "winnings" to charity....say some sort of battered women's cause or some such?

I doubt it ever gets to trial, because Rice won't want it to either, most likely. But the insurance company will recognize the cluster$!, mitigate its risk and write a very large check with %$# you Roger in the Memo section.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

League is tripling down on stupid. I agree that Goodell and his team set the NFL up for a very large wrongful termination suit - possible in the 10s of millions. Because Rice can claim that a process was followed and that the NFL conspired to break union and internal protocols by lying in order to suspend him and thereby severely limit his future career options / possibly end his career. I know what you're thinking, but he hit a woman... But that doesn't factor much in my opinion. Clearly, he should have gotten a more severe sentence initially, but he didn't and the arbitrary nature of the potentially career ending suspension is something the NFL's insurance company is going to have to settle. Goodell, in light of credible reports to the contrary, seems to be taking the line that Ray Rice lied in their meeting, and may be looking to employ the old Ronald Reagan "I can't recall" excuse. The insurance company is going to get to depositions and realize they're totally and utterly ####ed, and will end up writing a very large check before it goes to trial. Another stupid move that shows the reactive and deceptive nature of Goodell's "leadership."

Wrongful termination? You can be cut for practically any reason in the NFL. (I think injury issues might be an exception).

The controversy over the last few days has shown that the Ravens were absolutely right to cut this guy.

Edit: I'm not sure if a player is even allowed to sue over a suspension without going through the PA first -- I'll have to defer to others on that one.

 

[The Commish]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

League is tripling down on stupid. I agree that Goodell and his team set the NFL up for a very large wrongful termination suit - possible in the 10s of millions. Because Rice can claim that a process was followed and that the NFL conspired to break union and internal protocols by lying in order to suspend him and thereby severely limit his future career options / possibly end his career. I know what you're thinking, but he hit a woman... But that doesn't factor much in my opinion. Clearly, he should have gotten a more severe sentence initially, but he didn't and the arbitrary nature of the potentially career ending suspension is something the NFL's insurance company is going to have to settle. Goodell, in light of credible reports to the contrary, seems to be taking the line that Ray Rice lied in their meeting, and may be looking to employ the old Ronald Reagan "I can't recall" excuse. The insurance company is going to get to depositions and realize they're totally and utterly ####ed, and will end up writing a very large check before it goes to trial. Another stupid move that shows the reactive and deceptive nature of Goodell's "leadership."

I agree with this. I'm no Ray Rice fan, but the league and even his own team have decided to sacrifice his career to save face by greatly increasing the punishment on what was a settled matter (absent some further infraction on his part). Just add this to the list of things the NFL is doing embarrassingly wrong.

Agreed....is it possible that in a civil case, Rice could win and be forced to give the "winnings" to charity....say some sort of battered women's cause or some such?

Forced by whom?

the courts? I dunno....spitballin' here

 

[Todd Andrews]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

League is tripling down on stupid. I agree that Goodell and his team set the NFL up for a very large wrongful termination suit - possible in the 10s of millions. Because Rice can claim that a process was followed and that the NFL conspired to break union and internal protocols by lying in order to suspend him and thereby severely limit his future career options / possibly end his career. I know what you're thinking, but he hit a woman... But that doesn't factor much in my opinion. Clearly, he should have gotten a more severe sentence initially, but he didn't and the arbitrary nature of the potentially career ending suspension is something the NFL's insurance company is going to have to settle. Goodell, in light of credible reports to the contrary, seems to be taking the line that Ray Rice lied in their meeting, and may be looking to employ the old Ronald Reagan "I can't recall" excuse. The insurance company is going to get to depositions and realize they're totally and utterly ####ed, and will end up writing a very large check before it goes to trial. Another stupid move that shows the reactive and deceptive nature of Goodell's "leadership."

Wrongful termination? You can be cut for practically any reason in the NFL. (I think injury issues might be an exception).

The controversy over the last few days has shown that the Ravens were absolutely right to cut this guy.

Edit: I'm not sure if a player is even allowed to sue over a suspension without going through the PA first -- I'll have to defer to others on that one.

I believe that the labor agreement between the NFLPA and the NFL requires only one punishment per offense. So Rice was punished twice for the same offense, essentially, which is why Goodell and the NFL have to spin the whole "he lied to us" angle. Otherwise, they are clearly in violation of the agreement, and they probably are even if he did lie to them, which everyone knows didnt happen.

 

[Guest]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

League is tripling down on stupid. I agree that Goodell and his team set the NFL up for a very large wrongful termination suit - possible in the 10s of millions. Because Rice can claim that a process was followed and that the NFL conspired to break union and internal protocols by lying in order to suspend him and thereby severely limit his future career options / possibly end his career. I know what you're thinking, but he hit a woman... But that doesn't factor much in my opinion. Clearly, he should have gotten a more severe sentence initially, but he didn't and the arbitrary nature of the potentially career ending suspension is something the NFL's insurance company is going to have to settle. Goodell, in light of credible reports to the contrary, seems to be taking the line that Ray Rice lied in their meeting, and may be looking to employ the old Ronald Reagan "I can't recall" excuse. The insurance company is going to get to depositions and realize they're totally and utterly ####ed, and will end up writing a very large check before it goes to trial. Another stupid move that shows the reactive and deceptive nature of Goodell's "leadership."

Wrongful termination? You can be cut for practically any reason in the NFL. (I think injury issues might be an exception).

The controversy over the last few days has shown that the Ravens were absolutely right to cut this guy.

And yet he will be able to (likely successfully) argue a breach of contract on the part of the NFL, and in a way where their lies and suspension interfered with his career. When I had a company, we were sued by an employee and we were forced to settle by our insurance company because one of the partners (not me) made a pass at her outside of work. She was a dingbat, and the other partners (including me) didn't know about the pass when we fired her - because she was horrible at her job. She had to set two alarms to remember to get the mail each day, and still often forgot. She was a certified idiot. Out of that experience, though, I learned that as an employer you incur liability to the degree that you fail to follow clearly articulated and well documented procures consistently and without exceptions. If you don't, one can claim ulterior motives and most likely have a solid arguments - especially to the degree that embarrassing things surface during the inspection of facts.

 

[The Commish]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

League is tripling down on stupid. I agree that Goodell and his team set the NFL up for a very large wrongful termination suit - possible in the 10s of millions. Because Rice can claim that a process was followed and that the NFL conspired to break union and internal protocols by lying in order to suspend him and thereby severely limit his future career options / possibly end his career. I know what you're thinking, but he hit a woman... But that doesn't factor much in my opinion. Clearly, he should have gotten a more severe sentence initially, but he didn't and the arbitrary nature of the potentially career ending suspension is something the NFL's insurance company is going to have to settle. Goodell, in light of credible reports to the contrary, seems to be taking the line that Ray Rice lied in their meeting, and may be looking to employ the old Ronald Reagan "I can't recall" excuse. The insurance company is going to get to depositions and realize they're totally and utterly ####ed, and will end up writing a very large check before it goes to trial. Another stupid move that shows the reactive and deceptive nature of Goodell's "leadership."

Wrongful termination? You can be cut for practically any reason in the NFL. (I think injury issues might be an exception).

The controversy over the last few days has shown that the Ravens were absolutely right to cut this guy.

Edit: I'm not sure if a player is even allowed to sue over a suspension without going through the PA first -- I'll have to defer to others on that one.

I think the punching of his woman in the face was enough to justify cutting him. I'm not sure what the controversy adds to the mix. If anything it's a pretty weak move to wait so long to cut him.

 

[Guest]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

League is tripling down on stupid. I agree that Goodell and his team set the NFL up for a very large wrongful termination suit - possible in the 10s of millions. Because Rice can claim that a process was followed and that the NFL conspired to break union and internal protocols by lying in order to suspend him and thereby severely limit his future career options / possibly end his career. I know what you're thinking, but he hit a woman... But that doesn't factor much in my opinion. Clearly, he should have gotten a more severe sentence initially, but he didn't and the arbitrary nature of the potentially career ending suspension is something the NFL's insurance company is going to have to settle. Goodell, in light of credible reports to the contrary, seems to be taking the line that Ray Rice lied in their meeting, and may be looking to employ the old Ronald Reagan "I can't recall" excuse. The insurance company is going to get to depositions and realize they're totally and utterly ####ed, and will end up writing a very large check before it goes to trial. Another stupid move that shows the reactive and deceptive nature of Goodell's "leadership."

Wrongful termination? You can be cut for practically any reason in the NFL. (I think injury issues might be an exception).

The controversy over the last few days has shown that the Ravens were absolutely right to cut this guy.

Edit: I'm not sure if a player is even allowed to sue over a suspension without going through the PA first -- I'll have to defer to others on that one.

I think the punching of his woman in the face was enough to justify cutting him. I'm not sure what the controversy adds to the mix. If anything it's a pretty weak move to wait so long to cut him.

You have to follow internal policies and labor agreements. What you think is immaterial. (Though I agree in principle that it should be worthy of cutting him).

 

[Christo]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?

It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

Punch your wife out, risking her life and well being? 2 games

Lie to a guy that no longer deserves the respect he tried to earn as a bully? OOOOH. NOW you on trouble!

That's the thing, everything I've read says Rice didn't lie to Goodell. He told him he knocked her out. I'm pretty convinced either the NFLPA or more likely Rice will be suing the NFL (can't wait for the discovery).

Goodell's just hoping this buys him enough time for the media glare to subside.

Link?

 

[Bigboy10182000]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

Right before Rice was cut didnt PFF post a story saying that Rice told his teamates someting different after the video came out and they were all pissed?

 

[Christo]

Goodell is spinning madly now.

The only people who believe this line of bs are Rooney, Mara, Kraft, and Christo.

Still waiting for that link.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

Right before Rice was cut didnt PFF post a story saying that Rice told his teamates someting different after the video came out and they were all pissed?

ETA

“I don’t think he has very much support now at all,” the player texted. “I think it’s gone.”

The player said Rice told teammates initially that he was defending himself from an attacking Janay Palmer — such that that matters — and the video released this morning contradicts that flimsy attempt at justification.

http://profootballta...ns-locker-room/

 

[Bigboy10182000]

[SIZE=12pt]So you'd have Goodell, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, **** Cass and the Ravens themselves all saying Ray told them something different then was on the video, no?[/SIZE]

 

[Christo]

[SIZE=12pt]So you'd have Goodell, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, **** Cass and the Ravens themselves all saying Ray told them something different then was on the video, no?[/SIZE]

Yes.

 

[Todd Andrews]

Goodell is spinning madly now.

The only people who believe this line of bs are Rooney, Mara, Kraft, and Christo.

Still waiting for that link.

My link.

 

[dparker713]

Good god. Mr. Ham esq. Please save us all.

 

[jonessed]

Warning: Deadspin link, NSFW language.

The NFL Finally Explains Why It Suspended Ray Rice Indefinitely

First, the NFL suspended Ray Rice for two games. Then video came out, which the league pretended it hadn't seen, and the NFL suspended Ray Rice indefinitely. Last we heard, the NFLPA and Rice were still waiting on an official explanation from the league, which was pretty strange. The NFL has to at least tell a guy why it's banned him, right?

It appears that the NFL's official stance for changing its Rice punishment (and completely ignoring its "new" domestic violence policy) is that Rice lied to Roger Goodell and other league bigwigs in his description of what happened in that elevator.

I was predicting this would happen in the Shark Pool threads. Is Deadspin a legit source for this?

"Lying to me" is a reason a credible person can use....not Goodell. Just wondering, but is there a way that Rice could have some sort of class action suit against the NFL for the way they've handled this?

League is tripling down on stupid. I agree that Goodell and his team set the NFL up for a very large wrongful termination suit - possible in the 10s of millions. Because Rice can claim that a process was followed and that the NFL conspired to break union and internal protocols by lying in order to suspend him and thereby severely limit his future career options / possibly end his career. I know what you're thinking, but he hit a woman... But that doesn't factor much in my opinion. Clearly, he should have gotten a more severe sentence initially, but he didn't and the arbitrary nature of the potentially career ending suspension is something the NFL's insurance company is going to have to settle. Goodell, in light of credible reports to the contrary, seems to be taking the line that Ray Rice lied in their meeting, and may be looking to employ the old Ronald Reagan "I can't recall" excuse. The insurance company is going to get to depositions and realize they're totally and utterly ####ed, and will end up writing a very large check before it goes to trial. Another stupid move that shows the reactive and deceptive nature of Goodell's "leadership."

I agree with this. I'm no Ray Rice fan, but the league and even his own team have decided to sacrifice his career to save face by greatly increasing the punishment on what was a settled matter (absent some further infraction on his part). Just add this to the list of things the NFL is doing embarrassingly wrong.

Agreed....is it possible that in a civil case, Rice could win and be forced to give the "winnings" to charity....say some sort of battered women's cause or some such?

Legally he could not be forced to unless he was contractually obligated to somehow (highly unlikely). There's certainly no law mandating this otherwise.

That said, that would be a brilliant PR move on his part, though the point of the lawsuit would be to recover the money he'd receive for the remainder of his career assuming he couldn't play anymore, and I'm figuring his earning capacity outside of that will be pretty limited, so he may want to hold onto a lot of that money...

Wouldn't it just be what was owed on his contract?

 

[timschochet]

I'm trying to figure out a way that Rice could have been truthful with Goodell, yet also misled him in such a way that Goodell felt lied to. Something like:

We were yelling, screaming at each other even before we got into the elevator. She pushed me, later I pushed her back, I guess I hit her. I didn't mean to, don't know what I was doing, I was just really pissed off and I lost it. I feel so bad about it now. I love her. And I didn't mean to hit her that hard, she might have hit her head against the wall, I don't know, but she was out cold. Never done anything like that before. She knows how sorry I am. We've been in counseling ever since. She's forgiven me, ask her. I feel terrible about it. We're going to work it out between us and I swear it will never happen again.

That could all be truthful, but misleading, I suppose.

 

[dparker713]

What a horrible time for Peterson to get indicted. This was all kinda dying down. Atleast the games are nearly here for the weekend.

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

What a horrible time for Peterson to get indicted. This was all kinda dying down. Atleast the games are nearly here for the weekend.

I don't understand the nature of the charges as I thought the baby mama's boyfriend was also charged. Is the thought that Peterson was directly involved in the death of his son?