Senate hearings to study bounties (1 Viewer)

[pghrob]

March 23, 2012 12:00 am

By The Associated Press /

The Senate wants to grill the NFL about bounties. And the NBA, NHL, NCAA and Major League Baseball are invited, too.

Sen. **** Durbin is setting up a Judiciary Committee hearing about bounties in professional football and other sports in the wake of news that the Saints players received extra cash for hits that hurt particular opponents.

The assistant Senate majority leader, an Illinois Democrat, said he wants to examine whether federal law should make such bounty systems a crime.

"Let's be real basic about it here. If this activity were taking place off of a sporting field, away from a court, nobody would have a second thought [about whether it's wrong]. 'You mean, someone paid you to go out and hurt someone?' " Durbin said.

"It goes way beyond the rules of any sporting contest, at least team contest, to intentionally inflict harm on another person for a financial reward," he said.

His announcement came a day after the NFL took a harsh stand on bounties, suspending Saints head coach Sean Payton for all of next season and indefinitely banning their former defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was barred for half of 2012, an assistant coach got a six-game ban, and the team also was docked two second-round draft picks and $500,000.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell still needs to decide what penalties to give players who were involved in the scheme from 2009-11.

"I am encouraged by what the National Football League did. What they came down with as a penalty on the New Orleans Saints was decisive and historic," Durbin said, adding that he thought the league was "taking this very seriously."

But moving forward, the NFL and other leagues must "come up with standards to make sure this isn't going to happen again," he said. Otherwise, lawmakers will need to "at least explore whether it is necessary to have federal legislation in this area."

 

[The Comedian]

Excellent use of our government's time.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Excellent use of our government's time.

Better then hundreds of bills on governing a womans beaver.

 

[Shane Falco]

The Senate should be doing more productive things like seeing if baseball players are lying about using steroids

 

[SWC]

they should be working on getting us manufacturing up and running again i have seen too many of my brohans who were good workers hit the streets because no one is making jack here in the us anymore milwaukee used to be production production production but now all the old warehouses that used to be full of stuff to ship out are full of condos that are full of yuppies who pay for coffee at the cost of nine dollars a cup and who all dress like bicycle messengers and who basically are stinking the joint up it used to be full of work and paychecks but now it is full of art studios and wine tasting events so basically let the commish make heads roll like he did over bounty systems and congress get back to work putting AMericans back to work take that to the get off of my damn lawn bank fellow bromericans

 

[Brock Middlebrook]

The Senate should be doing more productive things like seeing if baseball players are lying about using steroids

 

[Warhogs]

TH epoliticians who are starting up this idea should be all identified so they can be voted out of office. We can't fix the counttry's problems so lets focus on football?

 

[BigSteelThrill]

TH epoliticians who are starting up this idea should be all identified so they can be voted out of office. We can't fix the counttry's problems so lets focus on football?

Well the major sports do have some very special law privileges.And being covered under those Durbin asks a very legitimate question... "Let's be real basic about it here. If this activity were taking place off of a sporting field, away from a court, nobody would have a second thought [about whether it's wrong]. 'You mean, someone paid you to go out and hurt someone?' ".

 

[Hang 10]

Did Arlen Specter ever crack the spygate scandal?

 

[Multiple Scores]

The Senate should be doing more productive things like seeing if baseball players are lying about using steroids

Exactly. While I think Barry Bonds has an abrasive personality at a minimum the witch hunt was extreme and an extreme waste of money, effort and time.

 

[pghrob]

Roger Goodell should spearhead a citizen sponsored inquiry into federal government mismanagement of monetary, foereign, and energy policies. Let's hold citizen hearings regarding the failures of the federal government.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

The Senate should be doing more productive things like seeing if baseball players are lying about using steroids

Exactly. While I think Barry Bonds has an abrasive personality at a minimum the witch hunt was extreme and an extreme waste of money, effort and time.

Should the players and coaches be brought up on criminal charges for paying to hurt someone?

 

[golfguy]

And being covered under those Durbin asks a very legitimate question... "Let's be real basic about it here. If this activity were taking place off of a sporting field, away from a court, nobody would have a second thought [about whether it's wrong]. 'You mean, someone paid you to go out and hurt someone?' ".

ah.... boxing, mma. the problem here is that it did happen on a sporting field. so the hypothethical doesn't hold any water. it's getting out of hand with these crooked politicians. gimme a break. just about every football player on the field is dealing out punishment to another person in one form or another. we have bigger issues at hand that we don't need to waste tax money having some pompous politician sitting there all high and mighty asking questions to some pro athletes.

 

[Captain Quinoa]

TH epoliticians who are starting up this idea should be all identified so they can be voted out of office. We can't fix the counttry's problems so lets focus on football?

Well the major sports do have some very special law privileges.And being covered under those Durbin asks a very legitimate question... "Let's be real basic about it here. If this activity were taking place off of a sporting field, away from a court, nobody would have a second thought [about whether it's wrong]. 'You mean, someone paid you to go out and hurt someone?' ".

and if my Aunt had nards she'd be my Uncle.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

And being covered under those Durbin asks a very legitimate question... "Let's be real basic about it here. If this activity were taking place off of a sporting field, away from a court, nobody would have a second thought [about whether it's wrong]. 'You mean, someone paid you to go out and hurt someone?' ".

ah.... boxing, mma.

they sign up to be punched kicked, choked, beaten and intentionally injured.then you the issue have that someone is paying another to go Jeff Gillooly on you, outside of the sports rules.

furthermore they dont have special law provisions granted to them by congress, like the major team sports do.

certainly it doesnt mean it is illegal or criminal, but he is asking a legit question.

 

[Hang 10]

And being covered under those Durbin asks a very legitimate question... "Let's be real basic about it here. If this activity were taking place off of a sporting field, away from a court, nobody would have a second thought [about whether it's wrong]. 'You mean, someone paid you to go out and hurt someone?' ".

ah.... boxing, mma.

then you have that someone is paying another to go Jeff Gillooly on you.

Yeah, because that's what happened in the NFL.

 

[RavenLunatic]

damn...politicians love seeing their names and faces on TV

You'd think the Senate would focus on an actual constitutional responsibility...like PASSING A BUDGET!

 

[BigSteelThrill]

PASSING A BUDGET!

The budget is being held hostage for political attack emphasis.

 

[Chase Stuart]

Yes, easy to see why one person attacking another person would be a federal law issue.

 

[Multiple Scores]

The Senate should be doing more productive things like seeing if baseball players are lying about using steroids

Exactly. While I think Barry Bonds has an abrasive personality at a minimum the witch hunt was extreme and an extreme waste of money, effort and time.

Should the players and coaches be brought up on criminal charges for paying to hurt someone?

I could see it and Gregg Williams should IMO have criminal charges. This should happen in criminal court, not the US Senate.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

The Senate should be doing more productive things like seeing if baseball players are lying about using steroids

Exactly. While I think Barry Bonds has an abrasive personality at a minimum the witch hunt was extreme and an extreme waste of money, effort and time.

Should the players and coaches be brought up on criminal charges for paying to hurt someone?

I could see it and Gregg Williams should IMO have criminal charges. This should happen in criminal court, not the US Senate.

It crosses state lines. Federal issue?

 

[Jeremy]

The Senate should be doing more productive things like seeing if baseball players are lying about using steroids

At least in that case the MLB wasn't doing enough to eliminate the problem. They resisted drug testing for years and then put in a joke of a testing policy. Perhaps they needed congress to pressure them into actually developing a real drug testing program.Roger Goodell on the other hand acted decisively to eliminate this practice. His punishment was severe enough and his message clear enough that it should eliminate bounties in football on all levels.

 

[Goldalene]

This is a good idea. Time to stop it once and for all.

 

[RavenLunatic]

PASSING A BUDGET!

The budget is being held hostage for political attack emphasis.

And what was the excuse 1000+ days ago when the Senate and House were both run by the same political party? Attacking each other?BTW-not all fiscal conservatives are social/religious zealots...in fact most are not.

 

[GregR]

I doubt this ends up being worth the time unless something comes out of it to help deal with the problem of football coaches in college and high school teaching kids that trying to injure to win is ok, as opposed to hitting hard but clean.

I don't have a lot of faith that's going to happen. Though I suppose maybe the publicity might cause parents to start examining their school's football programs to see what is really going on in them.

 

[Patroclus]

**** Durbin needs to be voted out of office for this ridiculousness

 

[cr8f]

Excellent use of our government's time.

Yeah no sh it, perhaps due to constant filllibusters, but come on bring up something about jobs.

 

[ArcticEdge]

Excellent use of our government's time.

 

[fatness]

This is what happens when a group of businesses band together and get an antitrust exemption from the government. If the NFL wasn't dependent on that exemption, Congress wouldn't be interested here.

 

[Space_Case]

Excellent use of our government's time.

Totally Agree!

 

[dickey moe]

Nice to see all this grandstanding amidst $16T in national debt.

 

[Couch Potato]

You think they'll block Gregg Williams from becoming the new Bounty paper towel spokesman?

 

[MTskibum]

I dont understand why congress is looking into this issue now, they are about 3 years too late. It has been solved and the punishment handed down was so harsh no team is going to try it again.

 

[fatness]

You think they'll block Gregg Williams from becoming the new Bounty paper towel spokesman?

That would cause a mutiny.

 

[guderian]

I dont understand why congress is looking into this issue now, they are about 3 years too late. It has been solved and the punishment handed down was so harsh no team is going to try it again.

They aren't doing it to look into a single team, they're doing it to see if it's a league-wide problem like they did with PEDs and MLB.