We’ve been troubled for weeks by the failure of the NFL to roll up its sleeves and get to the bottom of the Tom Cable-Randy Hanson situation.
Given that the league instantly rolled up its sleeves and is getting to the bottom of the Larry Johnson situation this week only highlights those concerns.
So here’s a closer look at our concerns, and some ideas as to why it might be happening.
Hey if for no other reason than the guy was out of line AT WORK he deserves to be disciplined. Any business would have sent this guy home.
How long did it take Hanson to come forward with this information and make it public? What does that do to Hanson’s credibility when waiting so long to step up with his information? I mean from a lawyer’s perspective…is there an attorney in the house?
A better comparison than Larry Johnson would be the Shawn Merriman situation with the Tequila girl. Did the NFL investigate the Merriman “alleged” assault after it was dismissed by the legal system? No? I didn’t think so.
Case closed, a waste of your writing time…
Yeah I dont really understand why Cable is still coaching in the league. The NFL does the same thing with Jeff Reed, Matt Jones, Ben Roethlisberger…. see a pattern here?
Florio, are you kidding me. Cable is already in Hell dealing with a old demented owner, and a fat azz ,lazy azz,ignorant azz,unmotivated azz Quarterback who after that debacle dressed up like a NFL football game, that dude had the gull to say he really didn’t think it was his fault. Any person, who knows anything about team sports(particularly football) knows that the TEAM has no faith in that guy anymore. I really don’t think that dude can spell Leader, and this is from a former DIEHARD season ticket holding RAIDER-FAN!!!
Ok Florio after reading your site for years you have mad me so anger I have actually had to register to express my feeling concerning how wrong you are on this.
Can you give me one example of when the NFL punished a player or a coach who has no prior record or even an unofficial prior record was not even charged with a crime and is being accused by someone who has changed his story several times?
Johnson doesn’t count it is public knowledge what he did, he put on twitter and issued an apology. Cable claimed innocence from the beginning. You have been riding this horse for awhile now and I have yet to see you provide another incident for precedence. Or at least an incident that is even close to being comparable to the Cable incident. I am waiting Florio just one legitimate example is all I want.
Thanks, and love the site.
Imagine if this had happened between Bill Belichick and one of his assistants. All the Pats haters would be screaming like its a national emergency and an atomic bomb had just been set off by Al Qaeda.
Not that a fair number of fans haven’t commented that they’d like to see this better investigated, but even so, the league ignoring this is ridiculous.
Isn’t working for the Grim Reaper and one of the worst NFL franchises punishment enough?
Seriously though, this is a bit out of the norm for Sherriff Goodell. Didn’t he suspend a Dallas Cowboy coach for taking a prescibed PED for a health condition? He’s very quick to take action in every other case that has come across his desk and he chooses to let this go. I don’t get it. Maybe he figures leaving him on the sidelines to caoch every Sunday is a worse punishment that a suspension.
Not a Raiders fan, so I don’t follow their dustups closely. When the incident took place, initial reports said the league was investigating. So when the DA decided not to file, I assumed the NFL’s investigation was long concluded. Based on the DA’s findings, Hanson appeared to be a weasel trying to get money for nothing. It seemed foolish for the league to go after Cable if cops hadn’t found sufficient reason to charge.
Now you’re saying the NFL never investigated?
Johnson made gay slurs on Twitter on his own time. Are players allowed to Twitter? Was he representing the team? Would he have been suspended if he’d shouted the slurs in a bar? I do not condone his behavior, but there’s a difference between saying something in uniform on the field and saying it on your own time.
So the league did not investigate an incident of violence that happened on team property during working hours? But the league did suspend a player for legal behavior that occurred outside league jurisdiction after hours?
The league needs to set some clear standards.
In Re: ekgraider says:
Can you give me one example of when the NFL punished a player or a coach who has no prior record or even an unofficial prior record was not even charged with a crime and is being accused by someone who has changed his story several times?
Did you read the article before you posted the message? He said the NFL should have investigated the situation immediately. At no point does he say they should punish Cable.
Anyone who disagrees that an investigation should have been initaited within a week is either an idiot or a Raider homer. Or both.
Welcome to the U.S. justice system.
That said, i don’t know all the details in the case/no case because i wasn’t there.
That said, we don’t know who is telling the truth on the subject and this is all speculation.
That said, i really wish people would stop saying, “that said”. It really is becoming used waaay to much. Sorry, it had to be said.
He would have been sent home had he called Hanson a fag..Chalk another one up for the fag lobby..
bmac187 says: October 28, 2009 12:42 PM
“He said the NFL should have investigated the situation immediately. At no point does he say they should punish Cable.
Anyone who disagrees that an investigation should have been initaited within a week is either an idiot or a Raider homer. Or both.”
Then explain why the NFL didn’t investigate the Shawn Merriman alleged assault of the Tila Tequila girl?
Both cases were alleged assaults…check.
One involved a coach the other involved a player…check.
One was in Oakland the other was in San Diego…check.
Neither were investigated…check.
bmac187 says:
October 28, 2009 12:42 PM
In Re: ekgraider says:
Can you give me one example of when the NFL punished a player or a coach who has no prior record or even an unofficial prior record was not even charged with a crime and is being accused by someone who has changed his story several times?
____________________
Did you read the article before you posted the message? He said the NFL should have investigated the situation immediately. At no point does he say they should punish Cable.
Anyone who disagrees that an investigation should have been initaited within a week is either an idiot or a Raider homer. Or both.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Glad someone pointed this out. Even if the NFL found nothing there is no way an investigation should not take place.
SportingNews.com: Lack of NFL intervention in Cable case suggests double standard
Posted by Mike Florio on October 28, 2009 11:48 AM ET
We’ve been troubled for weeks by the failure of the NFL to roll up its sleeves and get to the bottom of the Tom Cable-Randy Hanson situation.
Given that the league instantly rolled up its sleeves and is getting to the bottom of the Larry Johnson situation this week only highlights those concerns.
So here’s a closer look at our concerns, and some ideas as to why it might be happening.
Permalink 10 Comments Latest stories in: Featured Articles, Features, Top Stories
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PFTiswhatitis says:
October 28, 2009 11:51 AM
Hey if for no other reason than the guy was out of line AT WORK he deserves to be disciplined. Any business would have sent this guy home.
Asswipe Johnson (Pronounced Az-Wee-Pay) says:
October 28, 2009 11:59 AM
How long did it take Hanson to come forward with this information and make it public? What does that do to Hanson’s credibility when waiting so long to step up with his information? I mean from a lawyer’s perspective…is there an attorney in the house?
A better comparison than Larry Johnson would be the Shawn Merriman situation with the Tequila girl. Did the NFL investigate the Merriman “alleged” assault after it was dismissed by the legal system? No? I didn’t think so.
Case closed, a waste of your writing time…
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
There is a big difference between your comparison. The Tequila girl did not work for an NFL team.
If an employee of any job says they were attacked by another employee, how the hell can there not be an investigation.
Can you imagine if you said someone at your job attacked you and your bosses wouldn’t even look into the matter they just said we’ll just wait and see what the police decide before we even look into what happened. No company would or should do that.
“there’s a difference between saying something in uniform on the field”
He also used the slur on Monday in front of the media in the Chiefs locker room. I would not call that “on his own time”….
I notice many of you are pointing out that the case was dropped by the police and I HATE to use this nut as an example but…
Pacman Jones was never convicted of anything and many of his cases were thrown out after police investigations but did that stop the NFL from punishing him? NO! In fact (I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong) I dont think he was ever convicted of anything.
I still think Pacman is an idiot but that alone is not a crime..
If its good for the players, it should be good for the coaches as well.
Directed to those who responded to my post.
Why should the NFL investigate it? When this originally happened the guy said nothing happened, then he slightly changes his story, then slightly changes it again. I heard Cable punched him, then it changed to he threw him into a filing cabinet, then he pushed his head against the wall until his skull fractured all these stories all came from “unamed sources” aka Hanson and his lawyer, and you guys lap it up like the dumb little puppies you are, if anything the NFL should investigate Hanson for attempted extortion, even the DA said Hanson story changed once again after he came into the office and said, Im not getting my money so I want to fully cooperate, read the DA’s transcript it is fact.
Pacman was arrested. Tom Cable was never arrested. And to answer your question Pacman is a convicted felon he took a plea last year concerning obstructing a police officer
Not saying the NFL shouldn’t have wrapped up an investigation, but you’re comparing apples and oranges.
Johnson’s comments were in public, in front of the media and pretty much irrefutable. Then the team itself took action. Now the league is investigating.
Whatever happened in the Raiders’training camp happened behind closed doors, and Hanson’s refusal to cooperate with authorities in the beginning hampered the police investigation. Why is there any reason to believe the NFL would draw any different conclusion than the DA did?
In other words, there’s a difference in investigating something a chuckleheaded player said in front of the media as opposed to something that happened behind closed doors, where even the “victim’s” story has changed several times.
And for the fifteenth freakin’time, there’s no such thing as a “broken” jaw. A fracture of the jaw could be a hairline fracture – the type that Blake Griffin has in his kneecap from dunking a basketball. Or the type that Chaz Schillens got from planting his foot in training camp.
@bmac187 and shawnc16 …
I haven’t changed my mind; I’m just with you guys on this issue.
The other day I posted several “let it go” messages on Cable’s behalf after the DA said no to filing charges. But to clarify for those keeping score (and some do
The Cable situation was a reported workplace violence incident so the NFL was obligated to investigate (and I thought they had). As for Johnson, unless there’s an NFL policy against tweeting, I’m not sure it’s appropriate to suspend an employee for being stupid on his own time.
I still think Hanson’s a weasel and Johnson’s a big-mouthed idiot, but the NFL could have handled these situations better.
wbahner says:
He also used the slur on Monday in front of the media in the Chiefs locker room. I would not call that “on his own time”….
——————————————
Okay, I didn’t know that. I’ve only seen reports about twittering. If he was giving a locker-room interview, then he was representing the team. That’s a different scenario, which would justify the suspension. Thanks for the fact check.
Like I said, he’s an idiot, so I wasn’t shedding any tears for him either way.
shawnc16 says: October 28, 2009 1:43 PM
“There is a big difference between your comparison. The Tequila girl did not work for an NFL team.
If an employee of any job says they were attacked by another employee, how the hell can there not be an investigation.”
Because that is not what the NFL has done historically. Cases cited below are:
Michael Westbrook breaks Stephen Davis jaw with a punch caught of film: Result – Westbrook receivers a team imposed fine of $50,000 and the NFL does nothing.
Buddy Ryan punches fellow coach Kevin Gilbride in the face on a nationally televised game: Result – NFL does nothing.
Shaun Smith allegedly punches Brady Quinn last December: Result – HC Romeo Crennel says “if a punch happened it will be dealt with in house” – NFL does nothing.
Need I cite more examples?
Like I stated originally, there is no story here…
shawnc16 says: October 28, 2009 1:43 PM
“There is a big difference between your comparison. The Tequila girl did not work for an NFL team.
If an employee of any job says they were attacked by another employee, how the hell can there not be an investigation.”
Because that is not what the NFL has done historically. Cases cited below are:
Michael Westbrook breaks Stephen Davis jaw with a punch caught of film: Result – Westbrook receivers a team imposed fine of $50,000 and the NFL does nothing.
Buddy Ryan punches fellow coach Kevin Gilbride in the face on a nationally televised game: Result – NFL does nothing.
Shaun Smith allegedly punches Brady Quinn last December: Result – HC Romeo Crennel says “if a punch happened it will be dealt with in house” – NFL does nothing.
Need I cite more examples?
Like I stated originally, there is no story here…
@Az Wee Pay …
First, I think you win the award for most hilarious username. Second, Ryan never got fined for punching Gilbride? Really?
I deal with management issues a lot in my work, so I know the appropriate steps for employers and organizations to take–especially to protect their interests in our litigious society. But I learned early on to fight my own battles and can’t help respecting those who settle things themselves. Like I said the other day, the whole Cable thing makes me miss the Old West where men just whacked each other, dusted themselves off, and went their separate ways.
Thanks Deb…The name is inspired from an old SNL skit featuring Nicholas Cage as a soon to be new father who complains to his wife about the names being pondered about for their newborn. A ring at the door produces a congratulatory telegram for a Mr and Mrs Asswipe Johnson, whereby Cage corrects the telegram deliverer in telling him it’s pronounced Az-Wee-Pay
On the Ryan-Gilbride front, to my knowledge Ryan never even apologized…if you can believe it!
As a semi-retired former executive protection, upscale nightclub security, blah blah etc etc, you name it I’ve protected it – and I’m still waiting for Florio to hire me for Channing Crowder with all this new NBC money – I have some experience on the other side of the fence, so to speak.
The Old West ways you speak of is right up my alley. You sound like my kinda gal…I’ll knock em down and you could protect my interests. Haha.
@Az Wee Pay …
Now that you remind me, I think I saw that skit! Too funny. And I can believe Ryan never apologized. Sounds just like him
Yep, love that cowboy stuff (that’s Old West cowboys, not Dallas Cowboys–no offense if you’re a Dallas fan, but I’m a Steelers girl). You know, I could understand if an accountant were sitting at his desk and a coworker came up out of the blue and clobbered him. But if a couple of football coaches get into a smackdown, it seems like they should handle it without lawyers.
Good luck with Florio. Judging by some of the crazy posts he gets, he might need some protection
Deb and Asswipe
You two going to kiss now?
And Asswipe you do need to cite more, besides the Brady Quinn one, as commissioner, Roger…, oh wait he wasn’t commish then.
He is the one creating the double standards. He has jurisdiction over what happens in the locker rooms, so he should have investigated immediately.
He has no jurisdiction in Shawn Merriman house, hence the reason he didn’t need to investigate. Work place violence is not to be played with, next thing could be a suite from Hanson directed to the league.
I don’t think Cable did anything wrong but there is an obvious double standard
meezle says: October 28, 2009 11:33 PM
“And Asswipe you do need to cite more, besides the Brady Quinn one, as commissioner, Roger…, oh wait he wasn’t commish then.”
First off to set the record straight, Goodell took office as the NFL Commissioner on September 1, 2006. So Goodell was in fact the NFL Commissioner at the time of the Shaun Smith-Brady Quinn alleged altercation.
Goodell was also the NFL Commissioner during the 2008 season when Steve Smith was video recorded at a Panthers practice breaking Ken Lucas nose with a punch. Smith apologized and the Panthers (Not Goodell and the NFL) suspended Smith for the first two games of the season. While the NFL did nothing. Adding to this was the fact that Smith had already done this once before (two strikes anyone?), back in 2002, when he punched teammate Anthony Bright. Which ended up a court case.
So I have cited more as requested and clued you in on when Goodell actually became the NFL Commissioner.
Anything else I can do for you?
meezle says: October 28, 2009 11:33 PM
“And Asswipe you do need to cite more, besides the Brady Quinn one, as commissioner, Roger…, oh wait he wasn’t commish then.”
First off to set the record straight, Goodell took office as the NFL Commissioner on September 1, 2006. So Goodell was in fact the NFL Commissioner at the time of the Shaun Smith-Brady Quinn alleged altercation.
Goodell was also the NFL Commissioner during the 2008 season when Steve Smith was video recorded at a Panthers practice breaking Ken Lucas nose with a punch. Smith apologized and the Panthers (Not Goodell and the NFL) suspended Smith for the first two games of the season. While the NFL did nothing. Adding to this was the fact that Smith had already done this once before (two strikes anyone?), back in 2002, when he punched teammate Anthony Bright. Which ended up a court case.
So I have cited more as requested and clued you in on when Goodell actually became the NFL Commissioner.
Anything else I can do for you?
I said besides the Quinn one because I knew he was the commish then, so in fact you said nothing.
The reason the league didn’t investigate or suspend Smith is because the Panthers did it for them. Same thing should’ve happened with Cable. The Panthers immediately took action, so why would the NFL need to do anything, ever hear of beating a dead horse?
So you again have said nothing, we all know the way the NFL handled these things before Goodell was around was flawed, but Goodell can’t sit here and preach ethics, and morality when he shows a clean bias/double standard between management and players.
Still waiting on more, factual examples
And btw Asswipe,
I bet you actually googled “when did roger goodell become commissioner” to try to prove a point that didn’t need proving.
meezle says: October 29, 2009 11:17 AM
“The reason the league didn’t investigate or suspend Smith is because the Panthers did it for them. Same thing should’ve happened with Cable.”
The same thing did happen with Cable. The NFL let the team decide whether what allegedly happened warranted a suspension or not…just like they apparently did with Smith.
The Raiders, as well as the District Attorney, determined that 3 fellow coaches who were in the room at the time and all agreed with Cable as to what happened…was enough to warrant no action taken by the team. Especially when compared to Hanson’s multiple different stories as to what happened – So in knowing all of this it obviously warranted no league intervention.
Thanks for proving my point. Enjoy your afternoon!
Let me simplify this for you.
The league determined that a 2 game team imposed suspension of Steve Smith, who had punched a teammate and ended up in court over it prior to breaking Lucas nose, was sufficient punishment.
The league also determined that no suspension of Tom Cable, who had no prior violent history of any kind, was sufficient. Given that 3 coaches who were there on the scene all agreed with Cable’s account, while Hanson gave 3 different accounts of what allegedly happened.
Comprende amigo?
There is no double standard here…
Let me simplify this for you.
The league determined that a 2 game team imposed suspension of Steve Smith, who had punched a teammate and ended up in court over it prior to breaking Lucas nose, was sufficient punishment. Given that there was a video of Smith’s attack on Lucas.
The league also determined that no suspension of Tom Cable, who had no prior violent history of any kind, was sufficient. Given that 3 coaches who were there on the scene all agreed with Cable’s account, while Hanson gave 3 different accounts of what allegedly happened. Considering there was no video of Cable’s alleged assault on Hanson.
Comprende amigo?
There is no double standard here…
Well, meezle, from the snippy little way you dropped into this discussion it sounds like you didn’t get any kisses last night. We were just having a friendly conversation. Good grief.
This seems like a pointless argument since we’re all pretty much in agreement that nothing further should be done to Cable.
Like you, meezle, I thought that because this involved an allegation of workplace violence, the NFL should have conducted an internal investigation before or during the police investigation to make sure no company rules had been violated. Then Az Wee Pay gave me examples of other past and recent incidents where the NFL failed to do this, which put the situation in a slightly different light. He also gave you specific examples (yes he did).
But none of that really matters anymore because the police have found no grounds to pursue a case against Cable. So the NFL should move on. And Hanson’s a little weasel for trying to make a buck off it. IF Cable socked him, he should have socked him back (like little kids are taught to do when bullies bother them).
I think Roger is trying to set a different standard of behavior for the league, but it helps if you write down the new rules and pass them about so we all know what they are and can see if they’re being consistently applied.
Can we all play nice now?
You actually made this easy
How did the team determine that no suspension was necessary if they didn’t look into it what so ever? From what I understand and have read, the Raiders didn’t investigate either, so if no NFL entity investigated, and the DA did after the fact, of course there isn’t going to be any suspension now.
Things are forgotten, story can change in this time frame. Do you think the NFL would’ve done nothing had the Panthers not suspended Smith? Get real.
And deb, no I didn’t get a kiss last night, and his example is flawed. Rog hadn’t taken his hard nose stance on morals and such at the time of this incident. I could be wrong but doubt I am. I agree he needs to have a more clear approach to how the different standard is going to be
My point is this, Rog wants to protect the integrity of the league, there’s no questioning that, but IMO he doesn’t handle what he has jurisdiction over properly. LJ calls some ppl a name, the leagues all over it, there is an alleged incident of workplace violence and they turn the other cheek.
Wienies like Hanson will sue the league next, if Rog had done his investigation and ruled it out, then there would be no worries.
Okay, I was kidding about the kisses thing because you sounded so irritable.
We seem to agree here, meezle.
The league should have investigated from the get-go–and the first reports said they were investigating so I thought that was a done deal long before the DA reached his conclusions. That’s just basic business these days–as you say, to be able to show the company acted to protect its employees and avoid a lawsuit. But now that the police investigation is over, the NFL can’t go back and start over.
But when Az Wee Pay pointed out all the other instances of the league staying out of these matters, it does seem … consistent that they didn’t investigate this. Wrong, but consistent. But then again, as you point out, it’s inconsistent with the image of the league Goodell seems to want to project. That’s why I think he needs to have some written standards. When the rules are spelled out, it’s easier to follow them consistently.
I’m just saying that both of you made valid points, and when it’s all said and done, Hanson’s still a weasel. And if Goodell wants players and public to respect his ethics, he needs to draw some clearcut lines about how he intends to handle these issues from now on.
Its all in good fun Deb
I just get annoyed with the inconsistency of Goodell, from how he handled the Pats fiasco to this Burress, to Vick, to this
His inconsistency gets to me, too. And I wish the NFL would set up an e-mail address so we can share our concerns directly with the front office. They could hire a staffer to monitor it (like the TV networks) to gauge how the fans feel on different issues–like a potential franchise move to London or the handling of the Pats situation.
Oh, well. If we were owners, we’d all do things differently
meezle says: October 29, 2009 3:33 PM
“How did the team determine that no suspension was necessary if they didn’t look into it what so ever? From what I understand and have read, the Raiders didn’t investigate either, so if no NFL entity investigated, and the DA did after the fact, of course there isn’t going to be any suspension now.
Things are forgotten, story can change in this time frame. Do you think the NFL would’ve done nothing had the Panthers not suspended Smith? Get real.”
____________________________________
To address your first point. For one to believe that the no one in Raiders organization asked the coaches who were in the room if Cable popped Hanson in the face and broke his jaw is very naive of you. I don’t care what you think you are understanding or reading.
To address the second point about Smith’s suspension. First understand that I have previously posted twice how this is not the first time Smith has done this. Smith punched a Carolina teammate and ended up in court over it back in ’02. Now considering that Smith has already been accused of this once and ended up in court over it. Then it happens again with Lucas and is recorded on film. Knowing this the NFL is OK with a 2 game suspension along with a Smith apology to Lucas.
So if the NFL under Goodell feels this is just punishment with a two time offender who is caught on tape throwing the punch that broke Ken Lucas nose. How on earth can you justify the circumstances regarding Cable-Hanson even warranting a 1 game suspension…or even a fine? This is where you are missing the point.
Again with Cable there are 3 coaches witnessing the alleged assault who all agreed with Cable’s version. And Hanson has changed his story numerous times. Hanson also did not go public with this immediately. Very different from the Smith-Lucas dispute that was there on tape for all to see.
Carolina also waited a couple days before issuing Smith’s two game team imposed suspension. The NFL didn’t jump right in on Smith, they let the team handle it days later. Just as they let the team handle it in Cleveland last December with Shaun Smith and Brady Quinn. Nothing was done there. And nothing was done with Cable and Hanson. Nothing on tape in either case, no priors in either case.
____________________________________
meezle says: October 29, 2009 3:33 PM
“and his example is flawed”
____________________________________
Actually the example that is flawed is yours and Florio’s in using Larry Johnson’s offensive words as a comparison to assault between two coaches or two players.
Johnson’s words can cost the NFL money with paying customers who just happen to prefer dating members of the same sex. Just as Rush Limbaugh was ushered off rather quickly of the NFL pregame show at ESPN for making comments about Donovan McNabb that offended African Americans. If you wanna compare Larry Johnson’s ill advised comments to something, then this is your huckleberry.
Above all the NFL is a business. And Roger Goodell is the representing CEO of the company.
Anyone who has seen those very sad “be kind to your pets” first run commercials this year immediately after the reinstatement of Michael Vick should have a clue as to this. If you offend potential customers of the business that is the NFL…you will be dealt with quickly and/or the NFL will offer to make amends to those offended in some way to maintain them as paying and supporting customers.
Jimmy the Greek found this out before Rush Limbaugh and Mike Vick…just as Larry Johnson is finding this out after them all.
The NFL is a business in the business of making profits first and foremost. Like it or not.
meezle says: October 29, 2009 3:33 PM
“How did the team determine that no suspension was necessary if they didn’t look into it what so ever? From what I understand and have read, the Raiders didn’t investigate either, so if no NFL entity investigated, and the DA did after the fact, of course there isn’t going to be any suspension now.
Things are forgotten, story can change in this time frame. Do you think the NFL would’ve done nothing had the Panthers not suspended Smith? Get real.”
____________________________________
To address your first point. For one to believe that the no one in Raiders organization asked the coaches who were in the room if Cable popped Hanson in the face and broke his jaw is very naive of you. I don’t care what you think you are understanding or reading.
To address the second point about Smith’s suspension. First understand that I have previously posted twice how this is not the first time Smith has done this. Smith punched a Carolina teammate and ended up in court over it back in ’02. Now considering that Smith has already been accused of this once and ended up in court over it. Then it happens again with Lucas and is recorded on film. Knowing this the NFL is OK with a 2 game suspension along with a Smith apology to Lucas.
So if the NFL under Goodell feels this is just punishment with a two time offender who is caught on tape throwing the punch that broke Ken Lucas nose. How on earth can you justify the circumstances regarding Cable-Hanson even warranting a 1 game suspension…or even a fine? This is where you are missing the point.
Again with Cable there are 3 coaches witnessing the alleged assault who all agreed with Cable’s version. And Hanson has changed his story numerous times. Hanson also did not go public with this immediately. Very different from the Smith-Lucas dispute that was there on tape for all to see.
Carolina also waited a couple days before issuing Smith’s two game team imposed suspension. The NFL didn’t jump right in on Smith, they let the team handle it days later. Just as they let the team handle it in Cleveland last December with Shaun Smith and Brady Quinn. Nothing was done there. And nothing was done with Cable and Hanson. Nothing on tape in either case, no priors in either case.
____________________________________
meezle says: October 29, 2009 3:33 PM
“and his example is flawed”
____________________________________
Actually the example that is flawed is yours and Florio’s in using Larry Johnson’s offensive words as a comparison to assault between two coaches or two players.
Johnson’s words can cost the NFL money with paying customers who just happen to prefer dating members of the same sex. Just as Rush Limbaugh was ushered off rather quickly of the NFL pregame show at ESPN for making comments about Donovan McNabb that offended African Americans. If you wanna compare Larry Johnson’s ill advised comments to something, then this is your huckleberry.
Above all the NFL is a business. And Roger Goodell is the representing CEO of the company.
Anyone who has seen those very sad “be kind to your pets” first run commercials this year immediately after the reinstatement of Michael Vick should have a clue as to this. If you offend potential customers of the business that is the NFL…you will be dealt with quickly and/or the NFL will offer to make amends to those offended in some way to maintain them as paying and supporting customers.
Jimmy the Greek found this out before Rush Limbaugh and Mike Vick…just as Larry Johnson is finding this out after them all.
The NFL is a business in the business of making profits first and foremost. Like it or not.
To address your first point. For one to naively believe that the no one in Raiders organization asked the three coaches (who were in the room) along with Cable if they happen to know why Hanson is coming to work with a broken jaw.
To address the second point about Smith’s suspension. First understand this is not a first time offense of this nature when it comes to Smith. Smith punched a Carolina teammate and ended up in court over it back in ’02. Now considering that Smith has already been accused of this once and ended up in court over it. Then it happens again with Lucas and is recorded on film. Knowing this history and having visual evidence, the NFL is OK with a 2 game suspension along with a Smith apology to Lucas.
So if the NFL under Goodell feels this is just punishment with a two time offender who is caught on tape throwing the punch that broke Ken Lucas nose. How on earth can you justify the circumstances regarding Cable-Hanson even warranting a 1 game suspension…or even a fine? This is where you are missing the point of consistency wherein the NFL is concerned.
Carolina also waited a couple days before issuing Smith’s two game team imposed suspension. The NFL didn’t jump right in on Smith, they let the team handle it days later. Just as they let the team handle it in Cleveland last December with Shaun Smith and Brady Quinn. Nothing was done there. And nothing was done with Cable and Hanson. Nothing on tape in either case, no priors in either case.
The example that is flawed is yours and Florio’s in using Larry Johnson’s offensive words as a comparison to assault between two coaches or two players. Player on player and coach on coach disputes do not equal player, coach or any quasi NFL representative speaking derogatory towards potential paying and supporting NFL customers.
Johnson’s words can cost the NFL money with paying and supporting customers (advertising etc). Customers who just happen to prefer dating members of the same sex.
Just as Rush Limbaugh was ushered off rather quickly of the NFL pregame show at ESPN for making comments about Donovan McNabb. Comments that offended most African Americans. If you wanna compare Larry Johnson’s ill advised comments to something, then this is your huckleberry.
Anyone who has seen those very sad “be kind to your pets” first run commercials this year, immediately after the reinstatement of Michael Vick, should have a clue as to this. If you offend potential customers of the business that is the NFL…you will be dealt with quickly and/or the NFL will offer to make amends to those offended in some way to maintain them as paying and supporting customers.
Jimmy the Greek found this out long before Rush Limbaugh and Mike Vick…just as Larry Johnson is very likely finding this out now.
Above all the NFL is a business. And Roger Goodell is the representing CEO of the company. The NFL is in the business of making profits first and foremost. Like it or not.
“Responsible corporations throughout America routinely act, swiftly and decisively, in cases of workplace violence. Persons who break their coworkers’bones, deliberately or accidentally, get fired.
Even in cases of horseplay — and by all appearances the interaction between Cable and Hanson was not horseplay — people lose their jobs for engaging in physical behavior that risks (or, possibly in this case, causes) injury to a colleague.”
Sums it up. Responsible seems to be the key word. Even in his old age Davis still manages to scare the NFL enough to make them leave him alone.
Funny how sportingnews.com remembers my log in information.