It’s bad enough that if the sharps get a bigger edge on gambling, and people start to see it as a bad bet, the league could lose some overall interest. But probably the biggest thing would be that some teams would invest in injury spies to get an advantage, thus forcing every other team to spend just to get back to a level playing field.

And if Spygate taught us anything it’s that the league does not want a spending war over teams trying to get a competitive edge that just results in everyone spending more money to maintain something close to the status quo.

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You’re correct that Goodell is working hard to make sure that all lucrative gambling interests have an even playing field.

In the process he’s given the Gregg Williams of the NFL the information they need to hit the injured where they are most vulnerable.

If Goodell wants to be on the record prioritizing gambling over player safety, he should continue the status quo – because that is his current policy.

If player safety is more important than gambling revenue then we will likely see a shift towards the vaugue reporting of the NFL.

Regarding your Spygate reference, Goodell was more upset that a coach would thumb his nose at a rule that allows taping from the stands but not from the sidelines.

Belichick certainly does have a history of letting Goodell know when he thinks he’s full of @#$!. In the case of injury reporting, Belichick was right.

The game now faces the challenge of remaining competitive without going all “North Dallas Forty”.

In the past we’ve seen a few coaches gain notoriety for their clear disdain for the coaching report. From both a health and strategic standpoint they have no interest in providing an invitation for teams to know who on the team is vulnerable.

Goodell has fined coaches who dare put player safety ahead of gambling interests (or fantasy football I suppose)

Will he continue to insist on disclosure or is it time to reform the rule?

It’s bad enough that if the sharps get a bigger edge on gambling, and people start to see it as a bad bet, the league could lose some overall interest. But probably the biggest thing would be that some teams would invest in injury spies to get an advantage, thus forcing every other team to spend just to get back to a level playing field.

And if Spygate taught us anything it’s that the league does not want a spending war over teams trying to get a competitive edge that just results in everyone spending more money to maintain something close to the status quo.

At least that leaves a little to the imagination. Why does anybody need to know if it is a plantar fasciitis or a hip flexor? Oh, Vegas lines!

Like I said if the league really cares about protecting players adopt the hockey method of disclosing injuries.

aka

im not putting money on someone who is half healthy,

but w/o injury report, how do i know