Comments on: League should take draft picks from teams with a rash of off-field issues

By: jacksprat57

jacksprat57 — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 09:05:28 +0000

“Three strikes you’re out.
1. You got 4 games suspended.
2. You got 8 games suspended.
3. Pay back all the unearned bonuses and banned for life.

You couldn’t make the same mistake 3 times beside you are unthinkable human being.” –tvousa

Let’s try it: You’ve just made one really dumb post. You’re suspended from the internet for 4 months. Penalty for violating the ban is three years at hard labor.

Hey, this is fun!

By: jacksprat57

jacksprat57 — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 08:57:46 +0000

coltsluckdynasty: You’re missing the critical difference between them and you “in the real world.” They’re rare and valuable talents. You, on the other hand, ARE the proverbial plugged nickel.

By: lioncrazy

lioncrazy — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 21:16:59 +0000

Going after the Team is about as assinine as it gets for off field incidents. Can you imagine if all employers were accountable for the actions of the employees while not at work. What needs to be done, is to hold the “individual” accountable and throw their butt in jail regardless if it interferes while playing within the football season . As well as, requiring the same actions required by the Court. If games or practices or whatever is interrupted causing the player to miss them, too bad, their actions caused it.

By: bigwalt2990

bigwalt2990 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:06:58 +0000

If this were to happen, then the NFL cannot allow questionable character players to enter the draft. Thats the worst idea I’ve ever heard. Punishing a team for unknowns. Punishing them for players that were available to ALL TEAMS when the draft took place. But now that it’s the Lions…no wonder people want things to change. No one wants us getting good.

By: CKL

CKL — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 16:38:38 +0000

Coaches can take away their playtime or status as a starter if they are displeased. That’s about it. Think what BB did to WW for the playoff game vs the NYJ..and Welker’s never been an off field problem. Players hate when their stage is taken away.

By: mellymel86

mellymel86 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 13:40:42 +0000

Punish a team with a scouting department that doesn’t do their homework by taking away draft picks. Brilliant.
______
I’d say so. Gives them less homework to do

By: pftbillsfan

pftbillsfan — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 12:58:21 +0000

I think a better punishment is dollar, dollar fines. If the owner and GM’s face significant monetary fines for player transgressions it will cut it down. Imagine a fee schedule that costs a gm $50,000 for a marijuana related offense. $100,000 offense for a DWI, $$250,000 for assault. Owners would foot the bill for GM’s and in turn the Nick Fairleys and other guys would have real incentives to stay clean. NO HOPE IN DOPE

By: realcoachjack

realcoachjack — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 12:13:02 +0000

It’s a good idea in theory, but not practice. Because, once these ‘grown men’ leave their office, they are free to do what they will. The REAL problem is when you draft athletes of questionable character, eventually, they will remove any doubt of what the question was and be that character.

Suggestion: When a player tells you by his previous actions that he is trouble, believe him. He’s not kidding.

By: jgedgar70

jgedgar70 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 12:11:57 +0000

Punishments for violations of the law should be written in the contract. And who cares what the NFLPA thinks about it. If I go on a 2-week vacation from my job and get arrested for DUI while I’m out, I can – and probably will – get fired for it. Pro athletes should face the same fate as everyone else.

By: NFLJunkie

NFLJunkie — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:53:19 +0000

It’s yet another idea that makes far too much sense to ever be adopted.

Says you. I see a whole lot of problems in trying to implement something like this.

Short of encouraging complete blackballing of any kid who did something stupid in college — which seems wrong for different reasons if you believe at all in second chances — how does this really work?

Assuming it’s not specific to marijuana issues and applies to things like DUIs too, do the Jaguars get in more trouble for using a high pick on a guy with a history than a team who merely took a chance on a player as a UDFA because they weren’t completely sold on his character?

And if you do your due diligence and draft a guy without any prior red flags, and then something bad happens off the field that warrants suspension…that doesn’t count towards losing a draft pick?

What about the CBA? Will it back you up now if you want to cut a “questionable” guy who failed a random drug test, and now you know he hasn’t lived up to his end? Because it used to be harder to do that under the CBA than to cut a guy who broke curfew in training camp.

Seems to me this is a lot harder to enforce equitably than you make it sound.

By: gpete1962

gpete1962 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:47:22 +0000

Goodell has to much power now and you want to give him more.

Why don’t you just let the Obama administration run the NFL and limit the all players weight 200lbs.

By: santolonius

santolonius — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:29:08 +0000

this would give a player who knows he’s on the bubble of making the roster incentive to go get a d.u.i. to eliminate competition from the draft board…

By: swagjag

swagjag — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:51:03 +0000

Punish a team with a scouting department that doesn’t do their homework by taking away draft picks. Brilliant.

By: joetoronto

joetoronto — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:45:24 +0000

The organization DOES have control though.

How do you explain all the teams that DON’T have this issue?

Don’t draft turds, period.

By: randallflagg52

randallflagg52 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:25:39 +0000

Some guys just slip up every once in a while and you can’t really fault a team for a guy making a bad choice. Yet some teams (Detroit, Dallas, Cincy) have made a habit in recent years of looking past character flaws and focusing only on talent, and you see how that has turned out in terms of team and individual success. You can’t fix this by docking draft picks, that won’t fix a thing. Instead keep suspending the offenders and if the GM or President or whomever keeps it up he’ll be fired by any halfway decent owner.

IDK what to do though if the owner is also the GM (Dallas, Cincy), but those team’s suck in the playoffs for a reason.

By: tvousa

tvousa — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 07:57:12 +0000

Three strikes you’re out.
1. You got 4 games suspended.
2. You got 8 games suspended.
3. Pay back all the unearned bonuses and banned for life.

You couldn’t make the same mistake 3 times beside you are unthinkable human being.

By: gromgrimfist

gromgrimfist — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 07:09:54 +0000

@mt99808 people that die with THC in there systems in auto accidents are not called classified as a marijuana related death but people with alcohol is. How many of those people have both? Teen deaths how many off them were high at the time impairing there judgment or reaction time. I forget now which college it was but they did a study and people at .08 actually had a better reaction time then people who were high. I smoked alot when I was younger too I know the effects of marijuana don’t get me wrong drinking and driving is bad I am not defending that but marijuana is just as bad plus it is a gate way for many people into other things alot worse then both it is illegal to bootleg liquor just like its illegal to sell marijuana

By: piemasteruk

piemasteruk — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 05:25:44 +0000

This idea is not good and doesn’t even remotely make sense. The team are already punished enough when the player does something away from the facility that is, quite frankly, nothing to do with them. NFL franchises are not crèches, the people they employ as players are all over 21. Are they supposed to send them to compulsory seminary on the dangers of drink-driving? Fit them with ankle tags? Install CCTV cameras in their homes?

By: timg313

timg313 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 05:24:19 +0000

What do you really expect the Lions to do? Cut the players so another team can pick them up? Let’s say Lions do that, they cut Nick Fairley and LeShoure.. how fast are they picked up? I would stake my nonexistent reputation they would be signed by the end of the week. How does that benefit the Lions? Bottom line is the punishments fit the crimes. These guys are paying more for a dui then 99.99% of society. So the view from the high horse is easy when you are not making decisions on your roster. It does suck that it has taken us this long to get to respectability only to throw that away by being stupid, but they are a team with young kids. and to be 100% honest I do not know too many 22 and under kids that do not smoke weed and drink and drive.

By: Soulman45

Soulman45 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 04:55:16 +0000

THE GREAT DETROIT LIONS
It look like the team have a problem their is nothing the team can do but try and talk to them or cut them so they can go be a star for someone else won’t work the Lions got hit hard this year next year it will happen to another team.
So be it the big boys have work to do.

By: jonirocit

jonirocit — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 04:24:29 +0000

Great idea I don’t get how anyone could say it absurd . Maybe you disagree ?

By: dclogicatlast

dclogicatlast — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 04:23:59 +0000

Legalize it

By: backdraft440

backdraft440 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 04:18:34 +0000

I think the league should be fined for letting these players in the league to begin with. Piss on Roger Goodell

By: newguy925

newguy925 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 04:15:47 +0000

How is taking picks away going to stop players from getting in trouble/making bad decisions?

So these guys get drafted in the 3rd or 4th instead of the 1st or 2nd? Either way they lose money for making bad decisions.

How do you suggest teams predict a players tendency toward DUI?

The NFL already has their tolerances set for these behaviors with precedents set regarding suspensions and fines, do we really need to go farther and act punitively toward the franchises?

By: coltsluckdynasty

coltsluckdynasty — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 04:02:21 +0000

It’s about this franchise doing the right thing, and sending a message to these players. I’m not a lawyer, agent, or anyone for that matter. Is there language in the contracts that holds players accountable for off field issues? Up to and including termination of a contract, with no financial liabilty to any player arrested for any offense? Just wondering, because that seems like a logical scenario. I know the nflpa would have a say in this, but come on, in the real world, if I get arrested, my employer can and will fire me for any offense. Like I said, I dont know, and may be ignorant to this, but seems like a logical solution. The other problem is, if the player is good, the team will turn a blind eye, and let the league decide a punishment. Oh well, I know I’m not risking millions to smoke a joint, or drink and drive. I wouldn’t do it to risk my 1,000,000 I will make after 20 years of working…

By: kacapaco

kacapaco — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 03:57:10 +0000

This is the most ridiculous suggestion ever. You want the org that is ashamed by its employee to be punished for a behavior they can’t either control or predict? The same logic will also lead to punishing the league for not identifying n blocking the same players from being drafted. This is absurd.

By: mt99808

mt99808 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 03:52:02 +0000

This is so beyond stupid. How would NBC feel if it started losing broadcast rights to games when 2 of its employees commit criminal acts in the course of their personal lives.

Maybe as a country/state/county you should reconsider the seriousness of DUI and correspondingly stiffer penalties. Nobody has ever died from smoking pot yet people go to prison for it while DUI is treated as a traffic offense with a small slap on the wrist when it results in the deaths of thousands of people a year.

By: lionsfan14

lionsfan14 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 03:47:43 +0000

Yes I am a Lions fan and its embarrassing to keep hearing players getting arrested and acting like immature children. But what pisses me off is that people get pissed at the Lions coaches and staff. They cant do anything except yell at them. Under the rules of the CBA they cant suspend them or apply other discipline. These idiots are suppose to be grown ass men, and the coaches cant hold their effing hand when they go back home. This isnt college ball where you can keep an eye on them. During the offseason the coaches and staff can only hope that their players act thier age.