EA Sports adds Cleveland’s Stipe Miocic to UFC video game
August 26, 2014Kevin Love introduced as the newest Cavalier
August 26, 2014[Update: NFL Rules on Josh Gordon: Suspension Upheld, Browns Pissed]
Adam Schefter is reporting that the Josh Gordon appeal decision has been made. Apparently the only thing left to decide is when to issue that judgement.
Schefter just said on SC that he's heard Gordon decision has been made and Henderson just needs to decide when to issue it. #takeyourtime
— Chris Fillar (@ItsFillar) August 26, 2014
It’s all so confusing at this point. There’s nothing regarding the appeal that can change at this point, I don’t think. It all just makes me wonder what, exactly, the NFL is really waiting for. If they were waiting for the DWI case to occur, they’ll have to keep waiting as that was pushed back to November.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk does have an interesting legal opinion on the matter of the NFL’s timing. He points out that if Josh Gordon takes the legal route and sues, that a judge might view the NFL’s feet-dragging ways in a way that would allow for Gordon to get an injunction and continue playing.
The delayed issuance of the decision by hearing officer Harold Henderson will put more pressure the judge to whom the case would be assigned to process the facts, to research the law, and to make a fair and proper decision as to whether Gordon should be allowed to play pending a final ruling in the case. And the judge to whom the case is assigned could blame the NFL for dragging its feet, which could make the judge more favorable to Gordon’s cause. Which eventually could make Gordon available to play for most or all of the 2014 season.
It’s unclear who that would benefit more in the case of the Cleveland Browns, although it’s stiff competition in the top three between Brian Hoyer, Mike Pettine and Cleveland Browns fans. Even if Gordon eventually gets the hammer dropped on him, if he could play the entirety of 2014 while the case is making its way through the court, that would be amazingly fortunate for the team as it buys them a year to address the deficiencies at wide receiver.
58 Comments
All other legal wrangling aside, I just can’t understand how the NFL can get a pass for waiting so long to announce this decision. They are actively working to hurt one of their 32 franchises, as there’s no way the Browns can truly prepare for the season without knowing whether Gordon can play or not. I’m no conspiracy theorist by any means, but the whole damn thing just feels so…
…orchestrated.
To hurt the “Johnny Manziel Cleveland Browns”? Really? Have you not watched a minute of the NFL-orchestrated Manziel parade? Doesn’t make a lick of sense. If they’re “actively working to hurt” anyone, it’s only Gordon – which makes the “legal wrangling” the only important question.
If they don’t announce it this week then clearly they have an ulterior motive. This whole thing has been ridiculous. Watch he’ll end up being suspended a year on top of it.
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According to the agreed upon policy for substance abuse : “Within a reasonable period of time, following the hearing, the Commissioner will issue a written decision which will constitute a full, final, and complete disposition of the appeal and which will be binding on all parties.”
I find it very, very odd that Goodell has gone against this policy and (seemingly) surrendered his obligations to Harold Henderson. At least that is how all reporting has made it sound: Henderson will make the decision. I’m also confused why the NFLPA isn’t complaining about this.
Maybe it’s nothing, but the cynical mind could see this as Goodell distancing himself from drug related hearings to avoid comparisons to the Ray Rice suspension.
I love football, but I hate the NFL.
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There, there. Don’t be mad.
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I don’t think it’s being done to hurt the Browns, but you can’t convince me that this isn’t related to the Ray Rice backlash.
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Goodell missing the appeal is annoying to me. So, the appeal process has stretched out for WEEKS becaue it was scheduled during the ONE DAY Goodell couldn’t make it due to HOF duties. And I heard the delay was attributed to documenting the testimony? Maybe this is hindsight being 20/20 and the NFL being historically dumb, but this would have been a whole lot faster if they just scheduled the appeal a couple days later.
Amirght?
It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the league waited until the day before they play the Steelers to announce Gordon’s suspension, for the entire season no doubt, just to play fukty-fuk with Cleveland.
Or perhaps they were hoping to combine it with the DWI to avoid backlash, but with that option gone they’ve made a decision.
“Apparently the only thing left to decide is when to issue that judgement.”
How about some time this f’ing century..
Always with the fukty-fuk they are.
I have no idea. I’ve heard the documentation thing, but I’m not sure how official that is. I wish I would have paid attention to other drug hearings to get a better idea on the turn around time on those.
As a side note, I think the coverage of this by the major sports media has been atrocious. Basically nobody questions the NFL. Why did the Commish not hear this case? What about the whole hard guidelines for sentencing? Why all this talk about only 8 games when the letter of the law says otherwise? Why aren’t people in the media asking these questions? It’s lambs reporting on the wolves.
I’m starting to understand why Saints fans got so worked up over BountyGate. And Pats haters over the taping scandal. The NFL just sort of does what it wants and EVERYONE falls into lockstep because they know what side their bread is buttered on.
I don’t even say that as a homer who thinks Gordon is innocent and is getting railroaded. Cause, frankly, dude clearly broke the rules in an asininely dumb way. It’s just that nobody cares or even points out that the NFL is just making up stuff to suit their own needs. RANT OVER.
I don’t think the NFL is trying to hurt the Browns; I think this is just good old fashioned incompetence. The NFL is a rather large company and that means a lot of bureaucracy. I’m willing to bet they need a lot of internal forms filled out by all kinds of people to protect themselves from any kind of lawsuit. Sadly, our team’s actual season doesn’t matter much to them.
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This just in. The NFL was just waiting for the release of his latest arrest photo from the police.
Incriminating evidence just turned in.
Buffering. Corporate Survival for Beginners – Chapter 2
(Chapter 1 is about having great attorneys)
If you have ever worked for an organization, company, or institution you have seen the BS that happens when bureaucracy meets incompetence. I think we sometimes buy into the fallacy that the NFL is somehow immune to indecision, red tape, or double-guessing.
That said, they are doing good by absolutely no one. Not the NFL, not Cleveland, not the fans, and certainly not Josh Gordon.
I believe its a good sign. Gordon probably won the appeal and the NFL is using the dui as leverage to save face by negotiating a suspension for a few games.
The NFL can’t suspend for a first-time DUI. Not under their current rules, anyway.
It’s a side show distraction, get it done, let’s move on already. The drug test and the DWI are two separate potential suspendable violations, treat them as such. The fact that Rice gets 2 games for beating up his wife and Gordon gets a year for smoking weed…..common sense bat sh*t crazy…..
I think so too. The league laid down a marker that beating your wife unconscious on-camera is worth two games, so now anything more for Gordon in the absence of a DWI conviction is going to look hypocritical. And they clearly want to make an example of him due to the repeat violations. Basically, they’re groping for a Solomon-like compromise that isn’t there.
Again, the NFL doesn’t suspend for first-time DUIs. Gordon will lose 2 game checks for the offense, but won’t be suspended. Any suspension that Gordon receives will be a direct result of the drug test violation.
“To hurt the “Johnny Manziel Cleveland Browns”? Really? Have you not watched a minute of the NFL-orchestrated Manziel parade?”
Don’t conflate ESPN’s raging boner for Manziel with the NFL. I don’t think those are congruous. Conversely, what if the NFL decided they wanted to stick it to Jimmy Haslam for the black eye he’s brought onto the shield?
Again, I don’t tend to believe conspiracy theories (so, no tin foil hats here), but it does make one wonder why the heck this is taking so long. If they’ve made a decision, as is reported, then there’s literally no other reason for them to withhold it anymore. The longer they do, the more it hurts the Browns.
I’m not saying if-A-then-B with any certainty, but come on… what other reasons are there now?
Is DWI separate from the substance abuse program? Because he’s already in that, so if it falls under that umbrella…
I think that it is separate, yes, because the test to determine substance abuse was not performed by the NFL (or the company contracted by the NFL). I think a DUI is treated by the NFL as a violation of the law only.
“Don’t conflate ESPN’s raging boner for Manziel with the NFL.”
I’m not. The NFL Network’s is just as turgid. NFL Network is the NFL. No conflation necessary.
“I’m not saying if-A-then-B with any certainty, but come on… what other reasons are there now?”
Gosh, I don’t know, maybe it is what they say it is. Maybe it was a delay in transcription. Irrespective of how we think things “should” be, it doesn’t change how things sometimes “are.” Maybe legal issues really are important, despite our desire to dismiss “legal wrangling.” For example, if the NFL is about drop the hammer on Gordon, they have every reason to make sure that their ruling is watertight or they’re going to catch hell (which they will, anyway). Gordon has probably the best legal team possible on his side (not to mention the NFLPA). The NFL would be foolish not to take the time necessary to make sure their ruling is legally sound. And a “decision” and a “ruling” are two different things. Or maybe – we can hope – they’re going to be lenient on Gordon. If so, they need to make sure that they are not setting a precedent for other situations that they can’t support in the future (that NLFPA can be pesky like that). They would be foolish not to do so. Or maybe it’s a combination of these things.
Maybe . . . I’m wrong. Maybe the NFL really does want the Browns to suck this year. Makes sense, given the time, effort, energy, and expense that they’ve put forward in the last 15 years on the franchise (you know, giving us one, facilitating an ownership change, etc). Maybe I”m just sick of the “woe is us” Cleveland attitude. Or maybe I just don’t care about everyone’s fantasy football leagues (my main conspiracy theory for all of the fan outrage).
Sometimes shadows on the moon are just shadows on the moon, and not some Hollywood studio fabrication.
I grant you that I am–perhaps incorrectly–using “decision” and “ruling” interchangeably.
As for the NFLN, I don’t have it and thus don’t watch it, so I can’t comment and defer to those who do.
This isn’t “woe is us” from me. I don’t think the Browns are a playoff team that is getting the screw job by having its best player dangled over suspension until the last possible minute.
Yeah, sorry. Didn’t mean to project anything on you, personally. I’m needlessly fired up over nothing.
Serenity now.
Just post the news already. Maybe the NFLDramaQueens want a LeBron style announcement though.