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Re: Seems like some powerful owners are on Goodell's side
Gee, you'd think that if Brady had been cheating, like forever, the guys that would be the most pissed at him would be the players.
After all, he supposedly stole the pri2e from all NON-Pats players and sullied the achievements of his teammates.
But no, the players union is not only against any punishment, they apparently don't think he's guilty at all!
Imagine that, the workers think that the overlords are trying to set up one of their members, not trying to protect the shield.
Talk about delusional! Who are they to question the motivation of the boss? Don't they know he's in charge?
They even think that Goodell let Troy Vincent take credit for deciding the punishment, in contravention of the CBA, so he could be sure to judge the appeal so he could make sure it was squashed. Outrageous! Who do these players think they are?
NFLPA to Goodell: You're 'inherently biased' to determine Brady punishment
By Frank Schwab
May 15, 2015 11:53 AM
Shutdown Corner
The NFLPA's appeal letter to the NFL in Tom Brady's appeal is a good look at how little the union thinks of the NFL's case against Brady and of commissioner Roger Goodell's ability to be neutral.
The most interesting part might be that the NFLPA said it plans to call Goodell and NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent, whose name was on the punishment to the New England Patriots and Brady, to testify in the appeal hearing. That's in a clear effort to force Goodell from overseeing the appeal. The same happened in the Ray Rice case, which the NFLPA discusses in its letter. It's probably the best shot the NFLPA has at forcing Goodell's hand. The NFLPA also threatens to go beyond the NFL's appeal process if a neutral party doesn't oversee the appeal.
"If the Commissioner does not appoint such a neutral arbitrator, the NFLPA and Mr. Brady will seek recusal and pursue all available relief to obtain an arbitrator who is not evidently partial," the letter says.
There are other interesting parts of their appeal letter, and you can boil it down into three main parts:
1. The NFLPA doesn't think Goodell should determine the punishment
It likely won't matter. Goodell has said he will rule over the appeal. It's very clear the NFL would rather take the criticism for not having someone independent rule over the case than to let the flimsy evidence against Brady be heard by someone impartial. A loss in this case would be a real possibility if the appeal was fair, and that would be a huge embarrassment to the league.
...and...
2. The NFLPA has a problem with Vincent handing down the punishment
The letter is addressed to Vincent. His name was on the punishment to the Patriots and Brady. It's nearly impossible to believe that Goodell wasn't the one making the ultimate determination on such a high-profile case that generated arguably the largest punishment in league history. But that's what the NFL said, and the NFLPA attacked it. The union calls Vincent's involvement "a plain violation of the CBA."
,,,and...
Unless the NFLPA can somehow get Goodell to give up his role overseeing the appeal, perhaps by expressing that it wants him to testify, none of this will matter. Goodell can't lose this appeal, and he obviously won't if he rules on the case. It's unfortunate. A real appeal instead of the farce it will be would have been interesting to watch unfold.
Gee, you'd think that if Brady had been cheating, like forever, the guys that would be the most pissed at him would be the players.
After all, he supposedly stole the pri2e from all NON-Pats players and sullied the achievements of his teammates.
But no, the players union is not only against any punishment, they apparently don't think he's guilty at all!
Imagine that, the workers think that the overlords are trying to set up one of their members, not trying to protect the shield.
Talk about delusional! Who are they to question the motivation of the boss? Don't they know he's in charge?
They even think that Goodell let Troy Vincent take credit for deciding the punishment, in contravention of the CBA, so he could be sure to judge the appeal so he could make sure it was squashed. Outrageous! Who do these players think they are?
NFLPA to Goodell: You're 'inherently biased' to determine Brady punishment
By Frank Schwab
May 15, 2015 11:53 AM
Shutdown Corner
The NFLPA's appeal letter to the NFL in Tom Brady's appeal is a good look at how little the union thinks of the NFL's case against Brady and of commissioner Roger Goodell's ability to be neutral.
The most interesting part might be that the NFLPA said it plans to call Goodell and NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent, whose name was on the punishment to the New England Patriots and Brady, to testify in the appeal hearing. That's in a clear effort to force Goodell from overseeing the appeal. The same happened in the Ray Rice case, which the NFLPA discusses in its letter. It's probably the best shot the NFLPA has at forcing Goodell's hand. The NFLPA also threatens to go beyond the NFL's appeal process if a neutral party doesn't oversee the appeal.
"If the Commissioner does not appoint such a neutral arbitrator, the NFLPA and Mr. Brady will seek recusal and pursue all available relief to obtain an arbitrator who is not evidently partial," the letter says.
There are other interesting parts of their appeal letter, and you can boil it down into three main parts:
1. The NFLPA doesn't think Goodell should determine the punishment
It likely won't matter. Goodell has said he will rule over the appeal. It's very clear the NFL would rather take the criticism for not having someone independent rule over the case than to let the flimsy evidence against Brady be heard by someone impartial. A loss in this case would be a real possibility if the appeal was fair, and that would be a huge embarrassment to the league.
...and...
2. The NFLPA has a problem with Vincent handing down the punishment
The letter is addressed to Vincent. His name was on the punishment to the Patriots and Brady. It's nearly impossible to believe that Goodell wasn't the one making the ultimate determination on such a high-profile case that generated arguably the largest punishment in league history. But that's what the NFL said, and the NFLPA attacked it. The union calls Vincent's involvement "a plain violation of the CBA."
,,,and...
Unless the NFLPA can somehow get Goodell to give up his role overseeing the appeal, perhaps by expressing that it wants him to testify, none of this will matter. Goodell can't lose this appeal, and he obviously won't if he rules on the case. It's unfortunate. A real appeal instead of the farce it will be would have been interesting to watch unfold.
" ~ yordad
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