NFL, Richie Incognito, Bullying

The Saints should have been crushed for it: forfeit ALL draft picks for at least one season, every coach and player involved banned for life, organization fined enormously (in the $100,000,000+ range), any player or coach who KNEW ABOUT IT suspended at least a year and fined at least another year's salary. Every member of the team (including Drew Brees) should have been declared an unrestricted free agent. Come down on them with the HAMMERS OF HELL.

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He needs to be locked up.

 

If he hasn't done anything wrong what is he getting punished for?

Good for him.

Yea Dicko.

Give us a link so we can read the last sentence for ourselves.

So now calling someone black the Nword is considered as joking. Sorry, I like most black folks we don't play them jokes.

 

Looks like Ole Richie might not be as supported as his lifetime PF buddy thinks.

I guess many of the black folks in the NFL really don't like being called a Nword.

 

We will see

 

Yes we will.

 

My take:

Martin is a "in the closet" homosexual.

 

Ok lets say he is, what does that have to do with Richie calling him a Nword or talking about running a train on his sister or slapping his mother.

 

Incognito and Suh, the two dirtiest players in the NFL, both played under a foul-mouthed, vulgar, neanderthal coach at the University of Nebraska. Coincidence?

 

How many other NFL players from Nebraska played under the same coach and they are not dirty players.

 

IMO, a mountain out of a mole hill is again being played out in the media. It sells.
Did he cross a line, no doubt.
Do many people do it at times, sure. Tough now with digital records. Gets rid of the he said, she said scenario.

Was the intent malicious or mostly in jest. That is what matters most.

 

I don't know, how many of your partners tell you they are going to run a train on your sister or slap your mom in the mouth.

I don't have any white friends who I am cool enough with that could call me a Nword and I would be cool with that.

 

You can call me cracker and I'll just laugh it off.
I said, he crossed a line.
What was the real intent. Does he hate Martin? Would he follow through on his words?

 

I am pretty sure you would because it is not the same as you calling me a Nword.

Hating and following through on a threat is two different things. Again how many of your partners speak to you in that manner?

 

C'mon... Big deal... the "N" word should no longer offend, especially in a locker room. What does NOT offend: negro, colored, black??? Can't say Afro-American unless you were born in Africa and that isn't the case, is it?

 

How many black folks do you know that you feel comfortable calling them a Nword?

 

He gave everyone pretty much the max penalties that are allowed under the CBA and personal conduct policies in place at that time, pretty much along the lines of what you are screaming about:

On March 21, 2012, the NFL issued sanctions to Saints coaches and front-office personnel for their roles in the scandal.[55][56]

Williams was suspended indefinitely, and was banned from applying for reinstatement until the end of the 2012 season at the earliest.
Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season, effective April 1. He is the first head coach in modern NFL history to be suspended for any reason.
Loomis was suspended for the first eight games of the 2012 season.
Vitt, who had been tabbed as a possible candidate to serve as interim coach in Payton's absence, was suspended for the first six games of the 2012 season.[19][23][57] (This did not automatically disqualify Vitt from serving as interim head coach per se, as his suspension was not effective until the regular season; the suspension terms allowed him to coach the team through training camp and the preseason, then return during Week 7. The Saints announced they would implement this scenario for 2012.)[58][59]
The Saints were also fined $500,000—the maximum fine permitted under the league constitution. Goodell also stripped the Saints of their second-round draft picks in 2012 and 2013 (their first-round pick in 2012 had already been traded to the New England Patriots, and therefore could not be taken away; after the penalty; the Saints' first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft is a third-rounder)[19][23] He also gave the league's clubs until March 30, 2012 to certify in writing that they do not have bounty programs. Clubs will also be required to certify that no bounty systems exist as part of the yearly certifications they must make under the league's Integrity of the Game Policy.[60]

In a statement, Goodell said that the NFL would not tolerate "conduct or a culture" that put player safety at risk. He also said that the fact that the scheme went on for three years demanded that "a strong and lasting message must be sent that such conduct is totally unacceptable and has no place in the game."[19] He was particularly angered that those involved had denied there was a bounty program in place. In an interview with NFL Network's Rich Eisen, Goodell said that the threat to player safety, as well as the fact the Saints lied about it, demanded significant punishment. "I don't think you can be too hard on people that put at risk our players' health and safety," Goodell told Eisen.[61] He reiterated this in an interview later that day with ESPN's Schefter, saying that the fact those involved "continued to mislead" the league about it was a significant factor in the sanctions. "You have to be accountable and responsible in the NFL," Goodell said. Goodell also implied that Payton would have faced significant punishment in any event, since his contractual obligation to supervise his assistants meant that he at least should have known about the scheme. He also said that there would be zero tolerance for payments for in-game performance in the future, saying that payments for good play eventually escalate to bounties for deliberately injuring players.[62] Later, Schefter said on ESPN's SportsCenter that league officials felt Payton was at least as guilty as Williams, despite initial focus on Williams' role as the mastermind in the scheme.

On March 30, Payton, Vitt and Loomis appealed their suspensions, and the Saints also appealed the fine and loss of draft picks.[63] Payton, Vitt and Loomis met with Goodell on April 5. After that meeting, Vitt's lawyer, David Cornwell, said that Payton and Loomis met with Williams before the divisional playoff game and ordered him to shut down the bounty program immediately. Cornwell contended that Williams was a "rogue coach," and the recently released audio of his meeting with the defense only proved it.[64]

Goodell turned the appeals down on April 9, meaning that Payton's suspension began as of April 16. However, depending on the Saints' cooperation and that of the individuals involved, Goodell could restore the Saints' second-round pick in 2013 (though the Saints would still lose a lower-round pick), as well as reduce the fine on the Saints and restore Payton, Vitt and Loomis' lost pay.[65]

Players[edit]The NFLPA requested that the league hold off on any punishments for the players until it conducts its own investigation.[23] Goodell told Schefter, however, that he would hand down punishments to the players involved very soon once he gets feedback from the NFLPA.[62]

Hours after the sanctions were announced, Kluwe went on KSTP in the Twin Cities and demanded that any players involved in the scheme be severely punished, and that the NFLPA let it be known that "there's no place in the league for that kind of behavior." He even went as far as to call for Vilma—the only player specifically named as being involved in the scheme in the NFL's initial announcements—to be banned from the league for life.[66] His sentiments were echoed a day later by Vikings center John Sullivan, who told KFXN-FM in the Twin Cities that any Saint who deliberately tried to hurt Favre in that game should get a lifetime ban. Sullivan called the Saints' treatment of Favre "despicable" and "the exact opposite of sportsmanship," and even called for the league to take some sort of action against players involved in that game who had since retired, such as McCray.[67]

On May 2, 2012, the NFL suspended four then-current or former Saints players for their involvement in the bounty scandal:

Vilma was suspended for the entire 2012 NFL season.[6]
Former Saints defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove was suspended for eight games.
Saints defensive end Will Smith was suspended for four games.
Former Saints linebacker Scott Fujita (then with the Cleveland Browns, now retired) was suspended for three games.
Vilma's suspension took effect immediately, while the other three players are allowed to attend training camp. In announcing the suspensions, Goodell said that while a large number of players took part in the program, he chose to suspend those players who "were in leadership positions at the Saints; contributed a particularly large sum of money toward the program; specifically contributed to a bounty on an opposing player; demonstrated a clear intent to participate in a program that potentially injured opposing players; sought rewards for doing so; and/or obstructed the 2010 investigation." The NFL determined that Vilma and Smith helped Williams start the bounty program. Hargrove lied to league officials during the 2010 investigation, but later signed a letter to the NFL admitting that he was active participant in the scheme. He also told at least one other player that the Saints had put a bounty on Favre in the 2009 NFC title game. Fujita, who left the team for the Browns immediately after the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV, pledged "a significant amount of money" into the bounty program.[68]

Earlier, Goodell had indicated that he was going to come down hard on the players involved, telling Eisen that they "enthusiastically embraced" the scheme. "They are on the field, so so I don't think they are absolved from any responsibility because of that," he said.[69]

The NFLPA released a statement calling the suspensions unjustified, claiming that Goodell had not furnished them with any evidence supporting the sanctions.[6] The union lodged a formal grievance on May 4, contending that since the suspensions were for on-field misconduct, the players' appeals should be heard by Ted Cottrell and Art Shell, whom the collective bargaining agreement designates as the hearing officers for on-field sanctions. It also contended that since the alleged conduct took place before the most recent CBA was signed in August, Goodell should have deferred to NFL special master Stephen Burbank in ruling on the players' actions.[70] Goodell issued the suspensions as part of his power to sanction any "conduct detrimental to the integrity and public confidence in the NFL," a violation of Article 46 of the CBA. This provision is normally used to sanction off-field conduct.[71] However, a league source told CBSSports.com's Judge that it also gives Goodell the power to rule on in-game conduct if he feels that it runs counter to the integrity of the game.[72]

On July 26, 2012, Jonathan Vilma and seven witnesses from the Saints testified in front of a federal judge in New Orleans that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell got his facts wrong in the bounty scandal."Everybody was sworn in under oath in front of a judge with the risk of perjury and jail time if we were lying, and categorically denied there was a bounty," Vilma said in a text message to ESPN's Ed Werder. "Seven people testified, 2 sworn affidavits (one by Drew Brees) all saying the same thing. I ask that you and ESPN report the facts. No more bias or b.s. or hearsay. I gave you facts that you can report if so choose." [8] Tulane University Sports Law Program Director Gabe Feldman (who attended the hearing in court) said, "Clearly the judge, by her questions, indicated she thinks Goodell overstepped his authority, and this case was always going to be about if he executed his power fairly... The NFL's retort is that with all due deference, you don't get to second guess (commissioner Roger Goodell). Judges only have limited jurisdiction over arbitration issues." [9]

All four players appealed their suspensions. On September 7, 2012, the Burbank appeals panel vacated the suspensions imposed on the four, and the NFL confirmed that the ruling reinstated them in time for their first games of the 2012 season two days later.[73] Two days after the fifth game of the season, on October 9, 2012, the league re-issued the suspensions without any changes or reductions; the players' appeals continued.[74]

On October 27, 2012, former league commissioner Paul Tagliabue postponed the bounty appeals hearing,[75] expecting to set a new schedule on October 29, 2012.[76] On December 11, with three games left in the regular season, Tagliabue vacated the players' suspensions, saying in his ruling, "I affirm Commissioner Goodell's factual findings as to the four players. I conclude that Hargrove, Smith and Vilma -- but not Fujita -- engaged in 'conduct detrimental to the integrity of, and public confidence in, the game of professional football ... " He laid primary responsibility for the scandal on Williams and Payton.[77]

Had the suspensions of Vilma and Hargrove been upheld, they would have be the longest for an on-field incident in modern NFL history, topping the previous record set in 2006, when then-Titans defensive end Albert Haynesworth was given a five-game suspension for stomping on the head of Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Andre Gurode.

Vilma played the final 11 games of the 2012 season for the Saints; Smith played all 16. Fujita played the first four games of the season for the Browns before suffering a season-ending (and ultimately, career-ending) neck injury;[78] he would sign a ceremonial one-day contract with the Saints in the offseason and retire with the team.[79] Hargrove, signed as a free agent by the Green Bay Packers in March 2012,[80] did not play during the 2012 season. Nonetheless, the loss of Payton, combined with the distractions caused by the scandal, proved too much for the Saints to overcome. After coming within one game of the Super Bowl a year earlier, they finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs.

Hardly a turtle job. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_Saints_bounty_scandal

 

I guess its safe to say to the white members of PF that you don't have any black friends that you are cool enough with that allow you to call them a Nword.

 

I wouldn't call anyone the Nword, and I have plenty of black friends, co workers, and family members.

 

Well I am not speaking to you if that is the case. I am speaking to the folks on this forum who claim its no big deal, that Richie is not a racist he is a good guy that just said the wrong thing, that black folks are ok with you calling them that. Those are the folks I am speaking to.

 

Ah, well, for me there is no justification, but that is just me.

 

We are in agreement. I was speaking to the folks who were trying to defend Richie's actions.

 

Being told that just because you're part of a team, you should pay for a service the team has decided on... Whether you personally need, want, or will ever use it. It is serious. It's frustrating and a bad precedent. I understand the outrage. Unfortunately, the supreme court upheld Obamacare.




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