| sakura698 |
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24/10/2019 03:44 | Sujet du message:
PHOENIX - No, Roger Goodell is not going | |
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PHOENIX - No, Roger Goodell is not going to give himself a pay cut. Los Angeles Angels Gear . Wont trim even a measly $1 million off his $44 million salary.Not voluntarily, anyway, even after a disastrous year that shook the NFL to its core.Hes also not going to resign and, no, he doesnt expect to be fired.Does that surprise you? he asked the questioner.It didnt, and not much else did Friday as the embattled NFL commissioner put on a show of not being embattled at all at his annual State of the NFL presser.To call this a dog and pony show would be insulting to dogs and ponies everywhere. Nothing about the format was conducive to getting actual answers rather than the talking points the commissioner had long ago committed to memory.A few miles down the road, Tiger Woods was explaining as only he can about how he could shoot 82 on a relatively easy resort course and miss the cut in his first tournament of the year. Goodell took the podium at about the same time to explain why the NFL was going to wait until after the Super Bowl to determine whether the New England Patriots were conspirators in a scheme to deflate footballs.Neither of them were terribly insightful, but at least Woods had an excuse. He had been out playing in the rain for five hours, and was just hoping to get somewhere dry.Goodell, meanwhile, spent the morning working out, presumably while studying the talking points his aides had surely drawn up for any question that might come up. Like Woods, he had an answer for everything, even for the cute little kid who warned his question about league-sponsored exercise would be a tough one.Not for the Teflon Commissioner, it wasnt. Goodell informed the kid that not had he already done Play 60 for the day, but actually did 65 minutes on the elliptical.Goodell was so on point that the only question that seemed to throw him for the slightest moment came from a Las Vegas television reporter who wanted to know about prospects for a team in that gambling city (not good).To be sure, the annual appearance by the commissioner rarely offers much insight into the operations of Americas most popular sports league. The supremely insular NFL prefers it that way, and without follow up questions the questions bounce around from topic to topic with no clear theme.This year, though could have been different. This year should have been different, if only because of two big controversies that cast doubt about fair and just the league really is.Goodell had a chance to go deeper into the deflated ball controversy, and didnt. He could have directly answered why his friend, New England owner Robert Kraft, wants an apology for the way the league has handled it, and didnt.He could have talked more about the whole Ray Rice affair, and didnt.Instead he talked in generalities about winning trust from fans every day and making enormous progress on social issues.The NFL is made up of good and caring people, he assured us at one point.That may be true, but for now were going to have to take Goodells word for it. Were also going to have to believe him when he says that the events have recent months have humbled him.It might be easier, though, if those responses didnt seem as scripted and full of generalities as his thoughts about players safety (hes for it) and earlier kickoff times for games in London - giving the networks yet another 3-hour block of NFL television (terrific).Listen, it has been a tough year, Goodell said. It has been a tough year on me personally. Its been a year of what I would say humility and learning. We obviously as an organization have gone through adversity, but more importantly it has been adversity for me. That is something where, we take that seriously. Its an opportunity for us to get better. So weve all done a lot of soul searching, starting with yours truly. And we have taken action.Speaking of action, Mr. Commissioner, how about that pay cut?Thats up to the owners, Goodell said. They evaluate my performance. They evaluate my compensation every year. And I dont argue.Come to think of it, after a year like the last one silence might be Goodells best option.____Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg Los Angeles Angels Pro Shop . Joakim Nordstrom and Garret Ross also scored for Chicago and Corey Crawford made 30 saves. Tomas Tatar scored twice for Red Wings (2-3-0), Jonathan Ericsson added a goal and Gustav Nyquist had three assists. Fake Angels Jerseys . -- EJ Manuel followed the worst game of his career with the best. https://www.cheapangels.com/ .C. Now hes squarely in the U.S. capital and helping the Washington Wizards playoff drive. John Wall scored 33 points, Gooden got 11 of his 21 in the final quarter and the Wizards overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit for a 101-94 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night.On Monday, Alex Rodriguez filed his lawsuit in U.S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. Ultimately, the big point of the lawsuit is to get a judge to set aside A-Rods 162-game suspension so he can play this upcoming season. As I wrote here, that wont happen. Judges are very reluctant to overturn the decisions of arbitrators unless the arbitrators make decisions that are nuts, crazy and out in left field. They are especially reluctant when the arbitrator is seasoned and well-respected, which is the case here with Fredric Horowitz. In his court document, A-Rod is arguing that the suspension was "wholly unjustified" and "baseless." Horowitz, however, relied on a lot of evidence to come to the conclusion that there was a reasonable basis for the suspension. Horowitz found that the evidence confirmed that A-Rod used three different types of PEDs over three years between 2010 and 2012: testosterone, IGF-1 and HGH. In fact, Horowitz wrote that the "only reasonable inference to be drawn from the weight of the evidence" is that A-Rod cheated. Horowitz also found that A-Rod tried to destroy evidence and bribe Tony Bosch, the founder of Biogenesis and the key witness in all of this. On this basis, Horowitz wrote that "deliberate efforts to obstruct an MLB investigation" or to "cover-up misconduct" can subject a player to further discipline. So in suspending A-Rod for 162 games plus playoffs, Horowitz ruled that there was "clear and convincing evidence" that A-Rod used or possessed PEDs over the course of three years and also, on at least two occasions, obstructed MLBs investigation. While the "length of the suspension may be unprecedented," concluded Horowitz, "so is the misconduct he committed." So A-Rods likelihood of success in getting his suspension overturned by the court is between zero to five per cent - and probably closer to zero per cent. I just dont see it happening. Now on to another part of the lawsuit: A-Rod is also suing the MLBPA. Basically, he is alleging that the union didnt have his back. Specifically, A-Rod says the union breached its legal duty to fairly represent his interest against MLB. How you ask? A-Rod cited a few examples: (1) The Drug Policy provides that most of the information surrounding a suspension is confidential and cannot be made publlic. Los Angeles Angels Store. Despite that, A-Rod argues, information was continually leaked to the public. Rather than challenge these leaks, the union "sat on its hands". (2) MLB filed a "sham lawsuit" against Bosch. The lawsuit, he argues, had no merit and the real reason for it was to force Bosch to cooperate with MLB. It worked and Bosch spilled the PED beans. A-Rod says the union should have challenged the lawsuit. (3) MLB bought evidence and according to A-Rod engaged in heavy handed investigation techniques. Rather than take issue with that, the MLBPA did nothing. (4) The former head of the MLBPA made public statements strongly suggesting that A-Rod took PEDs. Mr. Weiner said this on Chris Russos radio show: "based on the evidence we saw, we made a recommendation" that he accept a suspension. A-Rod says that Mr. Weiner acted against his best interests, which is a breach of the duty of fair representation. By the way, the MLBPA took very serious issue with A-Rod attacking Mr. Weiner. He passed away in November from an inoperable brain tumor and was beloved and respected by everyone - including his adversary MLB. While A-Rod may be taking issue with his own union, ultimately this will not have an impact on whether his suspension gets reduced. Thats a separate issue focused on whether there is just cause for the suspension. Whatever duties his union did or did not discharge wont be relevant. As for what is next, I expect the judge in short order to rule he wont touch the suspension and as a result A-Rod will miss the entire 2014 season. After that, the Yankees will likely buy out the last two years of his deal and A-Rod will never play major league baseball again. Apart from being 39-years old when his suspension will be done, hes also toxic; no team will touch him. A-Rod has burned a lot of bridges: Yankees, MLB and the union. On top of that, hes admitted to doing PEDs between 2001 and 2003, and according to the Horowitz decision, he did PEDs from 2010 to 2012. The assumption may well be that A-Rod took PEDs for most of his career. Whether fair or not, for many he has lost the benefit of the doubt, and as a result the legitimacy of his numbers will be forever questioned. As we watch the final chapter in the A-Rod saga unfold, there is a growing sense that A-Rod may become a pariah unwelcome in any baseball circles. His relationship with baseball may be coming to a decisive end. ' ' '  |
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