Gayle is woke now

So here is something you don't see every day.  Roger Goodell was at Orleans Parish Debtor's Prison Magistrate Court yesterday watching the mayor's father in law work. 

Saints players Benjamin Watson and Demario Davis watched as Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell set $1,500 bail for a disabled man accused of cocaine possession.

Afterward, one observer said it was impossible to hear the clink of the defendants' metal shackles without thinking of slavery. Goodell agreed.

“I was just overwhelmed with sadness,” Watson said. “Their lives are never going to be the same, whether they’re guilty or innocent.”

The indelible image of a powerful sports executive mixing with the poor and desperate came courtesy of the Players Coalition. NFL players created the social justice organization last year in the wake of protests by Colin Kaepernick and other players who refused to stand during the national anthem in response to police killings of black people.

The Players Coalition organized a daylong symposium Tuesday on the criminal justice system at the Orleans Public Defenders office that was also attended by Saints owner Gayle Benson and defensive end Cam Jordan.

It's hard to gauge whether or not this sort of thing is ultimately more helpful or harmful at least as it regards figures like Gayle and Roger.  The only reason they're there in the first place is because players like Watson and Davis joined a protest movement that caused their bosses a  big PR problem.  On the one hand, it's good that someone did this to them. On the other hand, now the bosses can turn it into an opportunity to buy themselves some woke cred.

Meanwhile, Benson made an impromptu offer of office space in Benson Tower to Syrita Steib-Martin, the executive director of Operation Restoration, which helps women and girls re-entering society after prison stints.

Gayle shouldn't be allowed to get off so easily.  Keep in mind the office space she's so graciously offered here only comes to her via a corrupt deal the state entered into with her late husband.  Nothing Gayle Benson donates to anything should have passed through her hands in the first place. Until we're talking about re-appropriating the Bensons' hoarded wealth for public redistribution, every "gift" from Gayle should be considered an insult.

Also I'm looking for information in this story about how the court plans to adjust its practices in order to get into compliance with this ruling and not finding any. 

For eight hours, Goodell listened attentively — sometimes interjecting questions — as defense attorneys and formerly incarcerated people spoke. In the day’s first session, Orleans Parish Chief Public Defender Derwyn Bunton explained the plethora of bail fees and court costs that defendants pay to help support the city's criminal justice system.

Federal judges recently declared that “user pays” system to be unconstitutional because the state judges who set fines and fees cannot be impartial when their own budget is at stake. After watching the bail hearings, Davis agreed.

“The judge didn’t let anybody off on no bail,” he said. “The judge has a conflict of interest, because he has to get the people in his office paid.”

For the present moment, it looks like it's business as usual over there. 

$750 million in public money

The pro sports leagues are beyond shame.

What if a Boston columnist had devoutly wished the Patriots could have their own Bountygate?

Turns out that's not such a bad idea. Because now, three years later, national writers, like Matt Taibbi here, are starting to figure out that Roger Goodell's disciplinary program is kind of a sham.

If and when democracy collapses under the upcoming Trump administration, Goodell's discipline process is what the criminal justice system will look like: secret evidence, double-jeopardy prosecutions, judges serving as prosecutors and vice versa, no right against self-incrimination, no right to face accusers, ex post facto lawmaking, conviction by inference, etc.

Of course it's hard to get worked up about any of this, because the "crimes" Goodell punishes involve things like leaking air out of footballs. But that's what makes all this so absurd. It's like a Poconos-comedy version of Stalinism.

Continue reading for the stuff about Bountygate that most New Orleans Saints fans had already learned through their own traumatic experience. But apparently every city must undergo its own Goodelling in order to get it right. 

Something something something journalism ethics

It won't take more than a day to happen but thousands of professional reporters will defend ESPN's prerogative to tell its staff to shut up about Goodell already. There will be reasons. It's Olbermann so some of those reasons will be based in reality.  They will also be irrelevant.

The bottom line is this.  If the network exists to promote the multi-billion dollar professional athletics industry rather than.. you know.. report on it, then the people who work for that network aren't doing journalism. They are doing PR.

Memories

Times-Picayune sports columnist Jeff Duncan, January 22, 2013:

At Super Bowl 2013, Roger Goodell should be hailed as a New Orleans hero for helping to save a cosmopolitan city

Some day, a few months down the road, when this has finally flipped off of the news carousel and Robert Mueller has completed his whitewashing, and all the NFL owners have rallied around him, Roger Goodell will still have his job.  And when we get there, he'll still be able to help the careers of all the hype men who've done their job running interference for him over the years.  Don't worry about Duncan. He'll be fine.

Update: Really, there was no call for the flashback. Here's Duncan this afternoon.

If Goodell lied about seeing the video footage of the Rice incident inside the elevator or conspired to cover it up, then he deserves a pink slip. But something just doesn't add up.

While it's unbelievable to think that Goodell or league officials would not have seen a copy of the tape, which reportedly was sent to the league office by an unidentified law enforcement officer in April, it's equally incredible to think Goodell would lie about seeing it. Why would he lie about it? What's the motivation? He's already said he botched the investigation and admitted he "didn't get it right."

"My disciplinary decision led the public to question our sincerity, our commitment, and whether we understood the toll that domestic violence inflicts on so many families," Goodell wrote in an Aug. 28 letter to NFL owners outlining the league's new domestic violence policy. "I take responsibility both for the decision and for ensuring that our actions in the future properly reflect our values.  ... Simply put, we have to do better. And we will."

If he's already fallen on the sword, what is there to gain by lying about the tape?

OK that's pretty funny. If the Bountygate saga taught us anything it's that Goodell will definitely lie, and lie stupidly, about evidence he has or hasn't collected.  What's his motivation?   At the time, he thought it would be the most convenient way to sweep an ugly incident under the rug.  It's well established that this is a guy who cares far more about "optics" than facts.

But, hey, at least Duncan allows that Goodell "deserves a pink slip," if he engaged in a cover-up... which he clearly did. It's the most likely explanation. 

But nevermind that. That's all beside the point of this column. The topic at hand here is the general impudence of the NFL's ungrateful current and former employees and their fans. 

Until the investigation is completed -- and it could take months -- Goodell's job appears to be safe, despite the demands for his head from the social media lynch mob.

Dozens of current and former NFL players launched a fusillade of criticism on Twitter toward Goodell in the wake of the Associated Press report Wednesday that said the league office received the video in April.

"Anyone who went thru the 'bounty' BS knew entire time Roger goodell had seen that ray rice tape," former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle tweeted. "He's a piece of crap! #ownersfirehim #liar"

The public derision of Goodell, no matter how incendiary, is ultimately no more consequential to his job security than, say, fan dissatisfaction with a player's on-field performance.

NFL owners hired Goodell and they are the only ones that can fire him. Not the media. Not the public.

And, look, that last line is absolutely correct. Goodell works for the owners. They're the ones who can fire him and they probably won't.

But the division here, as usual, is between an ownership who only care about image control and the players who, time and again, find themselves subjected to an arbitrary disciplinary system.  As for the fans, most of them tend to side with the players these days.  And so do many among the press.

Some of the press, however.. for whatever reason.. perhaps cynical careerism.. or maybe just general denseness.. prefer to side with management at all costs.  And that's how we get to read columns like this.

And now, please, enjoy

I had planned to put up the weekly Saints re-cap tonight but I kind of want to wait until RogerMania runs its course a little.  So instead, here is Olbermann ripping the hell out of Rog tonight.  Keep an eye out for the Bountygate moment of good feels.



But if you need more Roger schadenfreude (you do) you may want to check our Reid's book.

Or, at the very least, the "Fire Goodell" tag at B&G Review makes for some convenient casual reading.

This is also pretty fun. 

Somebody go check the pumpkin patch

Not looking too good, Rog.

Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the N.F.L., sent a letter to team owners and presidents Wednesday reiterating the assertion that the league had not seen video of what transpired inside an elevator between Ray Rice and his fiancée until it was made public by TMZ on Monday.

Yet The Associated Press reported Wednesday that a law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, sent the footage to an N.F.L. executive three months ago.

The worst human

Dear Leader Goodell is the worst human.

After further review

Did 2012 even happen?  In a few weeks there will be only that hole where a 2nd round draft choice should be left to prove it.

Bush league

The most embarrassing thing about the way our city fathers have behaved in the lead up to hosting this, the city's 10th SuperBowl is that, if you didn't know better, you'd get the impression New Orleans had never hosted such an event before.  Our leaders have taken on the aspect of a small town getting itself all brightened up for the one big thing that ever happened to it like the time the guy who played Cooter on the Dukes of Hazzard signed autographs in the K-Mart parking lot in Bunkie for half an hour. I think they may have closed the schools for a week.*

But New Orleans isn't Bunkie and Roger Goodell isn't anywhere near as cool as Cooter. And yet our leaders are nervously lecturing the rest of us about how to behave.

At a media luncheon hosted by the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee announcing the latest preparations for Super Bowl XLVII, Mayor Mitch Landrieu urged New Orleans to be on its best behavior — not only is the Super Bowl the city's time in the spotlight, and a time to show off its southern hospitality, but it also must prove it can do it again.

"It's a great joy and a blessing to have an opportunity to host this event," he told the crowd. "It's our time to shine, it's our time to tell our story. ... It's important to me that we do the thing we do better than anybody, which is be nice, and be hospitable. ... If Atlanta gets in the Super Bowl, I'm a struggle, but I promise you, I will be on my best behavior. ... Be gracious and wonderful hosts and show people the hospitality they deserve. This extends to Roger Goodell, too. I know everybody in the city is belly aching about the last year. But here's the thing: Roger Goodell has always been a friend to the City of New Orleans, and he and (former commissioner) Paul Tagliabue ... have worked really hard to make sure this stays here. ... Mind your P's and Q's."

It's astounding and insulting that the Mayor would assume New Orleanians won't be gracious hosts to Atlanta fans. We host major events here all the time many of which are also football games. Sure there are always some rude people in any crowd, but by and large, Saints fans are uncommonly gracious and friendly to visitors... especially the ones who want to dance with us.




I understand that there may be some bad feelings left over from the way 49ers fans treated visiting New Orleanians last year, but I don't expect that to be a problem. But if the Falcons are coming, well, we know those people already. We don't like their team or their city very much but we're used to having them come over.

Being grown-ups ourselves, we understand football fans are just people having a good time. But even the grown-ups in New Orleans do enjoy their pet outrages.  And right now Roger Goodell is cruising along that Michael Brown-Alan Richman-Ed Blakely-Spoons Butler plane of local infamy.  Shouldn't he be at least a little bit worried?  Probably not.  In our long history of collective civic pooh-poohing of individuals the closest we've come in modern times to converting our offense into action happened during an episode of a bad television show that writes us poorly anyway.  If Mitch Landrieu believes New Orleanians need to be told how to behave in front of visitors, he's also not getting our character right.  To hear him tell it, New Orleans is a city full of rube (buffoons if you like Ed Blakely's word) who can't be trusted to behave around their betters.

Furthermore, the Mayor hints... actually more than hints, he just comes out and says... that even if residents have a serious grievance against Mr. Goodell, it would be best that we swallow our pride and smile anyway because... again according to the Mayor... a city like New Orleans can't afford to offend a powerful and important man like Goodell.

This is all embarrassingly bush league. Major cities do not exist solely to service the convention business or cater special events.  In other words, these events are not doing us a favor simply by coming here.  They come here because New Orleans is a place people want to visit.  And this is, in large part, because of the people and culture that exists here not, as the Mayor implies by his nervous instruction, in spite of it. Other cities do not suffer from this lack of self-confidence and neither should we. And maybe a man who exhibits such poor faith in the residents shouldn't be mayor.


*Fact check: Probably apocryphal.  I don't think there's actually a K-Mart in Bunkie.

Roger Goodell is more important than you

Daddy Mitch instructs the help to be on their best behavior when Massa Goodell comes over for dinner.

Still, Mayor Mitch Landrieu is urging New Orleanians to remember that Goodell has helped New Orleans in the past, and a good relationship with him means a shot at hosting another Super Bowl.

“It is really important for everybody in the city to do what we do and be gracious and wonderful hosts and show people the kind of hospitality that they deserve cause that’s what we do well and this extends to Roger Goodell too,” said Landrieu.

Y'all don't go and embarrass Daddy Mitch now.  His guests are more important than anything you care about.

No #spon Zone

If  Drew Brees's face can sell us Jimmy Johns and NyQuil and boy bands and such, I don't see how this is really any worse.

From WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge:

A Louisiana mother has a warning for other parents after her teenage son had a bad reaction from smoking what she's calling a new synthetic drug.

Mary Hughes is on a mission to protect other kids.

It all started this past weekend with a little plastic bag of a product called "Blue Brees." The Denham Springs mom said her 16-year-old son got it as a present and smoked it, which led to a scary night.

"His eyes were basically real droopy," Hughes said. "His speech was very slurred. He had no emotion. He barely could stand and absolutely no emotion, so 'Zombieland' was really correct. He was a zombie."

Hughes admits her daughter, who is of age, bought the product at a store called Zombieland.

Assuming Brees has no contract to receive payment for his.. um.. endorsement here, this might actually be an improvement. On the other hand, the symptoms exhibited by the young man in this story scan awfully close to Brees's performance at Atlanta this year so maybe there is a connection after all.

Still, it's probably not an official NFL licensed product which means 1) It's probably not an approved supplement and so could violate the league's drug policy and get somebody in trouble. ... sort of like Adderall used to do.  And 2) you absolutely cannot sell it within the confines of the "Clean Zone"

NEW ORLEANS -- As New Orleans prepares to host the Super Bowl, the city is also preparing to enforce temporary rules inside a so-called "clean zone" surrounding events leading up to the big game.

Host cities agree to adopt "clean zone" ordinances to help control activities that conflict with NFL sponsorships and the integrity of the game.

City approval for things such as temporary structures, signage and advertising are tightly regulated in the zone.

The zone boundaries include much of downtown, the French Quarter and the CBD.

"These clean zones are areas that are free of temporary ambush marketing, signage and events and other recognition of conflicting sponsors of the NFL," said New Orleans Sports Foundation President and CEO Jay Cicero.

In other words, NFL marketing agreements will dictate the kind of signage you can display at your home or business, as well as what sorts of products you can distribute,  if it is located within the "clean zone" I guess because the NFL marketing agreements take precedence over constitutional niceties during Superbowl week.

This doesn't mean we can't figure a way to test the limits if we're creative.  According to the city's information packet about the "Clean Zone"

Any temporary signage approved by the City shall be required to consist of at least 60% Super Bowl/NFL branding, look and feel, and no more than 40% third party commercial identification.

So if any downtown business wants to display a banner that reads "Mitch Landrieu is Roger Goodell's bitch" it's probably okay to do that so long as 60% of the background consists of NFL logos.  The downside is if the city happens to cite you anyway I'm pretty sure your only recourse is to appeal to Paul Tagliabue because, again, NFL is the ultimate civil authority during Super Bowl week.

Also one footnote to this article worth highlighting is this.

"These clean zones are areas that are free of temporary ambush marketing, signage and events and other recognition of conflicting sponsors of the NFL," said New Orleans Sports Foundation President and CEO Jay Cicero.

The city forced ambush marketers to remove Coke and Power Aid advertisements from sidewalks in a similar clean zone during the NCAA Final Four Basketball tournament earlier this year.

That's interesting because, at the time, we were under the impression that the city's move against the Coke ads was based on citizen outrage at having the public sidewalks used as an advertising vector.  But, according to the WWL report, they were actually just enforcing their corporate agreement with the NCAA.  Guess we should have known. 

Yes, this is a Hitler joke

Roger Goodell named candidate for Time's Person of the Year

Somebody stop the damn world from turning

Believe it or not there's an overdue Saints post sitting in drafts. The problem with doing these is, while I'm writing them, things continue to happen in the world, some of which are relevant to the post and so compel a reworking of the whole thing just to make it all fit. This problem only gets worse if I let it go a few weeks without publishing.

For example, I might be nearly ready to put the mess back together when suddenly this happens.

 American Hero Poses With Roger Goodell While Wearing “Free Sean Payton” Shirt

In this case, I've just decided to put it here so I can go back to working on the big post without having to deal with it. Should probably do that more often.

What will happen in the future

Random things I'm right now at this moment fully expecting to happen.*

If the NFLPA forces Interim Appellate Arbiter Paul Tagliabue to recuse himself and give way to a fake interim arbiter, then Roger Goodell will immediately set off on a backpacking trip through Thailand. 

On November 3 Zach Mettenberger will throw for negative 20 yards and three interceptions. LSU will beat Alabama anyway. The score will be something like 6-2. Nobody will understand it.

On November 6 Mitt will win Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia.  That still doesn't put him over the top, though.  I'm not ready to guess at what will happen in Ohio and Colorado. Yes, this is a cop-out.

On November 11 the Saints will be 4-4 as they await the Atlanta Falcons in the Superdome. Joe Vitt will lead the team out of the tunnel driving Joe Biden's Trans-Am.

*Expectations subject to change at any moment.

Begin the thawing of Joe Vitt

Today is Aaron Kromer's last day as fake interim head coach of the New Orleans Saints.  Did you remember to buy flowers?

Update: Apparently Vitt remembered. He'll be at the airport to greet the team after today's game. Probably with a bouquet in hand.

To say Vitt has been awaiting this day would be an understatement. His suspension marked the first time in 44 years he has not coached football.

"I missed these guys so bad," he said this weekend.

We missed the eminently quotable Joe Vitt bad too.  Here's to a memorable rest of the season.

Also of note from that ESPN post.

Meanwhile, if former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue delivers a ruling significantly different from commissioner Roger Goodell's when he hears the appeals of players suspended as a result of the NFL's bounty investigation, many league sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen that they believe Saints owner Tom Benson will petition Goodell to reconsider Payton's one-year suspension.

Uh-huh.  Don't bet on him getting the opportunity.  The likelihood that Tagliabue will do anything to contravene Goodell's actions is less than nothing.  Dan Wetzel wrote a pretty good column about this earlier in the week. 

"To be clear," Goodell said in a statement, "I have not consulted with Paul Tagliabue at any point about the Saints matter, nor has he been any part of the process."

If you have to explain that the appeal process isn't corrupt, let alone specifically note that the new guy didn't consult on the original penalties (even though it would be reasonable to assume he might have), then there really isn't much hope for credibility. And that's especially true from the groups (some fans, some players) who already think this was a witch hunt.

The best process – and judge – needs no defense.

Goodell and the NFL will regret not finding a true independent mind here – there is no shortage of retired judges out there who could've sorted this out. In an actual legal court, Tagliabue would have to recuse himself because of his past. And the idea that this is too complicated for anyone but a NFL commissioner, past or present, is the definition of arrogance. All this does is call into question what, in all likelihood, is meant to be a legitimate process.

 Also, too, Tagliabue is currently representing Goodell in Jonathan Vilma's defamation lawsuit against him. I'm sure he'll have every incentive to be absolutely fair.

Roger Goodell's Star Chamber

The Star Chamber gathers and discusses its evidence in secret.  The evidence is presented to the defendant only under extreme pressure applied through the common law courts. And, of course, it turns out the Star Chamber is bending facts to suit its pre-determined verdict but that doesn't matter. The King is above the law.

Roger Goodell is an asshole

Scott Fujita:

I'm pleased the Commissioner has finally acknowledged that I never participated in any so-called "bounty" program, as I've said for the past 7 months. However, his condescending tone was neither accurate nor productive. Additionally, I am now purportedly being suspended for failing to confront my former defensive coordinator for his inappropriate use of language. This seems like an extremely desperate attempt to punish me. I also think it sets a bad precedent when players can be disciplined for not challenging the behavior of their superiors. This is an absolute abuse of the power that's been afforded to the Commissioner.

For me, the issue of player health & safety is personal. For the league and the Commissioner, it's about perception & liability.

The Commissioner says he is disappointed in me. The truth is, I’m disappointed in him. His positions on player health and safety since a 2009 congressional hearing on concussions have been inconsistent at best. He failed to acknowledge a link between concussions & post-career brain disease, pushed for an 18-game regular season, committed to a full season of Thursday night games, has continually challenged players' rights to file workers compensation claims for on-the-job injuries, and he employed incompetent replacement officials for the start of the 2012 season. His actions or lack thereof are by the league’s own definition, “conduct detrimental”.

My track record on the issue of player health & safety speaks for itself. And clearly, as I just listed, the Commissioner's does too.

Roger Goodell is still an asshole

Yes, we knew this was coming.

NEW ORLEANS —
After a lengthy and turbulent appeals process, the punishments handed down by the NFL for current and former Saints players were reissued on Tuesday, according to a report on NBC’s sports website, ProFootballTalk.com.

The only question still to be answered is how will the NFL's report look with all the salary cap justification scrubbed.  Also, comically, the players are once again welcome to appeal the re-issued suspensions back to the commissioner.

Update: There are, in fact, some key modifications.

Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has been suspended for the rest season, but will be paid for his time on the physically-unable-to-perfom list. Saints defensive end Will Smith was the only player who received the original penalties as he's suspended for four games. Browns linebacker Scott Fujita had his suspension reduced to one game after originally being barred for three games. Free agent defensive end Anthony Hargrove was reduced to seven games and receives credit for missing the first five weeks of the season. So Hargrove would be suspended for two more weeks, essentially.

They key thing there is Vilma gets paid now. Is that enough to buy him off and have him drop the lawsuit?

Righteous

Drew Magary on Roger Goodell:  FIRE THIS ASSHOLE

Goodell is a fraud, someone who has spent his career diving under his father's halo in the hopes that some of the light will shine on his dumbass, too. For years now, he has been little more than an eager hatchet man, doing all the shameful things that owners are too chickenshit to do themselves. The worst part was that he would cloak all this in the kind of faux nobility that suckers like Peter King always fall for but makes the rest of us want to shit on our rugs.

Saints fans to America: "Welcome aboard, everybody! No no.. no problem at all.  We're pretty used to being the canary in the coal mine around here anyway." 

Update: More from TBogg who references this Huffpo report on the the referees' contract negotiations. The refs are arguing with the league over their pensions.  The NFL wants to freeze the refs' defined benefit and replace it with a cheaper 401k

In facing a pension freeze, the NFL refs have plenty of company. Corporations across the country have been trying to switch their employees from traditional defined benefit pension plans to cheaper, less reliable defined contribution plans. Just one example is Con-Ed, which recently locked out workers as it tried to phase out employees' traditional pensions and move them to 401(k)s.

A lockout, it should be noted, is different from a strike. The workers do not elect to stop working -- they are forced to do so by management, putting them on the defensive. (Writing at The Nation, Dave Zirin and Mike Elk compared locking out 119 referees to "using an Uzi on a field mouse.") The prevalence of lockouts during labor disputes has soared in the weak economy.

But in this case, employees are squaring off with an ownership that doesn't pretend to be under financial duress. According to Forbes, the average NFL team is now worth $1.1 billion, up 7 percent over the previous year. To draw a blue-collar parallel, the league is a bit like the manufacturer Caterpillar, which has been pressuring its workers to bend to concessions despite the company's record profits.