At bare minimum, it's still circumventing the cap - players can't receive under the table compensation, period. And it is Goodell, who is happily stretching the very limits of what he can throw down under the "good of the game" umbrella.
Actually, it isn't, because the payment isn't coming from the team, it's coming out of a player's pocket. If a players chooses to give money to another player for performing well, the league can't say jacksquat about it. (Is it "circumventing the cap" when Arian Foster took his OL out for steaks at Brennan's after the Colts game last year?) As long as the payments or rewards aren't coming from the ownership, or being funneled through management, then it isn't affecting the cap in any way. I just think Goody might wanna chill with the ban hammer on players. He could wind up getting sued for going overboard on them, as his legal grounds are getting ever-shakier.
From what he said in his statements, he's discussing player punishment with the union before doing anything. I'd expect a few players (Scott Fujita and Johnathan Vilma for example) to get some form of punishment.
Conspiring to injure players? In the midst of hundreds of lawsuits from former NFL players, Ginger is going to drop a massive hammer on guys, I guarantee it. After yesterday's news, it wouldn't shock me if Vilma gets a year, for starters.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...nalties-less-bounties-more-nfl-002103069.html It's a cap violation and not allowed. Gregg Williams was chipping in himself, and it's believed Payton did too. A big reason the Saints are getting pounded is that this wasn't a pure-player run pool, it was run by the DC and sanctioned by the HC and GM. Guys giving gifts and picking up the check on their own initiative aren't the same as $1000 for a sack.
I think you could have two problems here: 1. Players could then sue each other. This would be no different than me putting a bounty on your head - and I'm pretty sure there's something illegal about it or at least something where you could sue me if you got injured as a result. 2. The IRS could have some fun here. Players giving each other money for any reason would count as gift income and would be taxable. But beyond that, the NFL has general good-behavior clauses that they use to suspend people, and I imagine putting a bounty on another players' head could be interpreted to violate that.
That is probably the best way to go about it to avoid getting sued into oblivion. Any player that tries to sue the league, or the NFLPA, after getting a punishment handed down in conjunction WITH his union would be committing career suicide. I'm not saying he isn't going to do it, I'm asking for somebody to show me the NFL rule, or hell, even the State rule that says players can't give each other money for actions performed in-game. Hard to prove "conspiracy to injure", btw, since "knocking someone out of the game" doesn't have to entail injury. There's a crapton of wiggle room there for lawyers to have fun with if Goodell gets too trigger happy. In the case of players paying players, no, it isn't. I know it wasn't a purely player run pool. But I want to know what exactly he's trying to punish people for. Is it the lying? Accepting money from coaches/management? "Conspiracy to injure"? Because those (in descending order), I believe, have more stable footing for punishment than being involved in a player-pool. But, if there's some NFL rules that incriminate guys like Vilma, then who knows how far it could go. Either way, I think there are going to be some lawsuits. Too much money at stake, and this is uncharted water for the league.
Sorry, DM - aside from message board lawyering, I don't think the players have any ground to stand on. He's the commissioner of the league; if he can fine an unintentional hit, he can absolutely lower the boom on players conspiring to cause injury (which is what it is - you can't knock a player out without there being an injury of some sort).
We'll find out when Goodell tells us what he is actually punishing them for. If he is indeed the one dishing it out, and not the NFLPA.
This is self-preservation. He wants to ensure the hire is only temporary. Gotta make sure the seat is open next year.
well yeah, I'm pretty sure he's going to find a way to talk to the team. It's not like Goodell is taking his cell phone away.
Its possible. Its also possible than an unhappy Drew Brees + a shoddy defense - coaching staff = disaster.
They will franchise Brees this year and next. Then he'll clearly be too old for that huge contract. What's he gonna do, sit out? Too bad since it seems like he deserves the big money.
