Posts tagged RogerGoodell at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Chris Henry. like a rash, just won't go away. The Bengals released him earlier this off-season after his 11th run-in with police since 2005. Apparently, the team draws the line at double-digit offenses. It's good to set boundaries.

At the time, I (half-kiddingly) speculated that Dallas seemed like the way-too-obvious next destination. Yeah, maybe I was onto something.

While we wait for this thing to sort itself out, Henry spoke to the media for the first time since the Bengals released him early last month. In case you're wondering, he's interested in playing for two teams above all others:

"There are two teams that I would always love to play for: That's New Orleans and Dallas," Henry said. "New Orleans is home for me. That's always been a big dream of mine. Hopefully I can get in there and sit down with the coaches and maybe have an opportunity to get down there. And Dallas is another team that I've always looked up to as a kid and wanted to play for them."

No word if either the Saints or the Cowboys are interested in talking to Henry, although it wouldn't surprise me if Jerry Jones is gassing up the team jet as I type this.

Even if another team gives him another chance to mess up, Henry's professional future will depend on the legal system and Roger Goodell. Assuming he can escape with probation or a fine, Henry will still have to get by the commissioner -- the same guy who suspended him for eight games in 2007.

It's hardly surprising, I guess, that head coach Lane Kiffin was fibbing in the days and weeks leading up to this weekend's NFL Draft. Nobody was buying his claim that the Raiders didn't need a running back (even though, you know, they didn't) because owner Al Davis loves speed, and more importantly, Al Davis has final say in, well, everything.

With that in mind, it was hardly surprising when commissioner Roger Goodell announced the Raiders were taking Darren McFadden with the fourth-overall pick. Even less shocking: Kiffin's comments following the selection.

I remember mentioning that running back wasn't a need for us, and it wasn't. We're kind of piled there with a number of really good running backs and guys coming back, including Michael Bush, who we really don't know enough about yet. It was not a need but it became a situation ... speaking for myself, I knew months ago that this was the guy that we had to have and we had to figure out a way to get him. Hopefully, he was going to fall to us. We lost the coin toss and moved to four and that scared me a little bit there. Fortunately, he was still available and in the end we got everybody on the same page. We're all really excited.

When Kiffin says he knew months ago that McFadden was the guy, I'm pretty sure that means Al Davis told him back in January that the Raiders were taking McFadden, no matter what it took. And when he mentions being scared, Kiffin's specifically referring to being scared about losing his job if McFadden off the board when Oakland went on the clock.

Disaster averted, and for now, everybody's happy. Which isn't something you don't say very often when referring to the Raiders.

Since about the time the Cowboys imploded against the Giants in the NFC Divisional game, the talk has been primarily about two things: PACMAN FEVER! and Darren McFadden. Well, Pacman is now in the fold (until NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell denies him reinstatement this summer, anyway), so all that's left to do to is get McFadden.

You know the routine: Dallas has two first-round picks, Nos. 22 and 28, and Jerry Jones, Arkansas alum, is just itching to trade up and grab McFadden. Forget that the Cowboys last drafted a Razorback in 1970, Jones LOVES Arkansas.

All caps aside, ESPN's Ed Werder has the latest Jones-McFadden "development":

[McFadden] is the No. 1 offensive player on Dallas' board. When I talked to Jerry yesterday, he indicated it is very close in his mind whether McFadden alone would be worth their other two picks late in the first round.

I was told that if McFadden clears the Raiders at four and the Jets at six, "Jerry might not be able to help himself."

That makes for an interesting visual. Look, I get that Jones is really, really fond of McFadden, but I have a hard time believing he'd be willing to part with two first-rounders for a running back when, you know, he already has Marion Barber on the roster, and he could possibly take a player like Rashard Mendenhall or Jonathan Stewart without having to give up anything.

In a terrific interview entitled "Jay Glazer Owns the NFL," Deadspin's AJ Daulerio finds out how FOX reporter Glazer gets the NFL scoops. Lots of great stuff in the interview, but perhaps the best is Glazer talking about the Spygate videos. He shows them at home to his buddies because he says they are hilarious:

JG: Because it's not just football...it's classic. The tapes go back and forth between... Well, the first part of the tape, the guy recording it , all he's focusing in on are the butts of the Jet City Dancers. He's going from chick, to chick, to chick, and then you see, like, Tom Brady step in and then he'll [the dude taping it] hit the coaches a little bit, but when there's a break? He goes into the stands and then focuses on T and A. It is classsssic. It is like Spygate meets "Girls Gone Wild."

And that's what's on the tapes that everyone's getting upset about? Does that damage the credibility of those tapes at all?

JG: Oh, no, no, no,no - because the rest of it, is damaging. Because they go the coaches, to the down and distance, back up to the coaches, back to the down and distance - it couldn't be anymore clear. They focus in on three guys the entire time, it is soooo brazen it's incredible.

I could see why NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell destroyed the NFL's copies of the Patriot tapes after Glazer was able to obtain leaked tapes. It's embarrassing enough to receive cheat tapes from your repeat Super Bowl champion without the added bonus of minor video perversion. Obviously, I don't have the Spygate tapes, so the YouTube above is just of the Jets cheerleaders.

At FanHouse, one man's trash is another man's treasure. But only the few raise to the level of Notable Moments in FanHouse Commenting.

Ex-Patriots employee Matt Walsh has finally agreed to spill everything he knows to the NFL about Spygate, and eventually we will know the scoop. In the months since Walsh's name first emerged, there's been tons of speculation about what he knows. Is Walsh going to drop the hammer on the Patriots or is this just ridiculously overblown?

And though all thoughtful comments at FanHouse are appreciated, I feel that this comment from Bob deserves special recognition. It is his theory about the delay in working out an agreement with Walsh:

Here's the hold up. Walsh has several tapes that Goodell wants to see. The first shows the Rams Super Bowl walkthrough, including the play where Kurt Warner fumbles in the end zone. Interestingly, the tape also shows Willie Gary wearing Ty Law's jersey when they practice the play where Law intercepts Warner and takes it in for a touchdown. Another tape shows Bill Belichick in Dallas on November 23, 1963. He's just a kid, but the tape clearly shows him holding a high powered rifle running from the grassy knoll. The third tape proves that Tom Brady and Gisele are both aliens sent here to bred and take over the world. The fourth tape is the biggest problem. It shows that Elvis is alive and well and works at a Stuckies off of I-40 in Tennessee. Goodell isn't sure he wants to see this tape, but I think he should. Who knows what they put into all of those peanut logs?

In a meeting with AP Sports Editors today, NFL disciplinarian commissioner Roger Goodell claimed he is keeping an open mind about what ex-Patriot employee Matt Walsh might tell him about the Spygate video scandal. When asked about if there would be further punishment if it is shown that the Patriots taped the Rams walkthrough before the 2002 Super Bowl, he responded:

"Taping a walkthrough is much different from what I punished them for."

He has already severely sanctioned the Patriots, fining them $250,000 for taping the Jets opener and taking away one of their first round picks in 2008. Patriots coach Bill Belichick received a half-million dollar fine.

So, if Walsh has videotape evidence, what more punishment will the Patriots receive from the commish for taping a pre-Super Bowl walkthrough? There's really no predicting because Goodell seems to be making it up as he goes along.

I would think that the punishment the Patriots already received is deterrent enough from doing more bad stuff. I'm guessing Goodell wouldn't be pleased if it is proven that the Patriots hid stuff from him after the original investigation because well, it makes him look bad.

(This entry is dedicated to KGar to try to explain why Walsh talking matters to NFL fans, particularly Patriot fans).

Yesterday, ex-Patriot Matt Walsh and the NFL reached an agreement that will encourage Walsh to fess up everything he knows about Spygate to the league. I generally prefer to write about sports more than things like "contractual indemnification" and "release law" because sports is much more interesting. But if you are interested in hearing what Walsh might say, this contract sheds a lot of light.

Walsh initially refused to talk to the NFL for fear of being sued. Generally speaking, an indemnification and release agreement like this will protect Walsh from liability and lawsuit because the NFL agrees not to sue him and assumes some of his legal risk. Greg Bishop of the New York Times asked me to comment on the terms of the agreement -- you can read his brief overview here.

Contracts like this are often about fear and paranoia. Each party wants to protect itself and not get tooled over by the other guy. To understand a contract and a contract negotiation, you have to understand the fears of each party.

Hey, remember when Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the Pacman Jones deal was seemingly headed nowhere? Yeah, forget that because Mr. Pacman is goin' to Dallas. Earlier this month, the Titans cooled on the idea of trading their former fifth-overall pick for just the fourth-rounder the Cowboys were offering.

There was some discussion about Tennessee getting more than that, but after a few weeks to think about it, that ain't happening:

The Titans have agreed to trade Jones to the Cowboys for a conditional fourth-round pick, which could go back to the Cowboys if Jones does not play this season, NFL Network's Adam Schefter is reporting.

Since NFL commissioner Roger Goodell probably won't rule on Jones' NFL future until late in the summer, the Titans are looking at a 2009 fourth-rounder. (Update: apparently not; according to Ed Werder, Tennessee gets the '08 fourth rounder. Moving on...)

This seems to indicate two things: first, the market of Jones was nonexistent outside of Dallas; two, Tennessee really, really wanted to unload this guy.

For the Cowboys, (provisionally) acquiring Jones doesn't really change their draft plans. Unlike trading for Anquan Boldin for Ocho Cinco, players who could make an immediate impact, Jones hasn't played football since 2006. And assuming he's reinstated (which looks less likely with each passing allegation), he'll have to learn an entirely new system. Swearing off strip clubs for a few years should help, though, so there's that.

Either way, I don't think anybody would be surprised if Dallas drafted a cornerback in the first round on Saturday.

The NFL has announced that Matt Walsh, the former Patriots employee who has long been rumored to have evidence that the team videotaped opponents in violation of NFL rules, has agreed to meet with Commissioner Roger Goodell next month.

Walsh, who lives in Hawaii, will travel to New York to meet with Goodell on May 13. He has agreed to return any tapes or other items in his possession that belong to the Patriots, and the NFL and the Patriots have promised not to sue him and to pay any legal fees he incurs.

What, exactly, Walsh will say or show is the subject of a great deal of speculation. Some people believe he has evidence that the Patriots videotaped the Rams' final walkthrough practice before the 2002 Super Bowl, which would undoubtedly result in severe discipline for coach Bill Belichick. Others believe he has nothing at all and this investigation will exonerate Belichick.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell does believe in second chances, apparently. Today, he reinstated Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman, who spent the last two years not playing professional football for various substance-abuse-related issues after a solid rookie season in 2005.

That's great news for Cincinnati, a team seemingly always in need of linebackers, and Thurman, who managed to stay out of trouble during his suspension long enough to realize that playing football for money isn't a bad way to make a living.

This, inevitably, leads to Pacman Jones because, well, every story seems to leads Pacman Jones. He was also out of the league last season and also looking to get reinstated. So, does the Thurman verdict portend good things for Jones? Probably not. At least according to the Dallas Morning News' Albert Breer

Thurman and Jones were both allowed to use their respective team complexes starting in January. And the reason why Thurman has now been given a full "welcome back" is because he's kept his nose clean since then.

Pacman, meanwhile, has not. Jones had a run-in with a woman in a strip club -- charges were later dropped -- in January, two weeks after he was given the go-ahead to work out at the Titans' facility, and had that right revoked as a result.

The NFL has reinstated suspended Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman, the team announced today. From the official announcement:

"Odell has met the NFL's conditions for reinstatement and has been added to our offseason roster," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis in a press release. "It is now up to Odell to continue to meet all NFL guidelines, and to maintain a standard of personal responsibility that will allow him the chance to compete for a spot on our team."

Thurman has been suspended since 2006 for violations of the substance abuse policy. He was initially suspended for the first four games of that season, but NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell banned him for the entire season after Thurman was arrested for drunk driving in September of 2006. In a surprise move, he declined to reinstate Thurman in 2007. But early this year he was told he could start working out with the team again, and now he's an NFL player in good standing.

Previously at Fanhouse:
Odell Thurman Thinks the NFL Discriminates Against people With Disabilities
Odell Thurman Violates Probation
Odell Thurman Accused of Assault

Mr. Jeffrey Pash, Counsel for NFL
Mr. Michael Levy, Counsel for Matt Walsh

Dear Sirs:

Today, the Boston Globe Herald noted that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is hopeful that a contractual deal may be struck soon with former Patriots employee Matt Walsh. Walsh has refused to divulge information he knows about the Patriots using video equipment to steal defensive signals until he has contractual assurances that he will be protected from ruinous legal and financial harm.

Goodell states in the Globe Herald article that Walsh says he "has evidence and new information that would lead to further disciplinary action."

Of course, there was a report about a month ago saying a deal between the NFL and Walsh was going to be struck soon, and nothing came of that either. They have been working on a deal for over two months, and still nothing.

As an NFL super fan and as an attorney who has written, taught, and even testified in front of a state legislature about indemnification issues, I believe I understand the emotions and issues involved and the concerns that both sides have. Just because each side is acting a little paranoid, doesn't mean that their concerns aren't legitimate, especially when their there is a large amount of mutual distrust.

I hereby offer my mediation services to you for free to help resolve this contractual impasse.

Court documents obtained by the Nashville City Paper allege that a drug dealer sold high-quality marijuana to multiple members of the Tennessee Titans between 2003 and 2005.

During court hearings, an attorney asked the drug dealer, Corey Cecil, "Tennessee Titans players, you would set them up with ounce quantities of high-quality hydroponic?" And Cecil replied, "Yes, sir."

The purchases are described as "high-dollar, hydroponically grown marijuana." No players are named. The Titans said the team is not aware of any players being involved.

That's not a lot to go on, but don't be surprised if the NFL decides to investigate. Although the league's crackdown on players' off-field misconduct seems to have softened a little bit since the Titans' Pacman Jones became the league's poster boy for bad behavior last year, Commissioner Roger Goodell takes things like this seriously.

The latest news in the continuing will-they-or-won't-they saga of the Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys exploring a Pacman Jones trade comes from Terry McCormick of the Nashville City Paper, via PFT.

The news? The Cowboys have increased their offer, but the Titans still want more. According to McCormick, the Titans want a fourth-round draft pick, "plus more." It's not exactly clear what the "more" would be, but the Cowboys are apparently at least open to it, seeing as the report also says that the trade is still likely to happen.

But at some point shouldn't the Cowboys say no? After all, right now, the Cowboys can't even be assured that Jones is going to play this year. Jones is expected to formally apply for reinstatement Tuesday, and maybe that means we'll know more about his status before the draft. But if the Cowboys don't know for sure that Jones will get back on the field, they'd be nuts to hand over their fourth-round pick in this year's draft -- and more.

It seems ludicrous, but I suppose it's one way to avoid paying first-overall money to your draft pick if you're the Miami Dolphins: keep quiet, let the clock expire, and wait for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to say "the Dolphins pass and the Rams are now on the clock." It's never happened intentionally (shockingly, the Mike Tice-led Vikings managed to pull it off a few years ago), but it's perfectly legal.

In addition to the economic implications, there are other reasons to "pull a Tice":

Why would the Dolphins ever contemplate such an outlandish maneuver? Simple. They're a 1-15 team with more holes to fill than a Manhattan street. "We need linebackers, we need secondary players, we need receivers, we need linemen. We need a bunch of things right now," coach Tony Sparano said recently.

Of course, winning a few games would be the more straightforward way around this problem, but whatever. Still, there's a reason team's don't deliberately employ this tactic. At least according to former Packers general manager Ron Wolf:

"It puts a negative spin on your organization. You're trying to be positive. Miami has the first pick. They've got a whole new regime there. ... The object is to get a good player so that you can compete and be representative in a very short period or someone else will be sitting in your chair."

And that probably goes a long way in explaining why there's no history of teams sitting out draft picks. Plus, Bill Parcells has his own strategy for keeping the Dolphins' eventual first-round pick's contract relatively manageable.