Indeed, You Are NOT All Powerful....

In yet another chapter in this ridiculous bounty gate thing. A 3 person panel has decided the NFL commissioner has over stepped and all player suspensions have been lifted and they are able to play week 1.  The panel said the commissioner must, in an expedited manner, show why he handed out such hard suspensions.  Something we all have been asking for since all of this began.  Any one can say something but you have to be able to prove it.  The players got that part right.  It doesn't matter what any of us think happened.  It's not what you know, its what you can prove.  The NFL stated that the commissioner will not respond before Sunday and hinted that he make take a couple of weeks before he does. That's what you call an expedited manner? I suppose Goodell was blind-sided but nothing was in stone by any means. Maybe Goodell didn't have a clue that his decision could be overturned.  Starting to think Goodell doesn't have clue at all.  Is he really that simple minded? The jury is still out in that one.

So what are we being told? The fans are being told that the checks and balances system the players wanted in the CBA works. Football is a violent game. Always has been and always will be. Goodell is being told that he isn't all powerful as he thought he was. James Harrison has to be asking himself why he didn't do what Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Anthony Hargrove and Scott Fujita did.  Sue the NFL and make them do their jobs fair and unbiased.  That can't happen when Goodell believes himself judge, jury, executioner and appeals process.  Common sense tells any one that ruling on the appeals process of the punishments you  hand down is stupid, unfair and wrong. As we all know, sense is far from common.

This ruling doesn't close the door on this ridiculous saga either. If Goodell can show proof of player intent to injure, then the players could be suspended again. Wait....isn't this the same proof that Goodell swears he has but won't release? Yes!! The same evidence that he says gave him the authority to hand down the suspensions but every person has a right to face their accuser and the evidence against them. This is America, right?  The NFL is still America's Game, right?  Now, Goodell has 2 choices: either release his proof that led to his land mark suspensions for all to see or have his bluff called and continue look like the hard headed weakling he acts like heading the multi-billion dollar machine known as the NFL.  The real losers in this are the NFL refs.  The NFL just took a body blow so you got to believe that there is no way they give in to the refs at this point.  If if the integrity of games is on the line using replacement refs.  This season just got more interesting.

D!