Steelers Notebook: Batch not surprised by Goodell's decisions

[SCMom]

Steelers Notebook: Batch not surprised by Goodell's decisions
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


NFL commissioner Roger Goodell 's decisions regarding discipline and player conduct took another turn over the weekend when he decided not to suspend several players who ran afoul of the law during the lockout.

Goodell did not suspend Tampa Bay defensive back Aquib Talib , Tennessee receiver Kenny Britt or New England defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth after all three were charged with crimes.

Talib stands accused of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after police say he shot at his sister's boyfriend. Britt has been arrested seven times, including twice during the lockout. Haynesworth plead no contest to misdemeanor assault after a ****tail waitress accused him of groping her at a party.

These decisions come one year after Goodell suspended Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for four games even though Roethlisberger was never arrested or charged with a crime.

Charlie Batch , a reserve quarterback who is on the NFL player's association executive committee, was not surprised that Goodell did not take any action against the players.

"How can he?" Batch said. "They made the rules. They locked us out. I don't think we had to send a message. We made one statement. That statement was you made the rule. You locked us out. How can you enforce your personal conduct policy? There's nothing else that needs to be said off that."

It appears the NFLPA earned a small victory by keeping the players eligible, but plenty of issues remain between Goodell and the NFLPA. Batch spoke Monday about Goodell's ever-expanding powers and the confusing criteria he uses to hand down discipline.

"Last year I said the same thing," Batch said, referencing the Roethlisberger suspension. "How can you suspend someone when he's not found guilty? He chose to find a way to do that. I think he has too much leverage on his personal conduct policy because there are no rules. Now he took it to another level. He said I'm going to suspend Terrelle Pryor for five games, and he wasn't even in the NFL last year. How can he do that? It's not right. It's not right at all."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11242...#ixzz1WW2Pfa8B

[Kingmagyar]

I think Cedric Benson now has to serve like 20 days in jail starting in October or November. Will he get suspended by GODdell?

Wait a second ... if Goodell can't suspend these players because their actions occurred during the lockout, then how can he suspend Terrelle Pryor when his actions took place before he was even an employee of the NFL?


EDIT: Just went back and reread the whole story. I see that Batch mentioned Pryor as well. It's a legitimate question.

[MasterOfPuppets]

Originally Posted by Wallace108

Wait a second ... if Goodell can't suspend these players because their actions occurred during the lockout, then how can he suspend Terrelle Pryor when his actions took place before he was even an employee of the NFL?


EDIT: Just went back and reread the whole story. I see that Batch mentioned Pryor as well. It's a legitimate question.

i was always under the impression that that's what the union was for. to protect the workers from poor work conditions and unjust actions by the company.
apparently the players unions only function is dealing with the financial aspect.

[solardave]

The NFL is not a democracy. It is an empire and in an empire the king rules. No one is allowed to question his actions. I guess that's how it goes because everyone other than us Steeler fans think what he did to Ben was called for but then you have Haynesworth,Benson,Talib and Brit. Just plain thugs doing what they do in their spare time and it's OK. I don't know what Prior did but who gives a shit he wasn't NFL eligible when he did it PERIOD!!!

This to me is nothing less than a disgrace and mark my words this idiot,criminally minded piece of crap will ruin the NFL. He deserves to be in prison for covering up the Patriots cheating and we all know they were.
It makes me want to puke watching the commercial on NFL network putting Bellicheat in the same category as Walter Payton, and Reggie White. What a bunch of disrespect for a two of the best at their position.

I love the Steelers and it would take something really major (like them being bought out by martians) for me to quit rooting for them but I'm really, I mean really sick of hearing about Brady and Bellicheck. Where's the freaking * by all of their so called accomplishments?

[DanRooney]

Goodell obviously has a double standard. How many off-field offenses does Kenny Britt need to get suspended? Benson is serving a jail sentence and still isn't handed down a suspension.

I found it completely hilarious that Adolf Goodell refused to give up his discipline power when players wanted it to go through a judicial type system rather than it being enforced solely by him. A money+power hungry dictator is what he is.

[jjpro11]

Goodell's an attention ***** who abuses his power.. he want's to be bigger than the game itself. last year all his bullshit rule changes overshadowed the entire season. we should hardly ever hear about the commissioner in the news. he should be doing his job behind the scenes and managing the league, not trying to rule it like he's Hitler.

[Wallabeast17]

Originally Posted by jjpro11

Goodell's an attention ***** who abuses his power.. he want's to be bigger than the game itself. last year all his bullshit rule changes overshadowed the entire season. we should hardly ever hear about the commissioner in the news. he should be doing his job behind the scenes and managing the league, not trying to rule it like he's Hitler.

AMEN!!

[OX1947]

Big Ben wasn't even charged let alone guilty. I am not a believer in a third party decider. The commissioner should have full power to suspend or fine players. However, he has abused his power to such lengths that he has become a distraction, a pariah and a determent to the league and the players. Players do not respect Goodell. It is one thing to dislike the commissioner but to not respect him shows how pathetic of a commissioner he is. He makes up rules on the fly and is a hypocrite to the highest level. The NFL is a money making machine that is unstoppable. Goodell as the commish or not doesn't change that one single bit. Anyone can be commish for the NFL and make money. I hope by some miracle his ass can be out of there in a few years, because he is plain garbage. Worst commissioner I have ever seen.