Posts tagged Roger goodell at FanHouse

Disaster averted: according to the always reliable Chris Mortensen (via MDS at PFT), "Adam" Pacman Jones didn't violate his contract when he allegedly scuffled with his bodyguard.

And after a lengthy internal investigation (read: a quick look at the depth chart, and the realization that cornerback Terence Newman still isn't completely healthy*), the Cowboys have no plans to discipline Mr. Pacman since, you know, he didn't break any team rules.

Mort reports that the bodyguard, an off-duty police officer, "told team security that some 'kidding around' and 'playfulness' between himself and the player resulted in a brief scuffle in a restroom." That's enough for Hairpiece, apparently.

The head of security for the Cowboys delivered his findings to Jerry Jones, whom sources say is content in the belief the incident has been overblown. However, the owner has reminded the player that Adam Jones' reputation and prior incidents place him under the highest scrutiny.

Yes, because we all need to be reminded of that. In any event, Dear Leader Goodell was on ESPN Radio earlier today and is awaiting all the facts before inevitably rendering a guilty verdict.

"It's clear there was some type of an incident," Goodell said. "Once we do understand the facts then we can make a judgment. ... I'm disappointed that we're even discussing this at this point in time," he said.

Disappointed, for sure. But surprised? Somehow I doubt it.

* baseless speculation

Just this afternoon we reported that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was thinking the next NFL team might find its way down to San Antonio.

Well, lucky for us, Forbes has now compiled a list of which sports teams are most likely to go out for a carton of milk and never come back home.

The 10 that are most likely to move for one reason or another is as follows:

-- Florida Marlins
-- Tampa Bay Rays
-- Buffalo Bills
-- Minnesota Vikings
-- San Francisco 49ers
-- New York Islanders
-- Phoenix Coyotes
-- Nashville Predators
-- New Orleans Hornets
-- Charlotte Bobcats

When thinking about the big cities in our great country, the easy names pop in your head. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix. All are pretty enormous and all have multiple sports teams occupying the land. What you may not know is San Antonio is the seventh most populated city in the United States and only hosts one professional sports team, the Spurs.

All that may change in the coming years as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell visited San Antonio yesterday and talked about the hope of bringing a football team to the Alamo.

"There's no question the growth is extraordinary here," Goodell said. "You see it as soon as you come into the city ... The vision the leaders have here to grow this community has been very positive. I think that will provide new opportunities.''

Yesterday, Steelers linebacker James Harrison learned a $20,000 lesson, courtesy of the NFL Collections Department: please don't criticize officials publicly, no matter how blatantly obvious it is that they blew a call. Oh, and also don't suggest they wager on the games -- this isn't the NBA.

So while the league office frowns on such behavior, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has Harrison's metaphorical back.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has been on the other side of many such hits, did not think Harrison should have been penalized.

"It is hard to stop a guy who is that strong, powerful and fast. It's hard to comment on it because you have to be careful of what you say. My personal opinion: I didn't think it was a late hit and I usually stand up for quarterbacks. I think if you ask David Garrard, I don't think he would tell you it was a late hit. But they called it, and that is what it is."

Although I don't disagree that "it's hard to stop a guy who is that strong, powerful and fast," like I mentioned at the time, none of that matters because, well, IT WASN'T A LATE HIT. Harrison didn't lead with his helmet, or drive Garrard to the ground.

Whatever, he message received; when the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette asked Harrison about the fine, the Pro Bowl linebacker refused to comment. This makes Commissar Goodell very happy.

As for Mike Pereira, the head of officials, he might have to either cancel his weekly "see, this is what happened" mea culpas on NFL Total Access, or bring on staff to handle the additional workload.

In late August, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell informed "Adam" Pacman Jones that he would be reinstated, and here we are, six weeks and one bodyguard beatdown later wondering what took so long. Looks like Pearlman already has enough material for another book.

Meanwhile, owner Jerry Jones is FURIOUS because, well, I have no idea -- this news is slightly less surprising than learning that, five weeks into the season, BOTH the Lions and Rams are winless. (By the way, that fourth-rounder pick the Titans got for unloading Pacman on the Cowboys is starting to look like a steal.)

And now that Mr. Pacman has relapsed, columnists everywhere can update those "SEE, I TOLD YOU THIS WAS A BAD IDEA!" pieces they wrote shortly after the Cowboys acquired Jones in April. First up, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Randy Galloway.

The way it should be handled:

Jerry Jones steps up this morning, announces at Valley Ranch that he has ordered Pac-Rat to pack up, be gone immediately, never to return.

And if Jerry goes gutless and lets it ride?

Then Jerry is living a lie, because as the full escapades of Call-Me-Adam Jones began to surface Wednesday night ... it became obvious Pacman repeatedly has made a fool of the only man in the NFL who wanted to help him. That's you, Jerry.

One of the few television monologues I go back to time and time again is the Saturday Night Live skit with Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler following the Michael Vick drug fiasco (before the whole dog thing). Basically, Meyers and Poehler put together a back and forth conversation on 'Weekend Update' that posed a series of questions any reasonable person would ask Vick about the smarts it takes to try to sneak hidden marijuana on a plane from a city, Miami, that's known for its import of drugs, and follow it up with a befuddled "really?"

It was the perfect way to illustrate just how stupid Vick really was. He brought weed (an illegal substance) on an airplane in a water bottle (not allowed on airplanes) from Miami (where drugs come out of, or so I hear).

Now we hear that Adam Pacman Jones got in a fight with some bodyguard at a hotel Tuesday night, raising the same question the SNL crew did -- "really?"

Pacman Jones, don't you realize that the commissioner of the NFL, or "the dude you don't want to piss off" to put it in layman's terms, said you can't do a single thing wrong anymore or you're out? Don't you think getting in a fight with a bodyguard that your own team assigned to you is a little counterproductive? I mean, I have never had a bodyguard (though I did once have a feisty Jack Russel Terrier), but basically the bodyguard is there to guard your body. You aren't supposed to get the guy upset at you, and you really don't want to punch him. He's a big guy. Most bodyguards are.

One of these days when we talk about the Oakland Raiders, we're going to talk about something that happens on the field between the white lines. I promise. It's just that today isn't going to be that day.

In the latest chapter of as the Raiders turn, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Lane Kiffin would like to speak with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell -- who may end up being the mediator between Kiffin and Al Davis -- before he addresses those nasty allegations that he's a flat-out liar.

"When Lane initially thought it would be appropriate to address the fans and the situation it was before Mr. Davis gave his press conference," Uberstine said. "In light of Mr. Davis' statements, we advised Coach Kiffin to cancel the intended press conference and instead refute the allegations specifically in a more appropriate venue, which would likely be, among other things, a grievance with Commissioner Goodell."

The main issue to be brought up with Goodell, of course, will be Davis' claim that Kiffin won't be seeing that $3.5 million he's currently owed. Davis, always confident in his position, was quoted as saying "I wouldn't do it unless I was going to prevail."

Yesterday, I got up on the well-worn FanHouse pedestal and wondered why the league would fine Saints head coach Sean Payton for making vague comments about crappy officiating that directly affected the outcome of last week's Saints-Broncos game, when Cowboys owner Jerry Jones frequently -- and publicly -- ripped Ed Hochuli after he gifted the Broncos a win against the Chargers two weeks ago.

From Sunday NFL Countdown's Chris Mortensen:

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent out a memo this week basically clarifying to all clubs that any criticism -- public criticism -- of officials is unwarranted. Sean Payton of the Saints was fined $15,000 -- he was going to appeal because others had been critical and hadn't been fined, but guess what? Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones fined $25,000 for his public criticism of Ed Hochuli from two weeks ago.

So it sounds like Payton has decided to drop the appeal, even if he has a legitimate gripe. Like I wrote previously, rules are rules, and if the NFL stipulates that you can't ridicule game officials, even if it's OBVIOUS TO ANYBODY HALF-PAYING ATTENTION that Jamie Winborn was offsides.

Fine, whatever. But I'll say it again: it's one thing for Hochuli to inadvertently blow the whistle -- that happens -- but to not call a neutral zone infraction is much, much worse than pointing it out in a Monday press conference. At least for those of us not in the league office.

The Brady Quinn Experiment looks to be nearly complete, and the fact that his head coach is talking about getting him more involved in practice sure doesn't show otherwise.

Browns head coach Romeo Crennel said yesterday that while current starting quarterback Derek Anderson isn't being demoted, Quinn will be getting more touches at practice in anticipation for his takeover of the National Football League, and possibly the world.

"We will definitely try to get the other guy [Quinn] ready and ready to go," Crennel said. "We'll see how it progresses from there. [It means] probably a few more reps in practice right now."

The Quinn talk started after Anderson threw three interceptions in Sunday's game against the Ravens. With the Browns facing off against the Bengals this weekend in the battle for the better 0-3 team, Crennel has to do basically anything to get a win unless he wants the entire crowd to be sporting brown paper bags (assuming they aren't already).

I think we've all found it in our heart to forgive Ed Hochuli for what happened in Denver last Sunday, and are ready to get on with the rest of the NFL season. Sure, he may have cost the Chargers a shot at the playoffs, but we can give the guy points for contrition. Right, Jerry Jones?

The Cowboys owner took some not-so-subtle shots at Hochuli earlier in the week, and then, during a local radio appearance this morning, Jones was even less not-so-subtle.

"Rest assured, we all see the error and the impact of a bad call like that," Jerry said. "Now, you could easily say that it rests in the competence of the official not to blow that whistle and maybe an emphasis on that would dramatically change just a real awareness and be punitive in some areas.

"You know, that guy is quick to call penalties. He's quick to draw. He's known for that. ... He's very quick. His crews call a lot of penalties. Maybe the answer is to tell people like that, 'Keep that whistle out your mouth.'"

Got that, Ed: keep that whistle out of your mouth. Jerrah's not known for his eloquence, but he might be onto something. Doug Farrar, writing for the Washington Post's Smarter Stats, points out that Hochuli's crew called 58 false starts last year to lead the NFL (Gerry Austin's crew, by comparison, only called 26).

Jerrah's solution: getting rid of whistle-happy refs and replacing them with guys who will make sure the Cowboys win a freaking playoff game. Sort of: