Goodell’s Next Move On Talib
June 20th, 2012
One would think that the State of Texas dismissing charges against Aqib Talib this week should lead NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to wash his hands of Talib and let the Bucs know that no suspension for Talib is forthcoming.
However, Goodell is not necessarily a man of reason and consistency, as anyone following the current Saints scandal and past NFL suspensions knows too well.
So there is no reason to believe Goodell will do the honorable thing and pass on punishing Talib for the Jerry Springereque happenings among Talib’s family members last year in Texas.
Goodell’s got nothing on Talib anymore, optimistic fans might say, but Joe’s not so sure if Goodell will see it that way.
At some point, and Joe has no clue as to when, the video of Talib’s interview with police on March 25, 2011, will become public record. And in that interview, per the arrest affidavit, Talib admits to lying to police about the whereabouts of his girlfriend on the day of the Texas incident. The statement that Talib “admitted that he had lied to detectives” comes from the written arrest affidavit, and that surely could be the police getting it wrong or misrepresenting Talib’s words when they transcribed the video.
But if Talib did lie to cops, is that enough for Goodell to suspend him?
The point is Joe’s wondering how deep Goodell will probe to find a reason to suspend Talib. Hell, Goodell might just suspend Talib for failing to call 911 and leaving the scene of a shooting that was clearly a crime scene.
The Tampa Bay Times sought comment yesterday from Goodell on whether he will suspend Talib. The response the newspaper got was that it’s still under review. Joe’s just afraid the review is merely an effort to find a widely tolerable reason to suspend Talib, rather than a fact-finding mission.
June 20th, 2012 at 8:15 am
You KNOW Mr. Goodell is NOT going to let Talib slide on this one, Talib’s reputation is etched in stone, and given the controversy over the Saints scandal, I just don’t see him giving Talib a pass.
June 20th, 2012 at 8:43 am
I think Talib’s only hope is that he will get off on the fact that it was during the lockout and technically he was not employed by the NFL at the time. If Goodell tries to suspend him I hope Talib appeals and if the suspension is way too long or not lifted then I hope he takes Goodell to court over it. I’d like to see a judge agree to punishing someone for breaking a league rule when the person is not employed by the league at the time. Maybe a judge ruling against Goodell would finally knock him off his high horse and make him realize that he really isn’t “THE KING”. What a joke!
June 20th, 2012 at 8:50 am
DieHard says something similar to a poster yesterday. It’s not IF Goddell will, or WHEN he will; it’s all about CAN he act. Does the Roddy White approved CBA allow the gran-po-bah of the royal order of water buffalo’s to impose his will on an innocent man? Talib is no Bellicheat, or a QB, so I’ve got to believe something is coming down the pipe.
June 20th, 2012 at 9:03 am
Excellent work Joe, never thought of the “he lied to the cops” angle.
June 20th, 2012 at 9:08 am
Goodell needs to back up on this one.
It was during the lockout, so technically Talib was not currently an NFL employee.
Also, the charges were dropped.
This is going to be some bigtime BULL SPIT if Goodell gets to act as dictator.
It is also rather amusing that Goodell is set to pockey $20,000,000.00 in the last year of the CBA, and he isn’t even taking a snap.
You think Roger Goodell needs all that money? Shame on him, he is awful.
June 20th, 2012 at 9:10 am
People screaming about suspension just aren’t looking at the reality of the situation. Goodell has not suspended guys for incidents that occurred during the lockout. He knows they put the league in a very tough legal place if they try to. You can’t suspend employees for conduct that occurred when they weren’t employed by you at least not with some really heavy legal gymnastics. Just like your current job can’t fire you over some arrest you had as a kid that was later dropped or expunged. The NFL doesn’t want to advertise this fact so they “review” things, to give the illusion of punishment. Talib won’t be suspended; barring the league using some massive loophole. Talib isn’t a big enough fish ala “Big Ben”, especially with the charges being dropped to risk being sued over. They have enough lawsuits to deal with currently they don’t need another
June 20th, 2012 at 9:35 am
NO WAY HE IS SUSPENDED. The case was dropped because of lack of evidence not because he settled out of court like big ben did. If he is suspended talib should sue goodell immediately. HE will not miss a single game due to this altercation.
June 20th, 2012 at 9:43 am
Wow Joe.. I hope up your not back to your old tricks and giving the Warden the necessary ammunition to suspend one of our players. Why not let it play out and then write about it… Telling them where to look and what to look for seems a little reckless.
June 20th, 2012 at 9:44 am
I think he will not face any suspension and we can thank the ‘Aints for that. I think Goodell has his plate full with the bounty scandal and will not want to get into another grey area during this time. Especially because it happened when Talib was not currently employed by the NFL at the time. And to top it off all of the law suits going on with the concussion’s. If Goodell has any common seance (a big assumption on my part) he will be laying low for a little while.
June 20th, 2012 at 10:02 am
@Brad – That seems a little harsh. Goodell’s had the arrest report for over a year and already met with Talib and his attorney. You think Goodell needs a website to show him what may or may not have happened?
June 20th, 2012 at 10:17 am
Brad, Goodell is not going to rely on a JBF post as basis to punish people. The NFL has an entire team of people investigating these matters. If Joe realizes it, they already have as well.
I’m leaning towards a suspension just because of the scenario. Seeing how Goodell reacted to the players lying to NFL authorities, if he believes Talib lied to the police, a suspension seems plausible.
On the other hand, he didn’t settle and it never went to court so it is possible he may be left alone with nothing more than a strong verbal warning and maybe some mandatory counseling.
There will be some consequences but it doesn’t necessarily mean suspension. Goodell wants to “protect the shield”. He can’t have Talib constantly in a negative spotlight for these kind of activities.
Either way, Talib’s leash will be very short.
June 20th, 2012 at 10:42 am
DieHard_Bob Says:
June 20th, 2012 at 8:43 am
I think Talib’s only hope is that he will get off on the fact that it was during the lockout and technically he was not employed by the NFL at the time. If Goodell tries to suspend him I hope Talib appeals and if the suspension is way too long or not lifted then I hope he takes Goodell to court over it. I’d like to see a judge agree to punishing someone for breaking a league rule when the person is not employed by the league at the time. Maybe a judge ruling against Goodell would finally knock him off his high horse and make him realize that he really isn’t “THE KING”. What a joke!
.
Actually, during the lockout the players WERE employees of the NFL, otherwise all of them would have needed new contracts. They were just “locked out” of company facilities until an agreement could be reached. Therefore the code of conduct does indeed apply.
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Matthew Says:
June 20th, 2012 at 9:10 am
…Goodell has not suspended guys for incidents that occurred during the lockout…
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I’m not 100% sure of this, but I think he HAS suspended players…I could swear I heard of two cases. Both were appealed and the appeals failed.
Again…I’m not 100% sure of this, but I think it is the case.
.
As to Talib’s suspension…I’m sorry, JOE and everyone else. Talib needs to get 6-10 games minimum. Fans need to stop worrying about how his suspension would affect the win/loss record and start thinking about how letting him off would affect Talib. It would practically tell him that getting in these situations is okay…and would virtually assure yet another incident. (unless Schiano’s influence has a strong effect on him)
June 20th, 2012 at 11:04 am
How many times has Aqib been suspended?
June 20th, 2012 at 11:12 am
Goodness knows the NFL never lies about anything. Pure as the driven snow those people are.
The DA in Texas decided the case had no merit, how can Goodell put himelf in better position to make a different judgment.
Was he really supposed to sit back and watch the scumbag attack his sister? Were talking about a verifyable scumbag, previously convicted and facing new sexual battery charges.
Is he not supposed to visit his sister? His mother?
And the guy had abused the sister in the past too! “please Mr. Scumbag, put away the gun and leave my sister alone”……………c’mon.
So he slapped a cabby around. Everyone seemed to think Brian Price was honorable for punching Barron over a chair, but a guy cant protect his sister from a life threatening assault by a convicted felon?
wtf.
June 20th, 2012 at 11:16 am
“So he slapped a cabby around. Everyone seemed to think Brian Price was honorable for punching Barron over a chair, but a guy cant protect his sister from a life threatening assault by a convicted felon?”
Well said, sir.
June 20th, 2012 at 11:35 am
@The Dutcher Journal
You are incorrect sir.
Kenny Britt
“Britt was also busy during the lockout. He was arrested and charged with eluding an officer and hindering apprehension when police accused him of driving his Porsche 71 mph in a 50-mph zone before leaving the officer. Britt later was found walking on a side street away from his car. Charges were reduced to a misdemeanor and a fine”
Britt recieved no suspension.
As to them still being employees:
“Players were not allowed at team facilities, and they were left without health insurance, access to team doctors or protection against football-related injuries that could impact their future employment fortunes. Roster bonuses weren’t paid, and other contractual clauses were ignored by their employers. There was no collective bargaining agreement and, with the NFLPA having decertified, no union to represent their interests.
For all intents and purposes, they weren’t employees.”
Bottom Legal Line: the NFL would argue that even though the players were locked out, they remained employees and the Policy covers the conduct of employees. On the flip side, the players would argue that the lockout deprived them of the benefits of their employment. That being said, how could they still be accountable to discharge their employment obligations?
There is no clear answer to whether the NFL can discipline players for stuff.
So at best the NFL finds themselves in a massive legal grey area, something they’d rather avoid right now like I said before. No suspensions for Talib.
June 20th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Ok. Those saying right or wrong. Now back it up with case on point. so far I have found none. Not. even on the Federal Level.
June 20th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Listen, I am on record stating my opinion that Talib has been a scumbag and I prefer that he not be in our community (based on his history).
I also made very clear to argue that if Talib was criminally adjudicated, that there being a no CBA/lockout during the offense did not block Goodell from suspending Talib because the CBA specifically gave Goodell the right to suspend Talib and 7 others for misconduct during the no-CBA/lockout period.
However, the State voluntarily dismissed all charges. This is not a plea to a lesser, or a no contest, or a deal for a diversionary type program. This is admission by the State that this idiot should not have been charged in the first place.
The State did never charged Talib with obstruction or lying to a law enforcement officer.
I KNOW Talib discharged the weapon and lied to police, and I want him out of Tampa, but there is no way in hell that it is appopriate for Goodell to suspend Talib under these circumstances. None.
June 20th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Talib will file a lawsuit if suspended. I also believe that they league can not discipline any player incidents that occured prior the the new CBA. Talib should be safe here. No worries.
June 20th, 2012 at 2:26 pm
I read Thomas’s comment and checked to see if hell had frozen over.