Tag: NFL

Bullying the NFL

~ susie ~ 1 Comment

Jerry Jones threatens to sue NFL over Roger Goodell contract negotiations

Probably illegal, but then, so is everything he does!

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, while testifying in the Kaepernick collusion grievance, shared the details of a phone call with the President.

“This is a very winning, strong issue for me,” the President told Jones, according to Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal. “Tell everybody, you can’t win this one. This one lifts me.”

The President was right. There was no way to win. Even by giving in.

Per Beaton, the NFL declined comment on the matter, citing the confidentiality that applies to the grievance proceedings. A White House official did not dispute the testimony.

“The majority of the American people agree with the president, love our country, love our flag and believe it should be respected,” the White House official told Beaton. (This ignores the results of the NFL’s secret poll from last year, which showed that people both opposed and supported the protests that have been happening during the anthem. The NFL has chosen, however, to heed only the opinions of those who oppose the protests, possibly because that side reflects the President’s stated viewpoint.)

Beaton also reports that Jones, along with Texans owner Bob McNair and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, testified that they believed the protests were hurting the NFL financially. Which of course conflicts with recent statements from Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who justified the new contract given to Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan by claiming that league and club revenues are up.

Let’s talk about the NFL

~ susie

Colin Kaepernick: ‘Love Is at the Root of Our Resistance’

Repeat after me: The NFL should not be able to deny a qualified player from working because of his political views while taking public money to subsidize their business profits.

Yesterday, we found out that contrary to NFL spin, Colin Kaepernick was indeed considered a starting quarterback to potential employers.

Here’s a reminder that this is all about NFL greed:

The New York Times recently reported on an audio recording they received of an October 2017 meeting between NFL owners and players in which player representatives said they believed Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback who started the “take a knee” protests, was being blackballed by the league’s owners.

There is some compelling evidence to support that theory.

This raises several issues. First of all, the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of political viewpoint. NFL rules (which are guidelines) also require players to stand at attention during the national anthem. They claim the right to do so as private-sector employers.

However, several states (including some with NFL teams) have laws against blacklisting former employees. Colin Kaepernick is uniquely affected by blacklisting — because there is only one National Football League in the United States.

Another issue is that the owners made clear in the Times report that they were not eager to attract further criticism from Donald Trump. But that brings us to 18 U.S. Code § 227, which states that no employee of the legislative or executive branch can wrongfully influence employment decisions.

Kaepernick is currently involved in a civil suit accusing the NFL of collusion, but this is also a serious public matter that chills freedom of speech. President Trump has no legal right to prevent Kaepernick from making a living in his specialized area. The NFL shouldn’t get to have it both ways by clamping down on political views as private employers — while also taking public funds for stadiums.

I’m asking readers to sign this petition if you agree that the Attorneys General in the states that host an NFL franchise should investigate this case and protect players from viewpoint discrimination.

You could also contact your Attorney General or State’s Attorney directly in the following states where NFL teams are located: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, TN, TX, WA, and WI. 

Please share.

Buncha weinies

~ susie ~ 1 Comment

Seahawks questioned Kaepernick's National Anthem intentions

Of course, the word I want to use isn’t “weinies”:

NFL owners all but agreed they were blackballing Colin Kaepernick to appease President Donald Trump, according to newly released audio recordings.

About 30 owners, players and NFL executives met for nearly three hours in October to discuss the president’s public attacks on the league and its players over silent racism protests during the national anthem, reported the New York Times.
………………………..
According to the leaked audio, players wanted to know why Kaepernick remained unsigned, despite leading the San Francisco 49ers to the 2013 Super Bowl and 2014 NFC Championship game.

“If he was on a roster right now, all this negativeness and divisiveness could be turned into a positive,” said Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Chris Long at the meeting, adding that he wouldn’t “lecture” teams on which quarterback to sign. “We all agree in this room as players that he should be on a roster.”

“The problem we have is, we have a president who will use that as fodder to do his mission that I don’t feel is in the best interests of America,” Kraft said. “It’s divisive and it’s horrible.”