BringMetheHeadofBruceAllen

That's an insult...to clown shows. I'm sure there are some well-run, respected organizations full of clowns out there. Like this one: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clowns-inc The only clown show this organization is similar to...is Pogo the Clown (aka serial killer John Wayne Gacy)

NFLPA’s defense of Deshaun Watson will take aim at NFL’s treatment of multiple owners https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/06/16/nflpas-defense-of-deshaun-watson-will-take-aim-at-nfls-treatment-of-multiple-owners/ Juicy bits: According to the source, the union’s defense of Deshaun Watson will take specific aim at the league’s handling of Commanders owner Daniel Snyder, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. As to Snyder, the union will argue that his punishment in light of the findings and potential recommendations of attorney Beth Wilkinson was weak and not fully enforced. As to Kraft, the union will argue that Kraft received no punishment despite allegedly receiving a massage became a sexual encounter. (Although Kraft was charged with solicitation, the case was dismissed based on the fact that the video surveillance utilized by law enforcement violated the rights of the various persons who were secretly recorded.) As to Jones, the union will argue that the league failed to investigate the voyeurism scandal involving former Cowboys P.R. chief Rich Dalrymple, including but not limited to the key questions of what Jones knew, when he knew it, and whether he knew that Dalrymple was secretly recording multiple cheerleaders while they changed their clothes. The union believes that these arguments will be more likely to find traction than in the past, given the adoption in 2020 of a new, independent process for assessing potential Personal Conduct Policy violations committed by players. With Commissioner Roger Goodell or his designee no longer presiding over the effort to evaluate the evidence and reach a decision, the Disciplinary Officer ( retired federal judge Sue L. Robinson) could decide to allow the union to fully explore the manner in which the league handled Snyder, Kraft, and Jones. The union, for example, could get access to evidence from Wilkinson’s investigation, the league’s handling of the information, and the key question of what Wilkinson would have recommended, if the league had bothered to ask her for a recommendation. (As previously reported, she would have recommended that Snyder be forced to sell.) The union also could get access to internal communications regarding whether Kraft should be disciplined, and whether Jones and the Cowboys should be investigated. This approach would be separate from defending Watson against any claim of wrongdoing. It would be based on whether, even if he violated the policy with a habit of arranging private massages and trying to make those massages become sexual encounters, any punishment of Watson must be justified by the punishment imposed on Snyder, the non-punishment imposed on Kraft, and the lack of even an investigation of Jones.

If Snyder was banned from day to day team operations like Howdy Doody Goodell said he was, then WTF is he doing at a team-related business meeting for?? The lies from the league and this team prove that they deserve all the negative media attention.

Welp, we knew this was coming...hope they subpoena his @$$: Scoop: Dan Snyder declines to testify before Oversight Committee https://www.axios.com/2022/06/15/dan-snyder-testify-congress-nfl Daniel Snyder, the owner of the Washington Commanders, is declining to testify before a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing next week on workplace misconduct in the NFL, Axios has learned. Driving the news: Snyder informed the committee today that he will be unable to attend the scheduled June 22 hearing over concerns he and his legal team have over due process, according to a source close to Snyder. “Although Mr. Snyder remains willing to cooperate with the Committee—as he has done in the past— for the reasons set forth below, he is unable to accept the Committee’s invitation to testify at the scheduled hearing,” Karen Patton Seymour, Snyder’s attorney, wrote to the committee, according to a letter obtained by Axios. The big picture: Snyder’s decision not to appear before Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney’s hearing will deprive her of a high-profile witness into her investigation into workplace misconduct at the Commanders. “The Committee’s goal has been to uncover the truth about the culture of harassment and abuse at the Washington Commanders, to hold accountable those responsible, and to better protect workers across the country,” Maloney said when she announced her hearing. The NFL team is facing allegations from some former employees, including cheerleaders, that there was widespread sexual harassment at the franchise. Go deeper: The team faces other allegations and investigations, including questions into whether it withheld some ticket revenue from the rest of the league, Axios has reported. A key Democratic member of the committee, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), cancelled a planned fundraiser after Politico reported that lobbyists were inviting donors to the event to discuss his official probe.

Update on "Jackboots" Del Rio: Last Friday, Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera did something highly unusual, if not unprecedented. He fined defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio $100,000 for a tweet that downplayed the Jan. 6 insurrection and compared that event to protests following the death of George Floyd. In a statement, Rivera said the Commanders would donate the $100,000 to the U.S. Capitol Police Memorial Fund. The oddity of Rivera’s action invites questions about whether and how Del Rio could challenge the fine, if he pays it at all. The situation further raises the possibility of a new NFL precedent wherein head coaches, perhaps at the urging of general managers or owners, can fine members of their coaching staff for their speech. Rivera’s statement doesn’t clarify from where he obtained authority to fine Del Rio, whose 27-year-old son, Luke, is the Commanders’ assistant QB coach. The 59-year-old former Oakland Raiders head coach and retired Pro Bowl linebacker described what he termed “two standards” for society’s reaction to protests. One, he said, sees “no problem” when “people’s livelihoods are being destroyed, businesses are being burned down” while the other regards “a dust-up at the Capitol” where “nothing burned down” as a “major deal.” In a subsequent tweet published last Wednesday, Del Rio apologized for downplaying the insurrection as a dust-up. He acknowledged that description was “irresponsible and negligent.” Del Rio, who deleted his Twitter account this past weekend, also wrote he “stand[s] by my comments condemning violence in communities across the country” and that he’ll continue to advocate for the right to peaceful protest. Del Rio’s remarks may have harmed his employer’s overall reputation and shot at a deal for a new facility. Last Thursday the Virginia General Assembly pushed off a vote on a new stadium for the Commanders, though ESPN reports the postponement might have happened regardless. And while Commanders defensive players have indicated to journalists they are relatively unconcerned about what Del Rio said, NAACP president Derrick Johnson urged the team to fire Del Rio. Over the weekend retired Hall-of-Fame safety Ed Reed blasted the fine as insufficient while former NFL coach Jeff Fisher criticized Rivera and the Commanders for placating those who push “narratives.” An employer ordinarily has one or two sources of authority to punish an employee. The first is through contract. While most American employees are at-will, NFL coaches typically have contracts. NFL players similarly sign contracts, though players also gain rights and obligations through a CBA negotiated by their union. NFL coaches aren’t unionized. They can join the NFL Coaches’ Association, a non-union advocacy association that represents coaches in licensing deals and other ventures, but Del Rio has no union to advocate for him. A workplace policy is the second source. Like most companies, NFL teams have written policies that employees must assent to before they can begin work. Those policies cover assorted topics, including allowable Internet use, restrictions on smoking and drugs, anti-discrimination rules, safety obligations, vacation and time off procedures and reimbursements. Of relevance to Del Rio, workplace policies usually address discipline and grievances. These employment materials often contemplate discipline not through fines but rather via warnings, administrative leaves—where an employee accused of wrongdoing remains paid but is told to stay away pending an investigation—unpaid suspensions or termination. Employers usually adopt the practice of progressive discipline, wherein, as a first step, an employee is warned and then given an opportunity to improve performance before harsher measures are applied. It’s unknown if Del Rio, who joined the Commanders in 2020, had previous missteps. Sports leagues operate differently. CBAs allow the league and team to impose fines on players. Leagues have also fined and suspended coaches and executives, though as Sportico previously reported, there are unsettled legal questions regarding a league punishing a person who it neither employs nor is governed by a CBA. Del Rio’s contract isn’t publicly available, though NFL coaches’ contracts aren’t known to contain language regarding a head coach or supervisor fining an assistant coach. Noted sports attorney Tom Mars, who has litigated contract disputes on behalf of NFL and NCAA Division I football coaches, told Sportico in a phone interview that he has seen numerous NFL coaches’ contracts and has “never” seen such a term. Mars explains that these contracts often contain language prohibiting coaches from damaging the team’s reputation. Sportico has obtained language from several NFL coaches’ contracts. One expresses that the coach has an obligation to “conduct and express” themselves “both publicly and privately, which promotes the best interests of the Club, the NFL and professional football, in general.” Another says the coach “shall not engage in conduct in disregard of public conventions or morals or inconsistent with any reasonable standards communicated by the [Club to the Assistant Coach].” But as Mars stresses, it’s not certain that political commentary, even that which offers unpopular sentiments, would rise to a breach of duty. “By characterizing the Jan. 6 insurrection as a ‘dust-up’ and trying to defend that characterization just because the U.S. Capitol wasn’t burned down,” Mars says, “Coach Del Rio came across as the village idiot of the NFL. That said, the rights afforded by the First Amendment include the right to make a fool of yourself on every news and social media platform in the free world.” Mars also emphasizes that a breach itself would not support the use of a fine. The contract would also need to contemplate a fine as an acceptable punishment for violating that term. Mars suggests other assistant coaches, even those who have been very critical of Del Rio, should be mindful of the precedent being set. If they say something controversial that bothers the coach, general manager or owner, could they now be fined too? One other instance of an assistant coach being fined by their employer occurred in 2016, when the University of Georgia (not its head coach) fined then-assistant coach Shane Beamer $25,000. The fine concerned an incident from two years earlier when Beamer, employed by Virginia Tech, had received leaked game-plan information in a scandal that became known as Wakeyleaks. Del Rio has options, but they’re limited. If he wishes to challenge the fine, his contract might contain language requiring he first attempt to resolve his grievance through mediation (which is non-binding) or arbitration (which is binding) or both. As shown in Brian Flores’ lawsuit against the leagues and several teams and in Jon Gruden’s lawsuit against the league and Roger Goodell, the NFL maintains that disputes between NFL coaches and teams must go to arbitration as overseen by the league. Flores challenges that assertion on grounds such a process is inherently biased, an argument that a Nevada judge recently found persuasive in rejecting the NFL’s attempt to dismiss Gruden’s lawsuit. In any lawsuit that is not preempted by arbitration, Del Rio would likely argue the Commanders are in breach of his contract by imposing an unauthorized or excessive fine. He might also contend the team has tortiously interfered with his prospective employment with other NFL teams and defamed him. The team could counter that the fine is permitted under employment language, that it reflects a remedial measure—he pays the fine and learns from his mistake—rather than the more severe option of termination, and that defamation law doesn’t apply since the team, through Rivera, has only offered an opinion on what Del Rio said. If Del Rio doesn’t pay the fine, the Commanders could withhold the money from his future paychecks. The team could also fire him for cause and contend it doesn’t owe him any money going forward. Alternatively, Del Rio could quit, though depending on how much money is owed on his deal, that move might cost him much more than $100,000. https://www.sportico.com/law/analysis/2022/could-jack-del-rio-sue-1234678526/

I've been saying that too... Cleveland and Baltimore and Oakland all thought they were safe. Everyone here hates him, maybe he will pull chocks for another city where his depravity and incompetence won't get the same scrutiny. Now I have to wonder if he chose the name Commanders to make it easier to move, ignoring the fan favorite Red wolves. San Diego Commanders may have a nice ring to it...and when they keep losing there no one will care...they probably wouldn't notice if he rehired Larry Michael and Alex Santos.

I've got a new nickname for Jack Dustup Del Rio... Jackboots Del Rio.

That's a big problem that has been around the league forever. Usually coaches stick to the same plan if they had success with it before...even when it's no longer working. They always say they just need to execute better, but it's the same reason a lot of successful entrepreneurs who succeed once fail to repeat that success...the inability to keep an open mind and learn new things. Guys like Dustup Del Rio are stuck in the smashmouth era. As an (admittedly) Steelers fan, I've seen the same thing with Tomlin and even Cowher before him. The Steelers had good defenses and played good smashmouth football in the 90s and up until now...and don't have much to show for it. Yes, we won two Super Bowls, but we had a Franchise QB who was in his prime...something Cowher never understood as we struggled with oxygen thieves like Bubby Brister, Neil O'Donnell, Jim Smith, Mike Tomczak, Kordell Stewart, and Tommy Maddox. Just reciting those names makes my stomach queasy. The Steelers wasted all that defensive prowess with an addiction to smashmouth, run-the-football-down-their-throats football...which works great when you have a big lead, not so great when you're being outcoached by the other team. Can't tell you how many times I saw Tom Brady go deep on the Steelers on the 2nd or 3rd play of the game and connect, while the Steelers looked on in shock, like they were expecting the Patriots to try and 'establish the run' first. That's because Belichick doesn't follow patterns and is well aware of trying new things when the other team doesn't expect it. The 2016 AFCC game where the Steelers got walloped is a good case study. Marty Schottenheimer was another smashmouth coach who came up short in the playoffs every year because he never understood you need a franchise QB either. Guys get stuck in old ways of thinking. Smashmouth is fine, but not all the time, and I don't think Dustup Del Rio has the capacity to think any other way. Hence we see the same defense every year.

I happened to stop by Jack Del Rio's office and noticed his bookshelf collection: Dustups and Peace - Leo Tolstoy The Art of Dustups - Sun Tzu The History of the Second World Dustup He had some DVDs too: Star Dustups Dustup of the Worlds Dustup Club (with Brad Pitt) Marvel's Infinity Dustup

Welp, it's getting worse now. Guess Del Rio should start updating his resume on LinkedIn: NAACP President: It’s time for Jack Del Rio to resign or be terminated On Wednesday night, Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio posted an apology on Twitter for referring to the January 6 insurrection as a “dustup at the Capitol.” But Del Rio is still facing heavy criticism for his press conference remarks, which were in line with what he’s posted on the social media website for years. On Thursday, NAACP President Derrick Johnson released a statement saying that Del Rio’s comments should cost him his job. “It’s time for Jack Del Rio to resign or be terminated,” Johnson said. “His comments could not have been more offensive and ignorant. The January 6th insurrection — an attempted coup — was far from a “dust-up.” Each day we learn more and more on just how close our democracy came to autocracy. Downplaying the insurrection by comparing it to nationwide protests, which were in response to a public lynching, is twisted. You can’t coach a majority Black team while turning your back on the Black community. It’s time for you to pack up and step off the field.” There’s been no indication from the Commanders that Del Rio’s job could be in jeopardy. But a Virginia state senator called Del Rio’s remarks “the nail in the coffin” to end a discussion of the franchise’s effort to secure public funding for a new stadium. Though Washington was No. 2 in total defense and No. 4 in points allowed in 2020, the team fell to No. 22 in yards allowed and No. 25 in points allowed under Del Rio in 2021. https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/06/09/naacp-president-its-time-for-jack-del-rio-to-resign-or-be-terminated/

Yup, he'd move before selling the team. Please God no...QB play is bad enough in this league without adding another 2-4 teams. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered, NFL!

The Dome at America's Center...in St. Louis, MO. The longer this goes on without resolution, the more likely that Snyder will up and move the team. Don't think it can't happen...Cleveland and Baltimore both thought that too.

It's not like his firing would make the defense any worse! 😆

It gets worse...delegates in VA are voting 'NO' on new stadium funding after Del Rio's comments: https://bluevirginia.us/2022/06/after-commanders-defensive-coordinators-outrageous-comments-about-the-1-6-insurrection-black-lives-matter-va-sen-jeremy-mcpike-switches-to-no-on-the-stadium-bill

The fact that everyone seems to think we'll get anything Hogs-related surprises me, based on this front office's track record. Remember we were 90% convinced it was going to be Redwolves or Redhogs...and look what we got. The Hogs will remind some people of the Redskins name, which will of course trigger a small group of people who will be very loud on Twitter, etc. I think Tanya is designing the mascot, and she probably wrote the lyrics to the new fight song as well. She used to be a cheerleader, and I can just picture her jumping up and down while trying to convince Dan that "we just need more TEAM SPIRIT!! GIMME A T! GIMME A E! GIMME A A! GIMME A M! WHAT'S THAT SPELL? GO TEAM!!" Even making a big deal out of choosing a mascot, for a PRO team, is ludicrous, just as the whole blackout and whiteout concepts are...this ain't college!

They either both go or neither goes, because the one who goes will gladly throw the other under the Greyhound bus.

"You'll pay through the nose for obstructed seating and LIKE IT!" - Dan Snyder (hypothetically)

I don't see either one showing up, the NFL clearly has more influence and money than Congress does. The worst that could happen is they would be found in contempt of Congress if they ignored a subpoena...which we all know they can buy their way out of.

Neither one of them will show up. They will force Congress to subpoena them...and even then, they may not show up.

Smaller than RFK? WTF? Jacksonville must be laughing at us right now.

NEVER. You can use caps.

Can you imagine how much worse it would be if Gibbs hadn't come back? We likely wouldn't have had a playoff victory since 1999...Snyder's first year!

Gibbs is easily fooled because Snyder is a "kiss up, kick down" type of boss...nice to people he admires because they're famous, and a complete waste of a human being to everyone else. Sometimes I wonder how Gibbs became successful with that level of naivete, by the way. Feinstein was on the Junkies this morning, talking about his most recent Snyder article and adding some more info. For one, he said an unnamed NFL owner went to a meeting and sat with Snyder because he felt sorry for him that no one else would sit with Snyder. After they took a vote on a minor issue, which the owner and Snyder disagreed on, Snyder asked him "why are you such a blankety blank?" The owner responded that they can disagree on something and still be professional, and Snyder replied "blank you." He also retole the Steve Bischotti story where Snyder demaned Bischotti call him "Mr. Snyder" on a conference call. Bischotti responded with his own "blank you" and hung up.

I do know that...and don't call me Shirley.

I'm sure they'll be seeing a lot of each other in court over the next couple of years...likely there will be a fight over his estate.