WP: Redskins salary-cap woes were a hometown production (Wise)

[LoudMouth12thMan]

I won't read the article. The bottom line is that we were ****ed, but we also did it to ourselves by taking a risk that we shouldn't have taken. We tried to circumvent the system (even though there wasn't actually a "system") and we got whacked for it by a majority vote from the owners. I know it's wrong, and I hate Mara etc but it could have been avoided, period.

Right or wrong, it could have completely been avoided and this front office has made some bone headed errors over the past few years. This is just another boneheaded move, but it didn't matter last year and it may not matter this year. The silver lining is the front office's ability (mostly Shanahan's ability) to evaluate talent that isn't necessarily high dollar FA/1st round draft talent. Shanahan has an ability to grab cheap talent and make all stars out of them, or at the very least core contributors to the team.

I'm fine with where we are regardless of a bull **** cap penalty. Oh, and **** UnWise Mike. The less of him I'm exposed to, the better.

[BleedBNG]

I'm just shocked that Wise had something else to write about other than his constant obsessive Redskins name change kumbaya campaign.

[Zazzaro703]

This is the great irony of Wise's complaint. The reason so much of us are upset is not that our team got screwed although that certainly is a part of it. It's that the basic integrity of the game has been put in jeopardy. Sports is supposed to be fair. It's supposed to be best man wins. What the NFL did through the aegis of Mara, Lurie, and Goodell basically did was say we can rewrite the rules whenever we feel like and there's nothing you can do about it.

That, as Andre the Giant said is Princess Bride is very "unsportsmanlike" The NFL hurled the boulder at an unsuspecting Wesley's head. It would be sporting if all teams that manipulated this bs spirit cap got hit on a sliding scale. It would be sporting if Lurie and Mara were forced to recuse themselves as principle judges in this sentencing. It would be sporting if the NFL didn't agree to collude which is in itself cheating.

Basically, what Wise doesn't get that the issue here is bigger than a team getting screwed. The issue is that the integrity of the game was ****ed. That owners decided they could try to win by cheating off the field instead of dueling on it.

Sport is one of the venues where we are still supposed to pretend that fairness and honor hold value. It does not in today's NFL.

Bravo sums up my exact issues and why I was hoping the Redskins would sue and tear it all down even if it did hurt us. This new NFL is a freaking joke with division rivals penalizing teams on unprecedented rules above any law in the country. Look at the saints, an entire year of people's professional lives washed out like it was nothing, penalties overturned or not they were screwed from jump street and never recovered. I've said a few times if it weren't for my undying love for the Redskins I would have easily stopped watching the NFL a few years ago. Another issue it makes me think of is this, the owners obvious have no problems with shady behind the curtain deals so I wonder what else they have done behind the scenes. There's obviously animosity for Dan Snyder and the Redskins amongst the owners, that much is certainly clear.

[Kindred]

This is the great irony of Wise's complaint. The reason so much of us are upset is not that our team got screwed although that certainly is a part of it. It's that the basic integrity of the game has been put in jeopardy. Sports is supposed to be fair. It's supposed to be best man wins. What the NFL did through the aegis of Mara, Lurie, and Goodell basically did was say we can rewrite the rules whenever we feel like and there's nothing you can do about it.

That, as Andre the Giant said is Princess Bride is very "unsportsmanlike" The NFL hurled the boulder at an unsuspecting Wesley's head. It would be sporting if all teams that manipulated this bs spirit cap got hit on a sliding scale. It would be sporting if Lurie and Mara were forced to recuse themselves as principle judges in this sentencing. It would be sporting if the NFL didn't agree to collude which is in itself cheating.

Basically, what Wise doesn't get that the issue here is bigger than a team getting screwed. The issue is that the integrity of the game was ****ed. That owners decided they could try to win by cheating off the field instead of dueling on it.

Sport is one of the venues where we are still supposed to pretend that fairness and honor hold value. It does not in today's NFL.

Even worse, they are saying they do not need to answer to or be beholden to the players or the ref's. In a free market, what is supposed to happen when a labor agreement expires? WHAT? Salaries should rise according to their natural demand right??? Unless of course you have some sortof collusion going on behind the scenes agreeing not to allow such natural demand to occur. Unless you have the ability to retroactively penalize teams for not participating in such collusion. The NFL tried such uncompromising bull**** with the refs as well, only outsourcing didnt work out so well there as everybody saw...

[Hubbs]

The irony of UnWise Mike talking about something being "voted off the island by [its] peers" shouldn't be lost on the multiple members of this forum who are clearly better writers than this jackass.

Keep up the good work, guys. (I don't want to name names because I'm afraid of accidentally leaving someone out, but our frequent writers know who they are.) The Internet is the greatest filter of written thought in human history, and I know that eventually the cream will rise to the top. It might be painstaking, it might take way too long, but it'll happen. The difference between the business models of "old media" companies that still manage to cling to profitability and "new media" models that rake in profits is enormous. Wise's only shot in the new paradigm is to be another Skip Bayless, and, well, there are only so many of those slots to go around. Is there money to be made by staking out a claim as a "poor man's Skip Bayless"? (I never thought I'd utter that phrase in my entire life.) I'm not sure, but it takes a special kind of pathetic to find out.

[grhqofb5]

Here's my take-- I'm not a huge fan of labor unions, collective bargaining, etc., but I see it as a necessary evil, and its certainly better than communism or any other socialist employer/employee structure. But if there' law on books, you should follow it.

So, the fact that there was a collective bargaining structure in place (although the agreement had expired) means that everyone should follow the rules. What i see here is that Dan Snyder followed the rules, but for the wrong reasons. (assuming of course that he was aware of this informal collusion setup, which is another question). So I give the team no credit for this move. However, I give even less credit to the teams and owners (Mara at the top of the list) that decided to collude, in what appears from the information we have, in violation of federal law (think this'll ever see the inside of courtroom/administrative hearing board?).

There's plenty of vermin to be spread around.

[Redskins Diehard]

Thinking further about the penalty and the timing I am actually glad it went this way. Not the penalty part of it but the timing. I am sure we went into the offseason thinking we would fill most needs with all the cap space we had available and that allowed us to trade so many draft picks for Griffin. Who knows...without the cap space we may have not have been as willing to give up what we did for that pick. And we are MUCH better off with that QB. And that trade did more to give us a competitive advantage than any restructures.

[2cents]

Why is that a bad thing?? Vinnie isn't here anymore in case anyone has noticed, which I don't think people have. Also, we are just starting to get pics back from the Vinnie regime.....how come people are "glad" now we can't sign free agents, but weren't complaining when we were signing Cofield, Bowen, Carricker, Garcon, Morgan, Merriweather and others.....I really don't get people on this board.

[LD0506]

This thread definitely needs more zoony in it..............

[@DCGoldPants]

don't know about anybody else, but I've been having fun getting Wise all fired up on Twitter. He really hates it when you suggest this is all a bit from him.

Good times.

[bobbi3stix]

The major issue is the severity of the punishment and how it cripples this teams ability to "compete". What the Patriots were obviously found guilty of, was everything and more than what's being held against our team- the punishments do not even remotely fit the crimes in comparison.

[SWFLSkins]

http://misterirrelevant.com/index.php/2013/03/15/mike-wise-and-redskins-reporter-rich-tandler-get-pissy-on-twitter/

My now go to guy giving it to my get away from me guy.

The comments are worth the read.

[courier2003]

I'm trying to look at this situation from all sides. The NFL told 32 owners not to take advantage of the uncapped 2010 season by doing what was called "front loading" to clear salary cap space. However, it was not a legally binding agreement. It was only a verbal one. Do you really think that a "handshake" in today's business world, and especially somewhere like the NFL, is really going to make an agreement stick? Get real! If you want a rule like that to be followed, then you have to back it up with a legally binding document. My understanding is that was never done. I blame the NFL for not being clearer about what was prohibited during the uncapped 2010 season and while there was still a new CBA being negotiated. I also can’t help but blame Snyder for apparently manipulating the situation as much as possible to his advantage, at least enough to be penalized $36 million over the course to two seasons. My guess is that Snyder hasn't exactly made too many friends among his 31 other colleagues. For all we know, they could have set a “trap” for him---sort of an “I dare you” situation. No surprise that he took the bait. The Cowboys were the only other team that was penalized for this, and their fine was only $10 million. I also wouldn't be surprised if there was in fact some kind of collusion, especially when you consider that one of the committee members who handed down these fines is part of another NFC East team. The bottom line: A big damn mess and plenty of blame to distribute.

[FrFan]

Goodell, NFL told Redskins that league will not yield on salary cap penalty

Wish we could have sued him. I hope it will make us stronger and that we will kick the Giants' asses for years to come.

[HateYanksDukeCowboys]

Wise's argument = "She got raped b/c she dressed like a slut, so she had it coming."

[Jumbo]

This thread definitely needs more zoony in it..............

Agreed....and re: all forms of popular media for "entertainment and news" purposes and the multiple examples of the success of "idiocy".....guess what the bottom-line reason for any such success is?

[LD0506]

Agreed....and re: all forms of popular media for "entertainment and news" purposes and the multiple examples of the success of "idiocy".....guess what the bottom-line reason for any such success is?

The bad rep that eugenics has?

[Jumbo]

The bad rep that eugenics has?

Touchy subject for people of my heritage. :pfft: :evilg:

[LD0506]

Touchy subject for people of my heritage. :pfft: :evilg:

I know, I know, I get it, it's touchy but c'mon, I look at those People of WalMart pics and really wonder whether something should be done..................

[Zazzaro703]

Goodell, NFL told Redskins that league will not yield on salary cap penalty

Wish we could have sued him. I hope it will make us stronger and that we will kick the Giants' asses for years to come.

If i ever see John Mara or Roger Goodell in public and can get close enough, ill take whatever legal ramifications come with spitting in their face and saying "there are 36 million reasons why i just did that."

[Mad Mike]

I honestly believe that *some* punishment may have been in order. It's the scale and method of the punishment that concerns me.

The penalties seem to have no rhyme or reason. Some teams got no penalty while others did for virtually the same behavior. Our penalty is simply off the charts. And to then take that money from us and give it to our competitors is like penalizing us twice.

Frankly, I think that we as fans should sue the NFL for selling us a rigged product.

[Voice_of_Reason]

Every time I see this thread, I want to pull John Mara's arms off and shove them up UnWise Mike's posterior.

Wise is ALMOST as bad as Mara. Not quite, but just about as bad.

[GoSkins0721]

I honestly believe that *some* punishment may have been in order. It's the scale and method of the punishment that concerns me.

The penalties seem to have no rhyme or reason. Some teams got no penalty while others did for virtually the same behavior. Our penalty is simply off the charts. And to then take that money from us and give it to our competitors is like penalizing us twice.

Frankly, I think that we as fans should sue the NFL for selling us a rigged product.

I really wish there was something the fans could do on this. Short of emailing our comments to Commissioner Gordon, I don't know what else can be done.

[Bang]

I'm trying to look at this situation from all sides. The NFL told 32 owners not to take advantage of the uncapped 2010 season by doing what was called "front loading" to clear salary cap space. However, it was not a legally binding agreement.

You can 't have a legally binding document for an illegal action.

The law calls that 'evidence', and tend to use it against you.

It was only a verbal one. Do you really think that a "handshake" in today's business world, and especially somewhere like the NFL, is really going to make an agreement stick? Get real! If you want a rule like that to be followed, then you have to back it up with a legally binding document.

You can 't have a legally binding document for an illegal action.

The law calls that 'evidence', and tend to use it against you.

My understanding is that was never done. I blame the NFL for not being clearer about what was prohibited during the uncapped 2010 season and while there was still a new CBA being negotiated.

they could not be clearer, because it was illegal.

I also can’t help but blame Snyder for apparently manipulating the situation as much as possible to his advantage, at least enough to be penalized $36 million over the course to two seasons.

You can liken it to a drug kingpin killing one of his dealers because he skimmed off the top. I mean, the kingpin could take the guy to court and demand his drug profits back, but there's the whole "i was doing something illegal in the first place" that he has to contend with.

My guess is that Snyder hasn't exactly made too many friends among his 31 other colleagues. For all we know, they could have set a “trap” for him---sort of an “I dare you” situation. No surprise that he took the bait. The Cowboys were the only other team that was penalized for this, and their fine was only $10 million. I also wouldn't be surprised if there was in fact some kind of collusion, especially when you consider that one of the committee members who handed down these fines is part of another NFC East team. The bottom line: A big damn mess and plenty of blame to distribute.

You don't need to be surprised by the fact there was collusion.. the Idiot supreme Mara admitted to illegal collusion to suppress wages when he initially complained that Snyder violated the agreement to suppress the players wages in the uncapped year.

It would be like the kingpin saying to a cop, "i know I killed him, but he was stealing from my cocaine sales."

There's one thing that gets lost in the attempt to look at both sides of the issue.

and that is the absolute fact that what the NFL agreed to is completely against the law, and the only reason we did not sue (and win) is because the gun the Idiot Supreme Mara loaded and pointed at our head is also pointed at every other owner in every other professional sports league,who, by the way, have contract systems that break the law, but are allowed because the government has chosen to look the other way and give them special exemptions. The Idiot Supreme also pointed this gun at his own head, and the only thing i can guess is he had no idea that is what he did. Any moron in the world ought to know better, but somehow Mara did not. ( I blame inbreeding. )

So Snyder could have sued, and he would have won.

And the whole house of cards that is professional sports would come tumbling down as a result.

and really, there's no other way to look at it.

~Bang

[zoony]

This thread definitely needs more zoony in it..............

why thank you, thank you very much

I know I said I wouldn't post in the thread, but lest there be any confusion over my stance whatsoever, I would like to quote LoudMouth12thMan who sums up my position perfectly.

I know it's wrong, and I hate Mara etc but it could have been avoided, period.

So, thanks LM12

everyone else needs to read that sentence over and over until the urge to just STFU overtakes them

Frankly, I think that we as fans should sue the NFL for selling us a rigged product.

We have a wonderful game being managed by a group of entitled jerks who lack accountability to not only the fans, but the law as well.

Sucks, but what are you going to do. I'd love it if a fan did sue. That would be great.