Canton South Marching Band HOF 2009

Canton South Marching Band during the Hall of Fame Parade August 8, 2009. The band did a great job! Including all the NICC Sr. Highers!

Free Agency Period Ends

From NFLMedia.com
Unrestricted Free Agency Period Ends; 86 Re-sign, 128 Switch Teams
08/04/2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
8/4/09

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENCY PERIOD ENDS;
86 RE-SIGN, 128 SWITCH TEAMS

Eighty-six unrestrictedfree agents re-signed with their old teams this year during the free-agencysigning period, while 128 signed with new teams, the National Football Leagueannounced today. The five-month UFAsigning period, under terms of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement betweenthe league and players, ended July 27.

The Denver Broncos signed the most unrestricted free agentsfrom other teams (14), followed by the Detroit Lions with nine.

As per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, players without2009 contracts who had four or more seasons of free agency experience qualifiedto be "unrestricted free agents" and were free to sign with any clubbetween February 27 and July 27.

There were a total of 336 unrestricted free agents thisyear. The total player pool isapproximately 1,700.

If an unrestricted free agent’s prior club made a 110percent tender on or before June 1, the prior club retained exclusivenegotiating rights if the player did not sign with another club during the UFAsigning period. If the player and clubare unable to negotiate a contract by the 10th week of the regular season(November 17), the player may not play the remainder of the season. If the player sits out the season, he becomesan unrestricted free agent next year.

The 128 unrestricted free agents whoswitched teams represent only 7.5 percent of all NFL players. Of the 400 players who were free agents inthe various categories of the system, 275 signed new contracts with either newteams or their old clubs. An additional44 players with fewer than four seasons of free agency experience received noqualifying offer or minimum tender from their prior clubs.

Restrictedfree agents are those players who have threeseasons of free agency experience and are subject to compensation and/or rightof first refusal.

For the first time since the current CBA went into effect 17seasons ago, none of this year's 55 restricted free agents signed with a newteam and 54 restricted free agents returned to their former clubs. The period for restricted free agents toaccept offers from other teams ended April 17.

A transitionplayer is a designated restricted or unrestricted free agent whose teammust tender a one-year contract at the average of the 10 highest-paid playersof 2008 at the transition player's position, or a 20 percent increase,whichever is greater. A franchise player is a designated restrictedor unrestricted free agent whose team must tender a one-year contract at theaverage of the five highest-paid players at the franchise player's position in2008, or a 20 percent increase, whichever is greater.

A comparison of free agent movement sincethe current CBA went into effect 17 seasons ago:

NFL FREE AGENCY MOVEMENT
(VeteranFree Agents Who Signed With New Teams)

Category
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
Unrestricted
108
121
171
99
85
110
115
107
93
Restricted
8
7
6
4
2
4
2
4
4
Transition
4
4
2
2
2
1
1
0
0
Franchise
1
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
TOTALS
121
132
179
105
89
117
118
111
97

Category
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Unrestricted
130
111
124
104
149
126
132
128
Restricted
1
5
1
3
4
4
3
0
Transition
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
Franchise
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
TOTALS
131
117
126
107
154
130
135
128


FINAL2009 NFL UNRESTRICTED & RESTRICTED FREE-AGENT SIGNINGS
(Basedon official notification to NFL office)
1) 128 UNRESTRICTED free agents have signed with a NEWteam:

TEAM
PLAYER
FORMER TEAM
DATE REPORTED
Arizona Cardinals
CB Bryant McFadden
Pittsburgh
3/11

RB Jason Wright
Cleveland
3/18
Atlanta Falcons
LB Mike Peterson
Jacksonville
3/11

C Brett Romberg
St. Louis
3/10
Baltimore Ravens
C Matt Birk
Minnesota
3/5

CB Chris Carr
Tennessee
3/18

CB Dominique Foxworth
Atlanta
2/27

TE L.J. Smith
Philadelphia
3/20
Buffalo Bills
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
Cincinnati
2/28

C Geoff Hangartner
Carolina
3/2

G Seth McKinney
Cleveland
4/8

RB Dominic Rhodes
Indianapolis
4/20

LB Patrick Thomas
Kansas City
3/20
Chicago Bears
S Josh Bullocks
New Orleans
3/12

T Frank Omiyale
Carolina
2/28
Cincinnati Bengals
WR Laveranues Coles
NY Jets
3/5

DT Tank Johnson
Dallas
4/8

QB J.T. O’Sullivan
San Francisco
3/10
Cleveland Browns
LB Eric Barton
NY Jets
3/16

CB Corey Ivy
Baltimore
3/19

DE C.J. Mosley
NY Jets
3/9

CB Hank Poteat
NY Jets
3/10

T John St. Clair
Chicago
3/18

T Floyd Womack
Seattle
3/16
Dallas Cowboys
LB Keith Brooking
Atlanta
3/2

DE Igor Olshansky
San Diego
3/9

S Gerald Sensabaugh
Jacksonville
3/11
Denver Broncos
RB JJ Arrington
Arizona
3/5

RB Correll Buckhalter
Philadelphia
2/28

LB Andra Davis
Cleveland
2/28

S Brian Dawkins
Philadelphia
3/2

NT Ronald Fields
San Francisco
3/3

WR Jabar Gaffney
New England
2/28

CB Andre’ Goodman
Miami
3/3

T Brandon Gorin
St. Louis
4/17

CB Renaldo Hill
Miami
2/28

RB LaMont Jordan
New England
3/4

LS Lonie Paxton
New England
2/28

DT Darrell Reid
Indianapolis
2/28

QB Chris Simms
Tennessee
3/5

G Scott Young
Cleveland
3/13
Detroit Lions
CB Phillip Buchanon
Tampa Bay
3/5

TE Will Heller
Seattle
3/17

DT Grady Jackson
Atlanta
3/5

WR Bryant Johnson
San Francisco
3/2

T Daniel Loper
Tennessee
3/11

CB Eric King
Tennessee
2/28

RB Maurice Morris
Seattle
2/28

RB Terrelle Smith
Arizona
4/16

LB Cody Spencer
NY Jets
3/9
Green Bay Packers
C Duke Preston
Buffalo
3/30
Houston Texans
NT Shaun Cody
Detroit
3/30

QB Dan Orlovsky
Detroit
3/2

G Adrian Jones
Kansas City
5/18

DE Antonio Smith
Arizona
3/2
Indianapolis Colts
LB Adam Seward
Carolina
3/20
Jacksonville Jaguars
S Sean Considine
Philadelphia
2/28

T Tra Thomas
Philadelphia
3/9
Kansas City Chiefs
LB Monty Beisel
Arizona
3/17

WR Terrance Copper
Baltimore
3/17

CB Travis Daniels
Cleveland
3/10

WR Bobby Engram
Seattle
3/17

G Mike Goff
San Diego
3/26

C Eric Ghiaciuc
Cincinnati
4/30

TE Sean Ryan
San Francisco
4/21

LB Zach Thomas
Dallas
4/13
Miami Dolphins
G Joe Berger
Dallas
2/27

CB Eric Green
Arizona
3/12

C Jake Grove
Oakland
3/3
Minnesota Vikings
CB Karl Paymah
Denver
3/19
New England Patriots
DT Damane Duckett
San Francisco
3/23

C Al Johnson
Miami
3/16

LB Paris Lenon
Detroit
5/27

S Brandon McGowan
Chicago
5/5
New Orleans Saints
TE Darnell Dinkins
Cleveland
3/23

FB Heath Evans
New England
3/12

CB Jabari Greer
Buffalo
3/5

DE Tony Hargrove
Buffalo
5/18

C Nick Leckey
St. Louis
3/18

S Pierson Prioleau
Jacksonville
3/25

S Darren Sharper
Minnesota
3/24
New York Giants
DT Rocky Bernard
Seattle
3/2

LB Michael Boley
Atlanta
2/28

S C.C. Brown
Houston
3/4

DE Chris Canty
Dallas
3/2
New York Jets
DT Howard Green
Seattle
3/16

LB Larry Izzo
New England
3/11

S Jim Leonhard
Baltimore
3/3

LB Bart Scott
Baltimore
2/28

CB Donald Strickland
San Francisco
3/25
Oakland Raiders
T Khalif Barnes
Jacksonville
3/16

DT Ryan Boschetti
Washington
4/1

S Keith Davis
Dallas
5/21

QB Jeff Garcia
Tampa Bay
4/6

T Marcus Johnson
Minnesota
4/6

RB Lorenzo Neal
Baltimore
5/8
Philadelphia Eagles
T Stacy Andrews
Cincinnati
2/28

S Rashad Baker
Oakland
3/11

S Sean Jones
Cleveland
3/9

RB Leonard Weaver
Seattle
3/23
Pittsburgh Steelers
WR Shaun McDonald
Detroit
5/1

CB Keiwan Ratliff
Indianapolis
4/27
St. Louis Rams
TE Billy Bajema
San Francisco
3/31

QB Kyle Boller
Baltimore
4/6

C Jason Brown
Baltimore
3/10

S James Butler
NY Giants
3/12
San Diego Chargers
LB Kevin Burnett
Dallas
3/12
San Francisco 49ers
DE Demetric Evans
Washington
3/10

LB Marques Harris
San Diego
5/1

WR Brandon Jones
Tennessee
2/28

RB Moran Norris
Detroit
3/3

T Marvel Smith
Pittsburgh
3/30
Seattle Seahawks
DT Colin Cole
Green Bay
3/2

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh
Cincinnati
3/3

TE John Owens
Detroit
3/5

LS Bryan Pittman
Houston
5/18
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
LB Angelo Crowell
Buffalo
3/23

QB Byron Leftwich
Pittsburgh
4/14

K Mike Nugent
NY Jets
3/4

RB Derrick Ward
NY Giants
3/3
Tennessee Titans
CB DeMarcus Faggins
Houston
4/2

DT Jovan Haye
Tampa Bay
3/3

WR Mark Jones
Carolina
3/20

QB Patrick Ramsey
Denver
4/6

WR Nate Washington
Pittsburgh
3/3
Washington Redskins
DT Albert Haynesworth
Tennessee
2/28

P Hunter Smith
Indianapolis
4/27

DE Renaldo Wynn
NY Giants
3/24




2) 86 UNRESTRICTED free agents have re-signed withtheir OLD team:

TEAM
PLAYER
DATE REPORTED
Arizona Cardinals
DE Bert Berry
3/20

G Elton Brown
3/25

CB Ralph Brown
3/27

P Ben Graham
3/2

LB Clark Haggans
3/17

QB Brian St. Pierre
3/2

QB Kurt Warner
3/5
Atlanta Falcons
DE Chauncey Davis
3/4

LB Tony Gilbert
2/27

DT Jason Jefferson
3/3

LB Coy Wire
2/27
Baltimore Ravens
QB Todd Bouman
4/6

LB Ray Lewis
3/9
Buffalo Bills
T Kirk Chambers
3/4

RB Corey McIntyre
3/3
Chicago Bears
RB Kevin Jones
3/9
Cincinnati Bengals
RB Cedric Benson
3/4

LB Darryl Blackstock
3/2

S Chris Crocker
3/5
Cleveland Browns
S Mike Adams
3/6
Denver Broncos
DT Kenny Peterson
3/10

TE Jeb Putzier
3/16
Detroit Lions
RB Aveion Cason
3/9

G Damion Cook
3/5

WR Keary Colbert
5/7

T George Foster
4/6
Green Bay Packers
DE Mike Montgomery
3/23
Houston Texans
S Nick Ferguson
3/12

C Chris White
2/27

CB Eugene Wilson
2/27
Indianapolis Colts
S Matt Giordano
4/17

LB Tyjuan Hagler
4/8

C Jeff Saturday
2/27
Jacksonville Jaguars
C Brad Meester
2/27

CB Scott Starks
2/27
Kansas City Chiefs
S Jon McGraw
3/6
Miami Dolphins
S Yeremiah Bell
2/27
Minnesota Vikings
LB Heath Farwell
3/6

DT Jimmy Kennedy
3/11

TE Jim Kleinsasser
2/28

S Benny Sapp
3/10
New England Patriots
P Chris Hanson
3/5

G Russ Hochstein
3/2

S James Sanders
3/5

DT Kenny Smith
4/22

S Tank Williams
3/16

DE Mike Wright
3/16
New Orleans Saints
QB Joey Harrington
3/30

WR Devery Henderson
3/4

T Jon Stinchcomb
3/3

LB Jonathan Vilma
3/3
New York Jets
CB Ahmad Carroll
3/16

K Jay Feely
3/9

TE Bubba Franks
5/12

RB Tony Richardson
3/3
Oakland Raiders
G Cooper Carlisle
3/3

LB Isaiah Ekejiuba
3/3

NT William Joseph
3/16

CB Justin Miller
3/16

TE Tony Stewart
3/3

LB Sam Williams
4/1
Pittsburgh Steelers
QB Charlie Batch
4/16

CB Fernando Bryant
3/18

T Trai Essex
3/17

LB Keyaron Fox
4/6

LB Andre Frazier
3/16

G Chris Kemoeatu
3/12
St. Louis Rams
CB Ron Bartell
3/5

G Adam Goldberg
3/23

DE Eric Moore
3/16
San Francisco 49ers
CB Allen Rossum
3/11

LB Takeo Spikes
3/4
Seattle Seahawks
LB Leroy Hill
5/1

LB D.D. Lewis
3/16

T Ray Willis
3/9
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
S Will Allen
3/3

WR Michael Clayton
3/2

WR Cortez Hankton
3/5

S Jermaine Phillips
3/6

TE Jerramy Stevens
3/5
Tennessee Titans
QB Kerry Collins
2/28

S Vincent Fuller
3/2

P Craig Hentrich
3/6
Washington Redskins
DE Phillip Daniels
4/2

LB Alfred Fincher
3/10

CB DeAngelo Hall
3/4
3) 0 RESTRICTED free agents have signed with NEWteams:

TEAM
PLAYER
FORMER TEAM
DATE REPORTED




4) 54 RESTRICTED free agents have re-signed with their OLDteam:

TEAM
PLAYER
DATE REPORTED
Arizona Cardinals
TE Leonard Pope
3/31

DT Gabe Watson
3/31
Atlanta Falcons
T Tyson Clabo
6/2

G Harvey Dahl
4/15
Baltimore Ravens
P Sam Koch
3/27

S Dawan Landry
4/2

TE Quinn Sypniewski
4/9

WR Demetrius Williams
4/9
Buffalo Bills
LB Keith Ellison
3/23

S George Wilson
3/31
Carolina Panthers
LB James Anderson
4/17

TE Jeff King
3/18

S Nate Salley
4/20
Cincinnati Bengals
LB Brandon Johnson
4/16

LB Rashad Jeanty
4/17
Dallas Cowboys
WR Miles Austin
4/23

DE Stephen Bowen
4/6

WR Sam Hurd
4/21

G Cory Proctor
4/2
Green Bay Packers
S Atari Bigby
4/17

CB Jarrett Bush
3/16

DE Jason Hunter
3/16

RB John Kuhn
4/17

WR Ruvell Martin
4/17
Houston Texans
WR David Anderson
3/13

T Rashad Butler
4/7

TE Owen Daniels
6/15

TE Joel Dreessen
3/4
Kansas City Chiefs
C Rudy Niswanger
4/24

S Jarrad Page
5/29

WR Jeff Webb
4/20
Minnesota Vikings
DT Fred Evans
4/6

RB Naufahu Tahi
3/27
New England Patriots
LB Pierre Woods
4/21
New Orleans Saints
G Jahri Evans
4/21

WR Lance Moore
4/22

T Zach Strief
4/13

CB Leigh Torrance
4/13
New York Giants
CB Kevin Dockery
4/13
New York Jets
S Abram Elam
3/17
Oakland Raiders
LB Ricky Brown
3/16
Philadelphia Eagles
WR Hank Baskett
4/23

C Nick Cole
3/31
Pittsburgh Steelers
T Willie Colon
3/10

S Anthony Madison
3/20

TE Sean McHugh
3/2
St. Louis Rams
DE Victor Adenyanju
4/20

G Richie Incognito
5/1
San Diego Chargers
WR Malcom Floyd
5/15

CB Cletis Gordon
4/14
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
T Donald Penn
4/14
Washington Redskins
DT Kedric Golston
4/10

DT Anthony Montgomery
3/25

K Shaun Suisham
3/16
5) 0 FRANCHISE players have signed with NEWteams:

TEAM
PLAYER
FORMER TEAM
DATE REPORTED




6) 7 FRANCHISE players re-signed with their OLDteam:

TEAM
PLAYER
DATE REPORTED
Arizona Cardinals
LB Karlos Dansby
3/4
Baltimore Ravens
LB Terrell Suggs
7/15
Carolina Panthers
DE Julius Peppers
6/24
Cincinnati Bengals
K Shayne Graham
4/30
St. Louis Rams
S Oshiomogho Atogwe
7/16
San Diego Chargers
RB Darren Sproles
4/28
Tennessee Titans
TE Bo Scaife
4/28
# # #

Tonight on the FRO show at 9Pm eastern

Tonight on the Football Reporters Online Show on Blog talk radio: Peter Schwartz of Sirius Radio and former NY Dragons Play by Play voice to discuss what looks like sadly, the end of the AFL as we knew it. Ken Palmer of Giants Insider.com joins us to talk Giants and NFL East Preview. Plus Bill Carroll From Consensus Draft Services helps us finish our Divisional previews..

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Football-Reporters

Matt Leinart's Twitter account: if fake, should be removed

Earlier today I wrote a blog post regarding "Matt Leinart's tweet" where he supposedly wrote that Arizona Cardinals Quarterback Kurt Warner was "kinda old". The tweet was written on February 1st during the time of the Super Bowl where the Cards took on the Steelers in Tampa.

Obviously a story like this has some legs, so it carries. But now the claim in some quarters is the Twitter account is fake. The specific contact represents Arizona Cardinals Media Relations, which is an outrage. That the Cardinals knew this account existed and allowed it to remain active is terrible and a massive blunder. In a new media environment "media relations" does not stop at contacting the press, it also encompasses online content. For the Arizona Cardinals to not understand this is not good for its players or its organization. Shifting the blame toward me will not remove them of their responsibility. And not that I don't believe it's not fake but my concern is if Leinart and the Cardinals knew this account existed why it was allowed it to remain for so long? This is the month of August.

Online reputation management is something star athletes like Matt Leinart must pay attention to. As a consultant in this area, I've personally removed fake accounts and worked to improve the online image of clients. No, I'm not suggesting Leinart hire me, but this episode should serve as a causionary tale of why it's not a good idea to leave an account up and active.

Just because a Twitter account has tweets that stopped at a certain point is not enough to say it's not real - anything webpage (and that's what this is) that can be discovered in a search or has an active URL is real and that includes this Twitter account.

Matt needs to work with Twitter and have the account removed ASAP. It's not enough to rely on an obscure blog post as protection against misunderstood messages. Personally, I'm glad to learn the account's not Matt's, I hope, but I'm also very concerned that Matt's not taking the right steps to protect his online reputation.

Matt Leinart thinks Kurt Warner's "old" - a Twitter fake

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com

Matt Leinart at the 2006 NFL Draft:



Special Note: It's said that Matt Leinart does not use Twitter, but this account I report on below with his tweets on it back in February is still up and active. I wrote a new blog post about Matt's Twitter problem and the importance of online reputation management. Below is what I originally reported. It remains as a cautionary example of how not to handle one's digital identity. Hopefully Leinart takes the steps to remove the Twitter account, as should have been done months ago.

I happened to see the New York Times article focusing on NFL Coaches prohibiting players from using Twitter in meetings and during training camp. I had to chuckle because the Twitter frenzy is already alive with funny and controversial tweets all over the place. Just ask Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart, who tweeted this (as of this writing):

Locked and loaded, ready to make history if Kurt goes down. That Steeler D is mean, and Kurt's kinda old...9:46 AM Feb 1st from web

Wow, "Kurt's kinda old?" Matt. C'mom, man! This is the guy who beat you out for the starting job in Arizona. A guy who was brought to the Cardinals to "tutor" you in the ways of the NFL, and ended up showing you by example. Why share that you think he's old on Twitter? Did you think someone wouldn't see it?

No one saw the tweet

Apparently no one saw the tweet to even make a big deal about it at the time: February 1st. And given Twitters incredible growth in visitors since that time, I can assert that it wasn't even in the mindset of media types to look at Leinart's Twitter page, let alone report what he put on it.

"Kurt's kinda old?"

As we march toward the 2009 NFL season the Arizona Cardinals Leinart, who thinks "Kurt's kinda old" is now battling for the number two spot behind that old man against unknown journeyman signal-caller Brian St. Pierre. St. Pierre was drafted in 2003 and played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens before signing with the Cardinals.

By contrast, Leinart was drafted in 2006 amid much fanfare and anticipation. But it seems, starting from his being drafted 10th by the Cardinals rather than 3rd by the Tennessee Titans (who picked Texas quarterback Vince Young), Leinart's NFL ride would be a bumpy one. At the 2006 NFL Draft Leinart had to deal with questions about his fall from the being the expected first or third pick to being the 10th selection. Now, he's got to deal with questions about his inability to beat a couple of old guys.

Since Warner and St. Pierre are both older than Leinart, it seems those elderly gents are eating his lunch. If St. Pierre wins the number two spot over Leinart, I guess we should look for Matt to tweet "Brian's kinda old" at some point in the season. Or maybe Leinart will switch to cornerback:

Maybe I'll switch to corner next year -- jk10:15 PM Feb 1st from web

Well, he was just kidding there. 

Watch what you tweet

The lesson here is simple: watch what you tweet. Matt, of all people, should know better. He's a two-time All American National Champion out of USC, and so successful that Cal fans all over both respect and hate him. Personally, I root for Matt, always have, but sometimes that dude does things that make me cringe, this tweet is one of them.

"Kurt's kinda old?"

Matt, you should pray to be in the league as long as Kurt has and achieve Warner's success over that time. But right now, the only "old man" you should concern yourself with is Brian St. Pierre. I know you're up to the challenge he presents. I know you can win the number two job - just go out and do it, because if you don't a lot of people will be disappointed in you. At that point, the idea that the NFL means "Not For Long" will come up in conversations about your career.

Change in NFL Draft: Draft moves to Three Day format with first round on Thursday Night in Primetime.

Change in NFL Draft: Draft moves to Three Day format with first round on Thursday Night in Primetime.

The NFL might have done the smartest thing ever in the eyes of real draft fans when they announced a change ton the format of the draft broadcast a short time ago. By moving the draft's first round to thursday night's prime time slot you draw even more viewers and even more of the "casual" football fans then ever before. you also cut a few days of late hype off of the week leading up to the start of the draft because you have the actual first round selections taking place on a weeknight. Then Rounds 2-4 on Friday and 5-7 on Saturday.

What this does for the fan is to also involve them more in the broadcast. For the People working for the teams and the media this gives them(us) an extra Day off/travel day in Sunday, so that people can file their monday stories sooner and grab some relaxation before returning to the grind. In fact, anyone looking for the draft to be shortened should be happy with the reduction in time per pick on 2008 and the format change for 2010. Even if it means one more day of coverage, it's less time on each day.

The big winners here are ESPN and NFLNetwork, because they get to add an extra day of broadcasting to their schedules. So we get an extra Day of Mel Kiper proclaiming that some other front office doesn't know how to handle their business or another chance to hear some more drivel about what some player is going to do with his bonus money instead of real football journalism like "Why did that team pass on that Runningback and take the guy who looks like he'll be packing bags at walmart next month" or how horrible that owner really is, instead of what we really want to know.

CDFL Playoff week(#4)

Today (Sunday 8/2/2009)

We will Broadcast two Games Live on UStream.tv at 5pm (Westchester Nighthawks vs Bergen Bears) and 7pm (Orange Sprit vs Rockland Rattlers) all times eastern. The Games will also be shown on Verizion Fios ch. 32 in most east coast states. On Tuesday night don't forget to catc the CDFL Review and coaches show at www.Blogtalkradio.com/Football-Reporters at 7:30 pm Eastern

The CDFL Broadcast team is Tammy Prince & John Kelly on Play by Play and Dr. Bill Chachkes on color commentary.

NFL Commissioner Press Conference on Michael Vick - full text

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com



The Michael Vick issue has drawn a variety of views and opinions like mine above, but only one person has the ability to determine his football future and that's NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. A press conference was held Monday in New York where Commissioner Goodell presented his decision regarding the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, but we've only seen bits-and-pieces of text. Here's the full press conference transcript, courtesy of NFLMedia.com

NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL


Press Conference – Michael Vick Conditional Reinstatement

July 27, 2009


NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: Good afternoon. As all of you are aware, I’ve made my decision regarding Michael Vick and I would be happy totake your questions. But before we do, I would just like to make a couple of points which I hope will be helpful inputting it into context.

First, and most importantly, we all want to recognize that the conduct that Michael engaged in was not only horrific, but it was cruel. And we all certainly recognize that and I believe after meeting with Michael that he recognizes that also. We engaged in a very thorough process. It was very carefully done and very thoroughly done. Multiple members of our staff were engaged as well as me. We went through his court records. We went through evaluations. We went through decisions. We know all the terms of his parole. We went through every detail, including about a four-and-a-half hour meeting with Michael last Wednesday here in the New York area. So we take this as a very serious matter. We’re dealing with a young man’s life. Our process was similarly reflective of the seriousness of that.

As you know, he can sign now with an NFL team. He can practice without delay with an NFL team. He may play in the final two preseason games of this preseason. And once the regular season starts, he can practice if the team so chooses. And I will decide within the first six weeks of the regular season when and whether he will be reinstated to play from there.

He has been very open and fully cooperative as well as his advisers and his counselors. I will say that one of the most important things that we talked about is that nobody gets through life alone. That you always have to have a mentor. That you always have to have somebody who will give you guidance and support at critical moments. Michael needs that right now and I have asked Tony Dungy to play a more formal role on my behalf but also on Michael’s behalf to serve as a mentor to Michael to help him and guide him through some very difficult decisions he’s going to have to make going forward. I do not expect he will be his only mentor,but Tony will be a big part in determining who else will serve as advisers to him. But I know Tony and Michael, who I spoke to earlier today on a conference call, both take it very seriously and are committed to making sure that they work closely together to make better decisions going forward.

I do believe that this transitional approach that we have outlined for Michael is the best thing for him, that it has the best opportunities to lead to success for a young man who has his life ahead of him. Whether he makes it on the field in the NFL is something that will be determined on the field. But he has some big decisions off the field to make in the way he conducts himself. I think he is at a point right now where he is prepared to make those decisions and hopefully conduct himself in a more positive way. I have said repeatedly,and many times before, that playing in the NFL is a privilege, we are held to a higher standard and it is not a right to be an NFL player. I think Michael clearly understands that is his responsibility and I think it is his opportunity now to earn that privilege back again. And that is up to Michael.

But one final point before I take your questions. As I’ve said many times before, I am very proud of NFL players. They do incredible things and exceed the standards that we set for them. And they do that both on and off the field. And I am proud of the things they do off the field. Obviously when you are dealing with 2,000 young men, you are going to have mistakes, bad judgments, and people are going to do things that you are not proud of. Obviously this is one case. But I hope something positive can come out of something that has been a very tragic circumstance and hopefully people will understand that the individual here has the right to earn that opportunity back again. He will be held accountable for that. He will be held accountable for his life management plan that he submitted to me, the things he says he is going to do, and I will make sure that he does that in responsible fashion, as will Tony.

Have any teams expressed an interest in signing him yet?

That’s not something that I would get involved with. I work for all 32 teams. As far as what team signs him, that’s an individual club decision and they’ll have to make that individually with him and negotiate.

On Michael lying:

He was not candid with me. In fact, prior to starting the hearing we spent a few minutes together and it was the first thing he raised with me. That he was disappointed in himself. That he was direct in the fact that he lied about his involvement in dog fighting. And I accept his apology. I understand. I don’t like being lied to like anybody else. But this is something that we have to move forward from. Michael understands that I am judging him on his activities going forward, on the words that he said to me, and on the conduct that hopefully will support the words he expressed to me personally.

What needs to happen in the next 12weeks for him to be reinstated?

A number of things. First he would have to sign a contract with a team. He will have to begin the process of getting re-acclimated into that community and that team. He’ll obviously want to relocate his family. He’s been very clear about that. He will have to get a support system around him. He will continue to go through the programs of his parole and also the programs that the NFL has designed for him. He will work very closely with Tony and me if necessary to make sure that we are providing the support necessary and the guidance. But he has a very difficult transition ahead and we want to support him in that and give him that opportunity. But he recognizes he has to earn that and his actions will have to support that.

Should Vick not sign with any team during the preseason, will the parameters of this reinstatement change? Have you looked into or discussed that possibility, if he doesn’t have the opportunity with a team during preseason?

Well that’s not something I can control. Of course individual clubs and Michael and his team will have to make that decision who he signs with ultimately. I don’t expect I would modify the terms of what I call the transition plan in any marginal way, but I’ll leave that option open if necessary – but I don’t see that as being something that I would engage in.

PETA has said that they had wanted you to have him undergo a psychiatric evaluation to show that he is truly remorseful and that if not they would consider protesting any team that would sign him. Did you have him undergo any evaluations?

Yes, in fact we worked with animal rights activist groups and we are clear: we worked with their medical professionals about the aspects of our evaluations. Michael fully cooperated with all of those tests. Those tests did not indicate there was any reason he couldn’t make a transition forward, but they also recognized that counseling and other aspects of support will be important for him going forward.


You mentioned there’d be an NFL component to his program as well, things he would have to adhere to. Could you elaborate on what that means beyond obviously the probationary things you have asked him to do legally?

Well the primary one is the role of (former Indianapolis Colts Head Coach) Tony Dungy. I believe that Tony is a very successful individual, he is somebody that I respect his judgment, I think he is wise and will give good counsel. I think he is committed to helping Michael asa young man – not as a football player. He’ll try to do what he can to help him reestablish his life and help him move forward. That’s the first thing that has to happen here. All of the conditions which we have outlined in the letter – which we will be happy to provide you with – we will hold Michael accountable for. He will be responsible for fulfilling those,and they will be part of my judgment about how long the period of time is before I’ll allow him to play in regular season games.

Did you feel a sense of urgency to make the decision quickly? Obviously it’s only been a week since he completed his federal term. How much of a relief – I don’t know if relief is the right word – but how much of a relief will it be for you tohave made this decision quickly?

Relief is not a word I would use here. I believe that it was my responsibility to make a thoughtful, clear decision, and to do it on a very timely basis. I am not here to punish anybody; we’re here to extend player’s careers rather than limit player’s careers. That is important for us to do as long as they recognize the standards by which we are going to hold them accountable and everybody in the NFL. I believe Michael understands that. I believe he deserves the opportunity to earn his way back onto the field – but he will have to earn it. It is up to him now, and we will support him the way we have outlined in my decision. I believe that I had the responsibility to make a decision as quickly as possible, one that was fair, and I hope this one is seen as fair – although I fully recognize that some people won’t agree with it.

About how many people played a role? Obviously this is your decision and your name is attached to it, but I know NFL security, probably owners and coaches, players past and present probably played some role in you formulating your final policy.

Well I believe very much in getting a variety of opinions to get a broad perspective. I reached out to a variety of leaders of our country, our society. I’ve talked to a number of current and former players, I’ve talked to a number of current and former coaches, I’ve talked to former and current executives – but I am very cautious about competitive issues here. I would not involve someone that would be involved potentially in Michael’s interest as a football player. I was interested in Michael as an individual and what we could do to help reestablish his life and get him involved in a positive way regardless of if he played football. I do believe very much in getting perspectives, and I believe that has served me very well in making decisions. As you pointed out, ultimately, at the end of the day, I had to go into a room and make a decision. I reached out to a number of people, including DeMaurice Smith (head of the NFL Players Union), former players, and coaches and I believe I had all the perspectives I needed to make this decision.

Did you talk with any of the sponsors of the NFL, any companies and what their reaction would be? Was there anything you would bounce off of them?

I didn’t – I can’t specifically recall contacting people in that context. From time to time I may have spoken to a CEO about how to make decisions like this and what are the important factors even though the circumstances, I presume, would be wildly different. But I never thought about it in the context of the commercial success of the NFL. That’s never been a factor for me from day one. The intent here was to do the right thing with a young man’s life and for the game of football and the NFL, and that’s what I tried to do.

Michael Vick - The "Anti-Vick" team list

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com



After much discussion, polling, and commenting, Michael Vick's back in the NFL. As I mention in my video created two day ago, he has to wait six games (which I called a suspension but as it turns out, it's not). Rather than blast another post about Vick's return, I took a look at the results of my poll (still a small majority favored Vick's return to the NFL this season, including me), and waited for more information. During that time, several NFL teams openly expressed their lack of desire to have the double-threat quarterback join them, but it took my friend Mike Florio of ProFootballtalk.com (the "TMZ.com" of the NFL) to make an "anti-Vick" team list. He updates the list periodically; here's what it looks like as of this writing, and Mike has notes explaining if the teams made their views known before or after Vick was invited back to the NFL by Commissioner Roger Goodell:

Atlanta Falcons
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Pre-reinstatement)
Detroit Lions (Pre-reinstatement)
New York Jets (Pre-reinstatement and last week)
New York Giants (Recently)
San Francisco 49ers (Pre-reinstatement and post-reinstatement)
St. Louis Rams (Pre-reinstatement, and possibly post-reinstatement)
Dallas Cowboys (Pre-reinstatement and recently)
Washington Redskins (Pre-reinstatement and recently)
Houston Texans (Pre-reinstatement)
Indianapolis Colts (Pre-reinstatement)
Seattle Seahawks (Pre-reinstatement)
Buffalo Bills (Post-reinstatement)
Cincinnati Bengals (Post-reinstatement)
Miami Dolphins (Post-reinstatement)
Kansas City Chiefs (Pre-reinstatement and post-reinstatement)
Philadelphia Eagles (Post-reinstatement)

Here are the teams that to my knowledge have not made a statement (if you have new information, please let me know:


Oakland Raiders
Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans
Chicago Bears
Minnesota Vikings (Didn't say "no," but did not say "yes either)
St. Louis Rams

No statement from the Raiders

Now before you scream "The Raiders have said they will pass on Vick", no they didn't say that, a San Francisco Examiner columnist speculated they would do that, and it showed up in Google News. Offically, the Silver and Black have said nothing. Moreover, it's in the Raiders history to give a player like Vick a chance and if he's still able to run as he did two years ago, could give a defense fits in a kind of "Wildcat" formation with running backs Michael Bush and Darren McFadden.

Coach Tony Dungy is Vick's NFL-appointed mentor

Tony Dungy, the legendary Super Bowl-winning former coach of the Indianapolis Colts, is Vick's NFL-appointed mentor. Commissioner Goodell himself asked Dungy to help in this role and he could not have made a better choice. Dungy has taken his time to counsel men in prison and many players and former players look to him for advice. Based on what Dungy wrote, Vick may not be in a hurry to play football In his blog, Dungy explained:

I believe it (allowing Vick to return to the NFL) was the right call and I am glad that Michael is going to get a chance to re-start his football career. But, more than that, I’m happy with the position Michael has taken. I’ve met with him twice and spoken with him on the phone a few other times and I believe he is really focused on putting his life back together. Sure, he would love to play football in the NFL again, but I think he has other priorities. He has missed his family and looks to get those relationships going again, especially with his three children. I think he realizes not only how important they are to him, but also how important he is to their development. He has missed 18 months of that development and he wants his whole family together again.

With that, look for Vick to keep a low public profile and catch up with his family. Football's there but what we all forget is he's been away from society for two long years. He's got a lot of catching up to do. Heck, he's not even on Twitter!

Erin Andrews peephole tape draws Bill O'Reilly, Michelle Beisner

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com

The search trend that will not die, "Erin Andrews peephole tape" just drew in its latest mainstream media victim of the drug of titillation, Bill O'Reilly, then for good measure, Jason Witlock of the Kansas City Star unwittingly throws Michelle Beisner into the mix.

Now, Michelle Beisner's the top search on Google Trends because of the Erin Andrews peep show video scandal, Witlock digging up that story, and the male desire to see her, too, (90 percent of my 34,000 video viewers - as of this writing - on this matter are men) and Bill O'Reilly has the nerve to bring two more blondes on his show to talk about a blonde, Erin Andrews, who's privacy was violated, and show the offending video mainly because CBS decided to do it first within the mainstream media camp! Oh brother.

Plus, what we have is a great case of racial profiling.

My video on this matter (which has one very cool photo of Erin Andrews just being the normal person she is and using an Apple MacBook) of the CBS action stands:



And regarding, Bill O'Reilly, I will add more. First, I did not embed the video of Bill's show for obvious reasons, but for those who feel I should at least reference it, here it is - LINK - within a great blog post by Will Brinson at FanHouse, who takes the popular conservative hothead to task for his segment. Second, I'll go a few steps beyond where he went.

What Bill O'Reilly does is add sauce to the "Erin goose" by inviting Fox News.com correspondent Courtney Friel and Fox News assignment editor and blogger Jane Skinner on, both blonde and famous for errors of a titillating nature. In Skinner's case, she's known for mistakenly saying "top cock" rather than "top cop" twice in a Fox News broadcast, leading to a yet another viral video on YouTube. Friel's claim to fame is posing in a bikini for the soft-porn magazine Maxim. Gawker discovered the photos after Friel removed them from her website.  Then, Gawker's Ryan Tate (who's now the editor of Valleywag) wrote a new post about her pictures, calling her a "bonehead" in the process.

Bonehead? Bonehead? That is racial profiling, folks, piling on the classic "dumb blonde" image, but more on that later; O'Reilly uses titillation to talk about, well, titillation.  What was done shows the primal genius of Fox News and explains why their ratings are so high.  Bill's 100 percent correct that what was done to Erin - and I stand corrected that it was in a hotel room and not an athletic club as I reported - is cyberstalking.

But given that the audience for this news is male, Bill should have had Fox News male anchors on his show talking about the matter, and not Jane Skinner and Courtney Friel.  Why?  Because first, it would send a message that men in media have a level of respect for their female collegues, second, the obvious question given the backgrounds of Frier and Skinner is "Have you been cyberstalked?" but Bill didn't even go in that direction and thus had the wrong guests on.  He focused squarely on the view that a crime was committed - and he's right - and that's it.  But in fashioning the segment O'Reilly caused a "snails tail" relationship: we talk about the blonde with blondes who have the same level of Internet popularity as the blonde, just like Michelle Beisner. 

Who?

Michelle Beisner's described by Witlock as "former Denver Broncos cheerleader and aspiring D-list Hollywood actress-type. Blonde. White Woman" (but forgot to note, or perhaps didn't care to discover, or didn't see it as important that Beisner's an NFL Network correspondent) who's innocent reply to a text sent by ESPN's star anchor Stuart Scott (who's black) was picked up by an over-the-shoulder peering Al Daulerio - a sports blogger and editor with Gawker media product Deadspin - at a Super Bowl party, then was repeated by Daulerio in Deadspin.

The result was to imply that Scott and Beisner were having an affair as opposed to what commonly happens in the days leading up to a Super Bowl (I've been to seven of 'em): the late night search for a way to get into the next party and go all night long.  I'd bet even money that's what the text was about; Beisner may have contacted her friend, the well-connected Scott, who's married, regarding help getting into another party.

Deadspin has never appologized for the blog post.

While Witlock is correct in bring up how Deadspin poorly handled that story as well as  how Deadspin started reporting on the Andrews video, Witlock's depiction of Andrews and Beisner (Andrews as "Barbie" and Beisner as "D-list...Blonde. White Woman" rather than NFL Network correspondent) is tasteless and smacks of the same racial profiling we complain about as African Americans. (And I will follow up later, on regarding what happened to Professor Henry Louis "Skip" Gates at the hands of the Cambridge Police.)

No one wants to be placed in a box where they're expected to be a certain way because of their race and sex.  Just because someone's white and blonde doesn't mean they don't know anything; in my experience, perhaps as a reaction to society, it's the reverse.  I had a long tearful talk a while back with a friend of mine who's in San Francisco real estate (and blonde, and tall, and attractive, and smart) about this because she'd had it with people at the time and went on a drinking binge.  (She's fine now.)

It doens't matter if the person's white and blonde, or black and male, we as a World industrial society must stop placing them in a box assuming that they're dumb or dangerous.  Bill O'Reilly did this, Jason Witlock really did it, the Cambridge police "acted stupidly" (to quote President Obama), and Erin Andrews and Professor Gates have been the victims of it.

Enough, already.

What should Michael Vick do? A poll

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube



On YouTube.com

On Monday July 20th, Michael Vick becomes a free man, released entirely from Federal custody after being found guilty of harming dogs as part of a dog fighting business, the former Atlanta Falcons star has his life ahead of him after two years in jail. But what should he do, or more to the point, what should Vick be allowed to do? With the idea of getting an answer to that question, I created this poll:

More on pollsb.com

As you can see, it has five choices one can make. Play in the NFL? Play in the new UFL football league after a one-year suspension? Not be allowed to play football at all? Play in the NFL after a one-year suspension? Be a special councelor to NFL rookie players?

I voted for the first choice: play in the NFL. Look, he's done his time and seems to have learned the error of his ways. But there's a weird double standard at play here that just bugs me. PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal, has called Vick all kinds of names regarding this matter, even saying that Vick's brain may be tuned to violence, or words to that effect, and asking for a brain scan.

Wild.

But what really bugs me about PETA is that they would, ok, dog Vick, and even get after President Obama for swatting a fly, but PETA turns a blind-eye to the dog racing activities of the Rooney Family, which owns the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dog racing has the same kill-to-weed-out-the-weak process that dog fighting is known for and PETA knows it. But did they say anything about the Rooneys when the Steelers ownership was up for review by the NFL, thus turning a public spotlight on them?

No.

I tried to get a statement from PETA's PR rep on this, and she just sent me the statement they issued about Vick! I have that already! So with that I lost a lot of respect for PETA and chose the "play in the NFL" option. It seems that if one's black and high profile, PETA has no problem aiming its PR machine at you, but if you're white, as is the case for the Rooney Family, you get a pass from PETA. PETA has issued no statement regarding the Rooney Family's involvement in dog racing.

Vick as mentor

But of all the choices, I also like the last one listed in my poll: be a special counselor to NFL rookie players. Vick can be really valuable here as an example of how one can go from rags to riches to rags and yet have a fighting chance to regain his life and to not repeat his mistakes.

Poll can't be gamed

So try my poll. One can't "game" it to get a particular answer outcome. Sorry. If you click on the link "view full results" it asks for your name and photo only once, so it weeds out the double count in the final result.

Terrell Owens to consider acting after football

According to Mike Florio at Profootballtalk.com, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens has gotten the acting bug after his stint in a Flavor Flav sitcom. I think it's a good idea for him to have his second career planned out as that's perfect because he will not lose the love from the crowd he enjoys.