News: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, speaking Tuesday at a fundraiser before the Southpointe Chamber, said he doesn’t have a time frame regarding the appeal filed by Le’Veon Bell for the three-game suspension he was given this spring.
Views: Goodell likely wouldn’t be the one hearing the appeal — that’s reserved for quarterbacks, apparently — so the fact he isn’t aware of any kind of timetable isn’t surprising.
Or maybe he just isn’t admitting he knows anything.
Goodell’s office is engaged in the appeal of Tom Brady, and given the magnitude of the DeflateGate case within the media as well as the star power of the central figure, little has been said about Bell’s appeal.
Goodell saw his 10-game suspension of Greg Hardy reduced to four by an arbitrator. Bell’s suspension is much more clear-cut based on the player personal conduct policy, but considering Bell finished all requirements mandated by the court prior to their due dates, and his lack of any previous charges, there was some thought a reduction may be coming.
“I still have to do my time that they gave me, but if (the league) were to look into that and all the community service that I did and the classes that I had to take in eventually getting (the arrest) off my record, that should be something that maybe they consider and help me knock some time off,” Bell told ESPN in May.
The NFL has been on the losing end of multiple high-profile suspension lawsuits and hearings, including BountyGate, the scandal that accused multiple Saints players of participating in a program where players were paid to injure other players. With a battle between the league and Brady likely to commence – his suspension isn’t expected to be reduced, and Brady is expected to file a lawsuit to block the suspension – Goodell may want at least one of his higher-profile suspensions this offseason to stick.
Bell’s is the easiest to keep at its initial level. That may be all Goodell needs.
Roger Goodell speaks at a fundraiser Tuesday at Southpointe. -- SOUTHPOINTE CHAMBER
July 21, 2015
News/views: Goodell won’t hear Bell’s appeal
by Neal Coolong • News/views • Steelers
News: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, speaking Tuesday at a fundraiser before the Southpointe Chamber, said he doesn’t have a time frame regarding the appeal filed by Le’Veon Bell for the three-game suspension he was given this spring.
Views: Goodell likely wouldn’t be the one hearing the appeal — that’s reserved for quarterbacks, apparently — so the fact he isn’t aware of any kind of timetable isn’t surprising.
Or maybe he just isn’t admitting he knows anything.
Goodell’s office is engaged in the appeal of Tom Brady, and given the magnitude of the DeflateGate case within the media as well as the star power of the central figure, little has been said about Bell’s appeal.
Goodell saw his 10-game suspension of Greg Hardy reduced to four by an arbitrator. Bell’s suspension is much more clear-cut based on the player personal conduct policy, but considering Bell finished all requirements mandated by the court prior to their due dates, and his lack of any previous charges, there was some thought a reduction may be coming.
“I still have to do my time that they gave me, but if (the league) were to look into that and all the community service that I did and the classes that I had to take in eventually getting (the arrest) off my record, that should be something that maybe they consider and help me knock some time off,” Bell told ESPN in May.
The NFL has been on the losing end of multiple high-profile suspension lawsuits and hearings, including BountyGate, the scandal that accused multiple Saints players of participating in a program where players were paid to injure other players. With a battle between the league and Brady likely to commence – his suspension isn’t expected to be reduced, and Brady is expected to file a lawsuit to block the suspension – Goodell may want at least one of his higher-profile suspensions this offseason to stick.
Bell’s is the easiest to keep at its initial level. That may be all Goodell needs.