Dallas Cowboy running back Ezekiel Elliot was in New York yesterday to appeal his six game suspension for, according to the NFL, violating the league's personal conduct policy. Elliot's former girlfriend says he assaulted her. Elliott claims its a lie to extort money from him. He has never been charged with a crime in the case. I don't know all the details of this case and Elliot may be a scummy woman beater who is going to get away with it in the legal system. But I'm more interested at this point in the questions it raises about the power that Roger Goodell commands in the punishment of players. Should the man who wields the punishment power, also be the guy hearing the appeals? Should a player be suspended before his case plays out in court or even before any charges are filed? I understand that the NFL is a private organization and they can make workplace rules but it seems to me that these rules and procedures are heavy-handed and leave the player accused with little recourse. For a league that would black ball Colin Kaperneick for, in their minds being unpatriotic, the “guilty, before proven innocent” act is pretty un-American itself.
Speaking of our legal system….and your belief that the scales of justice are blind in this country and everybody gets the same shake…Paul R. Allen of Oakton Va, the CEO of what had been one of the biggest privately held mortage funds in the country, was sentenced yesterday to 40 months in prison for his role in a 3 billion dollar scheme which officials called one of the biggest corporate frauds in US history…Meanwhile a homeless man in Louisiana stole a hundred dollar bill from a bank to buy food. He felt remorse the next day and turned himself in…The judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison.
Former Badger and current Houston Texan JJ Watt just wanted to raise a little money for Hurricane Harvey relief on social media. His initial goal was $500,000. As of last night his effort had raised $4.8 million dollars with no end in sight. You can go to YouCaring.com if you want to give.
A nice moment on this date in 1990…Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr became the first father & son to play together on the same team in MLB with the Seattle Mariners…both singled in the first inning.
The Murdochs have pulled the Fox News Channel off the air in Great Britian because it's not attracting an audience. It averages only a few thousand viewers a day with its concentration on American news and right wing opinion.
Elections have consequences…I've spoken many times over what I believe is a tone deafness on the part of Trump when it comes to almost any topic. It seems that every day there is another example of it. His remarks in Texas yesterday prove again that the narcissist in the Oval Office can;t help but make every situation about him…..Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has put Trump's directive banning transgender people from joining the military on hold while the order is under review. Mattis released a statement on Tuesday saying the current policy on transgender troops will remain in place while a panel of experts from the Department of Defense and Homeland Security review Trumps order. It's gonna take the more level headed members of this administration to rein in Trumps impulsive and dangerous behavior. Here's hoping they can accomplish it…..Republican legislators in Texas passed a law protecting the big insurance companies, making it harder to recover insurance claims. They now are telling people affected by Harvey to file their claims before the law takes effect. Its like everything that Republicans want and do is about their campaign contributors and not about you and me. It truly is amazing.
Songs Of The Day…Its Bonnie Raitt week as I'm seeing her Saturday night at Big Top Chatauqua in Bayfield.
