Saints coach Sean Payton “didn’t address fellow coaches about his role in the bounty scandal” when he appeared at the NFL annual meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., yesterday, but Saints GM Mickey Loomis “spoke on the issue during a meeting with his NFL peers,” according to Jim Corbett of USA TODAY. Chargers GM A.J. Smith said, “He wrapped it up in a bow. ‘It’s been addressed, moved on,’ statements like that.” He added, “It’s old news to us” (USA TODAY, 3/28). Payton yesterday said that he “still is seeking clarification about the terms of his suspension and about how much contact with players and other team officials he will be permitted to have.” A source at the meetings said that Payton “did not speak during the session, opting not to deliver an apology that some within the room seemed to expect” (WASHINGTON POST, 3/28). In N.Y., Judy Battista notes Payton “did not address a joint meeting of owners and coaches” yesterday but Loomis and Saints Owner Tom Benson did. Payton’s silence “rankled some of those in the meeting, who expected Payton to issue a mea culpa” (N.Y. TIMES, 3/28). SI.com’s Don Banks noted Payton “admitted he might entertain an offer to serve as an NFL analyst with FOX during his year away from the sideline” (SI.com, 3/27).
I VOTED: In DC, Mark Maske cited a source as saying that the Buccaneers were the sole team that “abstained” when NFL teams voted 29-0 yesterday to endorse the salary cap reductions imposed by the league on the Redskins and Cowboys. The two teams were not involved in the vote, which was "taken as a show of support for the league’s action” (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 3/27). ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano asked, “What's this mean? Not a lot.” Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder and Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones “stood up to express their dissatisfaction,” and they “decided to take a vote to establish a show of support in advance” of an arbitration hearing brought on by the two teams’ challenges to the punishment. But if 29 of the sport's other owners “all agree that the Redskins and Cowboys did something wrong, that's something they can use in their arguments in front of the arbitrator.” No date has been set for the hearing (ESPN.com, 3/27). CBSSPORTS.com’s Will Brinson wrote the Redskins and Cowboys “will still proceed with their arbitration-based legal recourse, but the NFL owners have spoken.” Brinson: “Or, at least, kind of spoken: 29-0 doesn't necessarily mean that every single NFL owner agrees with the punishment being imposed on the two teams.” However, it means that “any NFL owners who disagree do understand that there's not much to be gained by voting against the cap punishments” (CBSSPORTS.com, 3/27).
WELCOME BACK, JERRY: In Ft. Worth, Clarence Hill Jr. writes NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been “cast as the heavy of late with the stiff penalties” for the Saints, Cowboys and Redskins. But Goodell “knows how to sell his league, and to that end he is a little P.T. Barnum, Don King and Vince McMahon all rolled into one.” How else to explain Goodell's “ingenious decision to have the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants host the Dallas Cowboys in the 2012 season kickoff game Sept. 5 on a Wednesday night at MetLife Stadium?” The Cowboys have “chosen not to take the penalty lying down and are fighting back -- even if that means essentially suing their 30 other partners in the NFL and likely hurting their chances of bringing a second Super Bowl to the $1.2 billion Jerry World in Arlington any time soon.” Cowboys fans “should consider that good news, a sign that Jones is back to being his old rebellious self and fighting back.” The fans are “tired of the Cowboys playing the role of patsy and getting sand kicked in their face, and so is Jones” (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 3/28).
HIGH REMARKS: In West Palm Beach, Hal Habib writes under the header, “NFL Owners Give Thumbs-Up To Iron-Fisted Commissioner.” Habib writes Goodell has set a tone this week and it is, “No one is above the game. Never take our success for granted. Integrity for that shield will not be compromised.” The consensus among the NFL owners “is thumbs up for his 5 1/2-year reign.” His “high approval rating starts at the top,” where Patriots Owner Robert Kraft and Giants President & CEO John Mara independently said Goodell is an "outstanding" commissioner (PALM BEACH POST, 3/28). Falcons Owner Arthur Blank said that he "totally backed" Goodell's choices of punishments for the Saints. Blank: "Outside of our stadiums, the only things we really own are our reputation, our integrity, our shield and the relationship and trust we have with our fans and our sponsors. Anything that's done that violates that or hurts that, is something that has to be dealt with." Blank also remarked on the broader implications of Goodell's decision: "It will be one of the most significant decisions he'll ever make as the commissioner. I think he'll be the commissioner for the next 30 years and I think people will look back and say he sent a message to the teams, the players, the coaches, everybody in the NFL" (ESPN.com, 3/27).
LEGAL ISSUES: In DC, Nathan Fenno notes former NFLer Mark Rypien has "sued the NFL over 'repeated traumatic injuries to his head' sustained during his 11-season career." Rypien is the "lead plaintiff in a mass-tort lawsuit" filed Friday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Taking part in the lawsuit are 126 former NFLers. The lawsuit alleges that the NFL "was aware of the risks of repetitive traumatic brain injury but hid the information and misled players, resulting in permanent brain damage or neurological disorders" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 3/28). Meanwhile, in N.Y., Judy Battista reports U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) "called for a hearing by the House Judiciary Committee to look into the physical effects, costs of care and legal issues related to head injuries in professional and amateur sports" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/28).
