Quote:A conviction is not exactly recognition of the original offense;  it is a finding of guilty, just as an acquittal is a finding of not guilty.

 

Double jeopardy is not punishing someone twice, it is bringing someone to trial twice.  An arrest and a trial are two related, but significantly different events.   An initial not-guilty plea will typically lengthen the time period of disposition, which is a risk the Defendant bears. Here's the language from the NFL's Policy and Prgram on Substances of Abuse, as agreed to by the NFLPA,  "Arrests and/or convictions for any criminal activity, including Substances of Abuse-related offenses."

 

Why do you believe the Director of Player Engagement would never make any information known?  Is there a league regulation prohibiting the release of any news? Obviously details of treatment, rehab, etc. are confidential, unless Justin approves their release.  Do you know of any restrictions on generic, non-specific information, i.e. "Spoke with Justin today.  He's working out and excited about rejoining the team."

 The NFL considers the violation to be the arrest. They don't wait for the trial to hand out suspensions and they don't extend punishment for conviction when they are already initiating full punishment for the arrest. The conviction does nothing more than justify the action they are already taking. It's just like in court, when you get arrested they consider the time served between arrest and conviction as part of the overall punishment. They don't restart the clock after the trial.

 

Have you ever heard of a Director of Player Engagement ever making information about a player known? There is obviously a confidentiality issue, otherwise we would be hearing from these guys all the time.

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