Quote: 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.

 

Hey, don't blame me, I didn't draft the policy!  There are significant differences between the mechanics of an NFL suspension and a criminal conviction, the standard of proof being one.  The language of the Substance Abuse Policy is somewhat ambiguous in spots and was revised during his suspension.  In the end, the commissioner has a huge amount of discretion in making a decision on reinstatement.

 

Why do you assume there is a confidentiality issue on any and all information?  Is this something you know to be a fact or merely your personal speculation?  

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