Clay Matthews linked to painkiller

[Poppa San]

Fire Capers.

I assume you realize I was being sarcastic, pointing out the bad analysis in that piece.

Just because somebody is paid to write stuff doesn't mean it's worth reading.

Yep. Writers now get paid to draw readers not report the story.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Well, I guess that depends what you mean by extended period and what you mean by getting by. I threw out just a hypothetical 8 game, half season suspension earlier. That includes home games against Detroit, the Giants, Cowboys, Bears, and Colts. Road games at Jacksonville, Minnesota, and Atlanta. Do I think it's realistic that they could squeak out a 5-3 record over that stretch, or at worst 4-4 and still in the hunt? Yes.

Now if they were out the whole season, I think a playoff berth becomes questionable and an early playoff exit becomes likely.

Obviously if we were looking at 4 games I'd be pretty optimistic about it. I might even go as far to say they might be fresher late in the season for it (not arguing that a suspension would be a good thing, just pointing it out.)

The outside linebacker position is pivotal to the success of a 3-4 defense. With Matthews and Peppers being suspended the Packers would be left with one proven player at the position in Nick Perry, who has unfortunately had troubles staying healthy.

Don't get me wrong, as long as the Packers offense returns to an elite level the team is more than capable of winning without them but there's no doubt the chances significantly improve with both in the lineup.

Further, "Whenever the league office becomes aware of a possible violation of the Personal Conduct Policy, it will undertake an investigation...."

I understand the league has to undertake an investigation if they are provided evidence of players using, possessing or distributing performance enhancing drugs.

An intern of a clinic being caught on hidden camera talking about it shouldn't be sufficient to justify one though.

 

[Half Empty]

Oh, no, the writer cited several cases of the team performing well without Matthews. And Peppers is being paid to sit on the bench behind Perry, as he would have you believe, and is of little consequence. So just get rid of them altogether, if that's the case, and use the savings to sign players that actually matter.

Guess it just shows that people can read the same thing and come away with different conclusions.

 

[HardRightEdge]

I understand the league has to undertake an investigation if they are provided evidence of players using, possessing or distributing performance enhancing drugs.

An intern of a clinic being caught on hidden camera talking about it shouldn't be sufficient to justify one though.

That's a different issue than whether discipline should be limited to the PED policy, which it clearly is not.

As for the justification in pursuing this issue, the league office becoming "aware of a possible violation" is the criteria, as I previously quoted.

Initiating an investigation is a judgement call. If I claimed in a post that Matthews used Percocet or an
anti-inflammatory, that's not to be taken seriously. If you view the Al Jazeerah documentary, you might understand why the NFL would take an interest:

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In particular, Packer involvement is covered in a couple of segments, one starting around the 24:30 mark and another around the 37:00 mark. Sly and Robertson both implicate Packer players.

Sly retracted his comments only after he discovered he was taped clandestinely, and averred that, "The statements on any recordings or communications that Al Jazeera plans to air are absolutely false and incorrect," without having actually viewed the 20 hours of Sly tape Al Jazeera claims to have.

It's worth noting that Neal is alleged to be the gateway player into the Packer locker room, with as many as 10 Packer players involved, which has not typically been mentioned in the various blog sources which touch on only the players mentioned by name. The fact that Neal has lawyered up and so far refused to be interviewed should be of some concern.

After viewing this piece, if the NFL initiated no investigation, however cursory, it would appear to be a whitewash. And any investigation, however cursory, would involve at least an interview with the persons of interest. And we certainly don't know what that investigation turned up in the six months between the NFL stating they would in fact investigate and the reports that the players in question were called in for interviews.

I see little reason to believe that the NFL is not completely within the bounds of "Personal Conduct Policy."

Is there anything to these allegations? Who knows. The guys on tape may have been throwing names out to impress a potential client. However, using Mike Neal, a guy that nobody has ever heard of, seems a bit peculiar had it been a fabrication. Regardless, not following up with some kind of investigation would strike me as irresponsible after viewing this documentary.

Of course, uncategorical denials may or may not be valid. There is no way for us to judge.

 

[HardRightEdge]

...the Packers would be left with one proven player at the position in Nick Perry...

That's debatable. "Proven" strikes me as a stretch. "Promising" is more like it, and that's been the case for 4 seasons.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

That's debatable. "Proven" strikes me as a stretch. "Promising" is more like it, and that's been the case for 4 seasons.

Well, in my opinion Perry has proven to be capable of being an impact player at the position as long as he's healthy.

In addition out of the group of Perry, Datone, Elliott, McCray and Fackrell he's the only one that has at least played 300 NFL snaps at the position.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Well, in my opinion Perry has proven to be capable of being an impact player at the position as long as he's healthy.

"Capable" is not "proven". If he were proven he would have gotten more than a 1 year deal. Nobody is 100% healthy once the season is underway. The test is whether and how a guy can play over the course of at least one season with a sufficient number of snaps.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

"Capable" is not "proven". If he were proven he would have gotten more than a 1 year deal. Nobody is 100% healthy once the season is underway. The test is whether and how a guy can play over the course of at least one season with a sufficient number of snaps.

The knock on Perry so far has been his ability to stay healthy. While he hasn't racked up huge numbers in the regular season so far having six sacks in five playoff games is pretty impressive.

 

[PikeBadger]

The knock on Perry so far has been his ability to stay healthy. While he hasn't racked up huge numbers in the regular season so far having six sacks in five playoff games is pretty impressive.

Agree, there are times when he overwhelms even good offensive tackles with his sudden burst of strength.

 

[sschind]

One man's opinion, but http://packersnotes.com/2016/08/packers-would-be-ok-without-clay/

It's not Bob McGinn is it?

 

[Half Empty]

It's not Bob McGinn is it?

Packers Would Be OK Without Clay
Written by Michael Rodney, Aug 17, 2016, 9 Comments

 

[TeamTundra]

MLB has cleared players implicated in the Al Jazeera investigation.


http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/...an-cleared-by-mlb-in-ped-investigation-081916

 

[PackerDNA]

I don't know why anyone would pay attention to Al-Jazeera.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

MLB has cleared players implicated in the Al Jazeera investigation.


http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/...an-cleared-by-mlb-in-ped-investigation-081916

With three of the seven players named in the report already cleared you have to wonder about the substance of it.

Aside of Goodell and his team of investigators, of course.

 

[adambr2]

The fact that every single player associated with Al-Jazeera has been cleared who has talked makes you wonder if the NFL and MLB have absolutely nothing for evidence and are either

A) Hoping to coerce a confession out of someone

B) Conducting these investigations solely for the appearance of propriety.

I think B is a definite possibility. In fact, how quickly the NFLPA agreed to meet when the NFL threatened suspensions makes me wonder if the NFL secretly whispered to the Players Association, 'Hey, we got nothing. Just have them show up, shake your head no and nod your head yes, and it'll be over. You get cleared and come out clean and look good, and we look good that we threatened to suspend you and took a hard line stance against PEDs by inquiring further.'

 

[sschind]

Packers Would Be OK Without Clay
Written by Michael Rodney, Aug 17, 2016, 9 Comments

Thanks half. Shoulda put a smiley face there. I did trad the article.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

The fact that every single player associated with Al-Jazeera has been cleared who has talked makes you wonder if the NFL and MLB have absolutely nothing for evidence and are either

A) Hoping to coerce a confession out of someone

B) Conducting these investigations solely for the appearance of propriety.

If both leagues don't have any evidence at all for the players mentioned in the report using PEDs, as it seems right now, they should have stopped the investigation months ago for the appearance of propriety.

 

[sschind]

The fact that every single player associated with Al-Jazeera has been cleared who has talked makes you wonder if the NFL and MLB have absolutely nothing for evidence and are either

A) Hoping to coerce a confession out of someone

B) Conducting these investigations solely for the appearance of propriety.

I'm guessing B. I can't imagine the NFL wanting two of their stars to be found guilty of this. That doesn't paint the league in a good light either. Sure, IF they are guilty and they are suspended its a shot in the arm for the league for "caring" but if they investigate and clear them its an even bigger one.

 

[adambr2]

If both leagues don't have any evidence at all for the players mentioned in the report using PEDs, as it seems right now, they should have stopped the investigation months ago for the appearance of propriety.

I get what you are saying, but once it's out there, they may be concerned with the public perception if they don't at least go through 'due process', get them in the office and ask the questions so they can at least say they investigated .

If they just shrug it off and say, 'He recanted, not worried about it,' some are going to take that as the NFL not really caring about PED use.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I get what you are saying, but once it's out there, they may be concerned with the public perception if they don't at least go through 'due process', get them in the office and ask the questions so they can at least say they investigated .

If they just shrug it off and say, 'He recanted, not worried about it,' some are going to take that as the NFL not really caring about PED use.

I'm fine with the league investigating the report but if they aren't able to come up with any evidence there's no reason to drag it on for months.

 

[adambr2]

I'm fine with the league investigating the report but if they aren't able to come up with any evidence there's no reason to drag it on for months.

Hopefully all 3 are quickly cleared and that is the end of it.

 

[JK64]

That's because the CBA doesn't include a policy about air pressure, so Goodell had the chance to suspend Brady based on conduct detrimental to the league.

Use of performance enhancing drugs should be regulated solely by the CBA's PED policy though.

The NFL does have an equipment violation policy, which tampering with the psi is.

 

[HardRightEdge]

With three of the seven players named in the report already cleared you have to wonder about the substance of it.

Aside of Goodell and his team of investigators, of course.

MLB completed thier investigation. The NFL has not yet completed theirs, perhaps because the players stonewalled. Perhaps now it will be completed and matters will be clarified.

 

[HardRightEdge]

I'm fine with the league investigating the report but if they aren't able to come up with any evidence there's no reason to drag it on for months.

If the players had submitted to their interviews in short order, perhaps this would not have dragged for the last 2 months.

 

[HardRightEdge]

I get what you are saying, but once it's out there, they may be concerned with the public perception if they don't at least go through 'due process', get them in the office and ask the questions so they can at least say they investigated.

Whether MLB or the NFL, they could care less if their players use PEDs. What they care about is the appearance that their games are populated by drug cheaters. They wouldn't care if they thought nobody would find out. There is a long history to illustrate that mode of behavior.

Now, whether they are going through the motions or their investigation found some corroborating evidence, I suspect we'll find out soon enough. If Neal happens to be in trouble, nobody here would care, right?