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K 



Joined: 09 Sep 2011


PostPosted: Sat Feb 16, 2019 12:50 pm
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Previously,...

'The presence of the civil rights leaders did not seem to win over supporters of the player, Colin Kaepernick...

Even before the game, many resolved not to watch, including the film director Ava DuVernay, who accused the N.F.L. of “racist treatment of @Kaepernick7” and lamented an “ongoing disregard for the health + well-being of players.”

And the presence of the civil rights leaders was met with confusion, and in some cases derision, by those who feel Kaepernick has been blackballed.
...


In the coming months, Kaepernick’s grievance accusing the league of colluding to keep him off a team will be ruled on by an arbitrator hearing the case.

Win or lose, the league could find itself on the defensive among fans it has been courting with its civil rights overtures.

If the league wins its case, supporters of Kaepernick may doubt the outcome — a string of lesser quarterbacks statistically have found teams. If the league loses, a conventional wisdom would be validated and the league would be in the embarrassing position of paying millions dollars to a player who has not suited up since 2016.'


https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/sports/football/super-bowl-colin-kaepernick.html


Update:

Colin Kaepernick and the N.F.L. Settle Collusion Case

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/sports/nfl-colin-kaepernick.html

'The league also settled a similar claim lodged by another player, Eric Reid, who knelt alongside Kaepernick and went unsigned for a period before playing last season for the Carolina Panthers. The statement by the N.F.L. said that “the parties have decided to resolve the pending grievances” and that “there will be no further comment” because the players and the league reached a confidentiality agreement.

The terms of the settlements were not disclosed. Kaepernick’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, issued a similar statement.
...

Last year the N.F.L. instituted a policy under which players could remain in the locker room during the playing of the national anthem, but if they were on the field, they would have to stand.

But that policy was suspended after the N.F.L. Players Association filed a grievance, and it was never enforced.
...

Legal experts have said collusion is notoriously difficult to prove, which makes it highly unusual for the league to settle these kinds of cases. It is possible Kaepernick’s lawyers had gathered enough persuasive evidence and testimony from owners, league officials and football experts that Kaepernick stood a reasonable chance of persuading the arbitrator hearing the case to rule in his favor.

Had Kaepernick won his case in a full hearing, he would have been eligible to receive the money he might have earned if he were signed as a free agent. The damages would be doubled. Given Kaepernick’s stature in the league as a starting quarterback who had led his team to the Super Bowl, in 2013, a new multiyear contract could have been worth tens of millions of dollars.

Carl Tobias, who teaches at the University of Richmond School of Law, said that parties settle for all sorts of reasons, even when they believe they may prevail in court. But the N.F.L., he said, most likely wanted to move on from the issue.
...

According to the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the union, the burden is on the player to prove that owners actively conspired against him.

“That is often difficult to do because parties typically don’t leave a written record of their illegal maneuvering,” said William Gould, who was chairman of the National Labor Relations Board and oversaw the Major League Baseball strike in 1994.'
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K 



Joined: 09 Sep 2011


PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 10:05 pm
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In Colin Kaepernick Case, N.F.L. Makes a Familiar, Safe Call

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/16/sports/football/nfl-kaepernick-concussions-settlements.html

"The N.F.L. owners worried about a protracted legal fight. They fretted over potentially embarrassing disclosures. They were concerned about further alienating fans and sponsors. So they took the unusual step of reaching a settlement rather than continue to battle an adversary who was viewed in some circles as a victim of the league’s sharp elbows.

All of this happened nearly six years ago, when the league found it more expedient to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to retired players who contended the N.F.L. had concealed the dangers of repeated hits to the head. Among other things, the 2013 concussion settlement enabled the league to avoid the acute discomfort of battling in court with former players who had sustained neurological damage.

In many ways, the N.F.L. followed this same road map on Friday when it announced that it had reached another settlement, this time with the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his former teammate Eric Reid.
...

The N.F.L. has a reputation for using a scorched-earth legal strategy, and its decisions to settle in both cases have been viewed by some as admissions of guilt. In fact, the league did not acknowledge wrongdoing in the concussion settlement, and it is not clear what it may have admitted to in Friday’s settlement because of a confidentiality agreement between the two sides.
...

“There are broader issues than just money that the league considers,” said Matthew J. Mitten, the director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University. “They need to take into account social issues and public perception.”

The two cases, in some ways, are very different. One was a class-action lawsuit involving 20,000 retired players who sued in federal court, the other a grievance filed under the collective bargaining agreement. The league stood a chance of winning both cases, had it persisted, but each case generated years of negative publicity. So the league, which earns $14 billion a year, was in a position to spend money to make both cases go away.

Significantly, the two settlements provide the league with a measure of protection, Mitten said. The concussion settlement precludes players in the future from suing the league for concussion-related damages, and the settlement with Kaepernick and Reid avoided any adverse precedent being set.
...

“This has been a P.R. nightmare for the league, and in some sense, it’s remarkable that Kaepernick proved himself to be a larger public figure than the N.F.L. with his Nike deal,” said Michael LeRoy, who teaches sports law classes at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
...

“The N.F.L. has so many other issues around player health and well-being, they need to remove all the other static,” said Jodi Balsam, a professor at Brooklyn Law School who worked as a lawyer for the N.F.L.
...

Now the league has settled with Kaepernick and with Reid. Still, if the concussion case is any indicator, merely settling will not make the issues that Kaepernick raised simply go away. After all, nearly six years after the concussion settlement, the N.F.L. is still dogged by stories of former players in dire mental and physical health, and fears that football can cause brain damage have now reduced participation in youth football.

In the end, settlements, no matter what is at stake, can go only so far."
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K 



Joined: 09 Sep 2011


PostPosted: Sat Feb 23, 2019 1:36 pm
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Bad news for Patriots fans:

Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Charged in Florida Prostitution Investigation

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/sports/robert-kraft-jupiter-orchids-arrest.html

"A spokesman for Mr. Kraft and the Patriots released a statement, saying: “We categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity. Because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further.”

... the charges represent an embarrassing spectacle for a man who has become one of the most powerful owners in American sports. His Patriots have played in 10 Super Bowls since he bought the team, winning six times. He is a leading voice in the N.F.L.’s small fraternity of billionaire owners, a member of the committee that sets Commissioner Roger Goodell’s salary...

In addition, the legal problems may place Mr. Goodell in the uncomfortable position of having to mete out some kind of punishment for the personal conduct of a man who is essentially one of his bosses.

The N.F.L.’s constitution gives Mr. Goodell broad authority to hold players and owners accountable for conduct he deems detrimental to the league. Previous punishments have included fines and suspensions, which prohibit owners from being at their team facilities or attending games.
...

For years, Mr. Kraft has been considered a kind of first among equals in the ranks of the 32 N.F.L. owners. He has led the league’s powerful broadcast and finance committees and has often touted his status as a confidant to Mr. Goodell. Within owner and executive circles, he is known as “the assistant commissioner,” with no small hint of resentment.

Mr. Kraft had fashioned himself as a kind of ordinary Patriots fan who in the 1970s sat with his sons in the frigid bleachers of Section 217 of what was originally called Schaefer Stadium. He made his fortune in the paper and packaging business and purchased the land adjacent to the stadium complex in the 1980s, and eventually bought the stadium itself.

That positioned Mr. Kraft to buy the Patriots in 1994 after James Orthwein put the team up for sale."
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K 



Joined: 09 Sep 2011


PostPosted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:24 am
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Study of concussed footballer's brain yields surprising results

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/afl/study-of-concussed-footballer-s-brain-yields-surprising-results-20190314-p5148l.html

"The brain of an Australian rules footballer with a significant history of concussion has been “harvested” for the first time by pathologists in Sydney, but the analysis has shown no sign of the feared neurodegenerative condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
...

Associate professor Michael Buckland, who runs the Australian Sports Brain Bank at RPA Hospital in Sydney, says the brain was removed, weighed, photographed and fixed in formalin. Its sulci and gyri (valleys and hills) were examined for atrophy. He looked at blood vessels for bruises or trauma. The cerebellum was sliced through the coronal plane, four millimetres thick, 46 times. And 32 samples – each the size of a postage stamp – were stained to highlight the presence of the protein known as tau, abnormal deposits of which are found in cases of CTE. ...

“You know what you’re looking at, and it’s not CTE,” Buckland said. “But I think that’s an important message to get out, because there are a lot of guys in their 60s who had head knocks in the past, and they’re getting a bit forgetful, and people are afraid they’re all going to have CTE, and that’s just not the case.”
...

Anderson just hopes her father’s donation will further necessary CTE research. “The analysis may not support their hypothesis, but I hope that – over time, as more and more brains are available to be studied – they’ll be able to put together a better picture, and dad’s brain will be part of it. I think he would love that,” she says. “And he would certainly love being the first one. He was a very competitive man.” "


[I'm not surprised at all. He didn't have CTE; that doesn't mean he didn't have brain damage. He played Aussie Rules; he didn't play American football. They are not the same. Boxers don't get CTE either; they do get Parkinson's disease. We don't know exactly why there are these differences, but they are there. Some (perhaps most) of these medicos are completely ignorant about sport.]
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K 



Joined: 09 Sep 2011


PostPosted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 2:10 pm
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Robert Kraft Awaits Your Judgment

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/22/style/robert-kraft-tom-brady.html

' “It makes my skin crawl to see him being smeared this way,” said Drew Bledsoe, the former Patriots quarterback.

While Mr. Bledsoe and others who are sympathetic to Mr. Kraft say prosecutors are using the solicitation charges against him largely to publicize their broader investigation, it remains true that the sex trade often exploits women who have few or no means to escape it.

As his lawyers fight the case, Mr. Kraft has been described by friends as conflicted. He is angry about what he did and ashamed of the embarrassment he has caused, yet insistent that he did nothing illegal and is defiant enough to hire a very expensive legal team to battle charges that most people settle quickly.

Several people interviewed for this article say he continues, a month after the case became public, to break down in tears when discussing the situation.

Casual friends of Mr. Kraft think the public reaction is overblown.
...

But his fight against a relatively minor charge, using high-priced lawyers, is evidence of his sense of self-importance, possibly prolonging the media attention, according to at least one person familiar with that world.

“The problem with Kraft is the problem with famous people, which is you bring famous attorneys and think they will do a better job,” said Hugh Culverhouse Jr., a former prosecutor and lawyer in Florida and son of the former owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “It’s like going to a knife fight with the entire Seventh Army.” '
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K 



Joined: 09 Sep 2011


PostPosted: Mon Mar 25, 2019 10:17 am
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Gronkowski has announced his retirement.
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K 



Joined: 09 Sep 2011


PostPosted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 9:30 am
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Robert Kraft Waives Arraignment and Requests Jury Trial

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/sports/robert-kraft-arraignment-jury-trial.html

"... Mr. Kraft and many of the other men are unwilling to admit guilt because they believe the police mishandled aspects of the case.

They contend that a search warrant was improperly obtained to install secret cameras inside the massage parlor that the police say includes video of Mr. Kraft and the other men soliciting sex. The pretext for that warrant was predicated on the existence of human trafficking at that massage parlor, something the police have not yet proven."
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K 



Joined: 09 Sep 2011


PostPosted: Sat Apr 13, 2019 1:56 am
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Abnormal Levels of a Protein Linked to C.T.E. Found in N.F.L Players’ Brains, Study Shows

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/health/concussion-nfl-football-cte.html

"The authors of the study and outside experts stressed that such tau imaging is far from a diagnostic test for C.T.E., which is likely years away and could include other markers, from blood and spinal fluid.
...

The search for a test for C.T.E. in living patients has received intense scrutiny since the disease was first discovered in deceased professional football players 15 years ago.

The universe of professional players is relatively small — only about 2,000 active players and 20,000 retirees — and the Boston group’s work has been based on a sample of some of the worst cases. Many, perhaps most, pro football players do not develop disabling cognitive problems, and there are likely many other brain traumas that could potentially result in the C.T.E. tau signature."
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K 



Joined: 09 Sep 2011


PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 9:58 pm
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"The N.F.L. long ago settled on a tobacco-industry stance toward the damage done by concussions and sub-concussive hits; its officials have covered up, obfuscated, and only reluctantly conceded liability for the many hundreds of former players left with minds that fade in and out like old television sets. It is a $14 billion industry, and acting in its pecuniary interests is deplorable but perhaps not surprising.

The nation’s universities face a more ticklish problem known as morality.
These institutions were founded with the purpose of developing and educating young minds. It is difficult to square that mission with the fate of those like running back Rashaan Salaam, who ran so beautifully for the University of Colorado and then as a pro, and like Drew Wahlroos, a fearless, rampaging Colorado linebacker. Both men suffered emotional and cognitive problems that friends and family and even university officials related to thousands of hits taken over the course of their careers. Each killed himself.
...

“I hate to say this, but I taught players what I was taught,” he said.

And what was that technique?

“Put your helmet right in the guy’s jaw and drive up through his throat to his head,” he said. “I regret it, I really do.” "


https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/18/sports/colorado-football.html
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Pies4shaw Leo

pies4shaw


Joined: 08 Oct 2007


PostPosted: Sat May 11, 2019 2:30 pm
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Two of the Seahawks' greatest, Kam Chancellor and Doug Baldwin, have been released by the team, following their injuries.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001030405/article/seahawks-part-ways-with-doug-baldwin-chancellor
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K 



Joined: 09 Sep 2011


PostPosted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 11:16 am
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WaPo:

Tom Brady's new two-year Patriots deal will see him playing until 44

"The end of the Patriots' dynasty clearly is in sight, with Brady turning 42 on Saturday and coach Bill Belichick turning 67 earlier this year.

But even after so much speculation in recent years that tensions among Brady, Belichick and owner Robert Kraft would lead to an imminent break-up, the group remains intact for now as the Patriots chase yet more on-field glory.

The new deal increases Brady's 2019 income by about $US8 million, to $US23 million.

It adds two additional seasons at prospective salaries of, according to the league-owned NFL Network, $US30 million in 2020 and $US32 million in 2021.
...

This season, Brady must deal with the absence of tight end Rob Gronkowski, who announced his retirement in March.

There has been speculation that Gronkowski might return at some point. But if he doesn't, Brady will have to get by without the pass-catching tight end who has served as his security blanket."
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K 



Joined: 09 Sep 2011


PostPosted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 12:50 pm
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Video message from Colin Kaepernick:

https://twitter.com/Kaepernick7/status/1159148971106942981

"Denied work for 889 days."
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K 



Joined: 09 Sep 2011


PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2019 11:00 am
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Football May Take a Toll on the Brain, Even Without Concussions

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/14/well/move/football-may-take-a-toll-on-the-brain-even-without-concussions.html

"The brains of college football players showed signs of “fraying” after a season of play."


[I think it's been kind of obvious for a long time that subconcussion hits are the problem.]
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K 



Joined: 09 Sep 2011


PostPosted: Mon Aug 26, 2019 11:35 pm
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In Andrew Luck’s Retirement, Football’s Consequences Weigh Heavily

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/25/sports/football/andrew-luck-retirement-injuries.html

"Yet even as awareness of the physical toll of the sport rises, the sudden retirement just two weeks before the start of the season by the Colts’ quarterback Andrew Luck at age 29 still provided a jolt.

Luck, a former first overall draft pick and one of the league’s brightest stars over the last seven seasons, said Saturday he could no longer take the years of pain and rehabilitation from a host of cringe-worthy injuries: a lacerated kidney, injured ribs, at least one concussion, torn cartilage in his throwing shoulder and, most recently, a calf and ankle injury.
...

“There’s an immense amount of pressure for a No. 1 draft pick to be out there,” said Chris Borland, who shocked the football world when he retired from the San Francisco 49ers in 2015 after one standout season. “But you’re seeing more players prioritize their health over money.”

The minimum salary for rookies today is approaching $500,000. First-round draft picks receive signing bonuses worth millions of dollars more before they have taken a snap. (Luck’s first bonus was $14.5 million.) In years past, the third contract was pay dirt. Getting a second contract is now the goal, and Luck did. He signed a five-year contract worth up to $122 million in 2016. Even though he is leaving about half that money on the table, Luck has already been paid $97 million.
...

Some players — including Grimes during his career — have coped with the injuries and isolation by taking addictive painkillers that numb the pain but leave them with dangerous addictions. Other players grapple with the depression that comes from being in constant pain.

Then there is the ongoing issue of potential cognitive decline caused by repeated head hits. The N.F.L. has changed many rules of the game to reduce the number of dangerous plays, placed independent neurologists on the sidelines during games and strengthened its return-to-play protocols. Even so, many retired players struggle with memory loss, impulse control issues and in some cases, suicidal thoughts.

Most players have heard about former teammates with these and other struggles and some like Luck want to leave the game before it consumes them as well.
...

“I’ve come to the proverbial fork in the road,” he said Saturday, “and I made a vow to myself if I ever did again, I would choose me in a sense.” "
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K 



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PostPosted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 1:24 pm
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Antonio Brown Accused of Rape in a Lawsuit

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/10/sports/football/antonio-brown-sexual-asssault-patriots.html

"The lawsuit says that Brown — in three separate incidents, two in June 2017 and another in May 2018 — sexually assaulted a woman named Britney Taylor, a gymnast whom he met while they were attending Central Michigan together and whom he later hired as a trainer.

The lawsuit was filed one day after Brown, 31, became a Patriot following a series of conflicts that prompted the Oakland Raiders to release him last week."
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