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This is not the Pimp you want won the Throwdown.

Larry B

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This is not the Pimp you want

Throwndowns: 13
Record: 6 - 7 - 0
Boston, MA
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18
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Throwndowns: 1073
Record: 796 - 230 - 47
Princeton , LA
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17
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It is the National FOOTBALL - not FELON - League. There should be a prohibition against convicted felons playing, coaching, or umpiring in the NFL.


The reputation, and integrity of the NFL as a legitimate professional sports industry can be undermined by two root evils: (1) gambling activities by its players, coaches, and referees; and (2) immoral and unlawful behavior by its players, coaches, and referees - behavior so distasteful that it repulses even the most loyal fan, or it is illegal and results in a felony conviction. It is time for the NFL to draw a line in the sand and develop objective standards for disciplinary penalties; suspensions; and lifetime expulsions from the game. I believe felony convictions fall in the expulsion category The felony rule is easy to implement. Many industries have an absolute prohibition on hiring convicted felons. It is time for the NFL to raise its bar and adopt this policy. It is objective; it is not overly harsh; and it is administered outside the league. If a person's behavior and actions are so bad that they violate community standards, and an arrest and a felony conviction result, that person has forfeited the right to play on Sundays.


2 major problems with this.

The NFL players are a union and they would have to agree to this change, not going to happen because who knows where Rogers power will be curtailed and the rank and file feel that with the Vick and Pacman situation has limited what the commish can do with off-feild issues.

Two, and this is the biggie.

The NFL is not sport at it's core.

It's entertainment. Thats right boys and girls Jason Whitlock was right, the NFL is no different than the WWE, Hollywood and Six Flags. They are all after your entertainment ducats.

and If you will pay 75 bucks a ticket to see Vick or Pacman or Lewis run around on that big green feild- some owner is gonna stroke a check to him to run on that feild.

Vick is not playing this year because the NFL is strong enough and secure enough that they don;t need him. But if this was the international widgit league and thier biggest star got busted- and half the season ticket sales got cancelled- you bet the commish would find a way to get him on the feild.


I think a league of felons is not where the NFL or its fans and sponsors want to go ----if the problem expands (the All Felon All Star Team), then watch for major sponsors and networks to pull away - and there goes the bucks. And don't think for a minute that fans with decency won't start to put that sort of pressure on everyone. To siggest that a felony is too high a bar for NFL players to stay under is ludicrous, and if the NFL owners decide to clean up their act - the Union will have to agree.


MLB has proven that if the players don;t want something- they dont have to take it- steriods anyone?

The NFL has the advantage of the players union knowing what is better for the sport long-term.

But there is a line.

and a blanket statement that all felons are now no longer going to a have a job as soon as a jury comes back with a guilty verdict is going to cross that line.

I know if I was a rank and file player and that rule came up- and I have very little chance of being hit with anything over a driving violation- I'm voting no and fighting it tooth and nail. . .

Just in case.


The no felon rule will be implenented and the union cannot do a damn thing about it ---- The players contract has a clause in it now and it gives the NFL the right to set an objective standard. I think any felon playing professional sports is insidious and shameful Hard to believe the country has subk to this new level


Have you seen a Tyson fight lately?

Been to a Baltimore Game?

What are the differences between these two men? One was conviced by 12 people and the vast majority think he was unfairly judged by rep. the other is thought to be guilty by association at the very least but was not convicted in any court of law.

The diffence in entertainment?

NADA

Both men are still able to make millions on any given sunday and chances are that most people reading this site have put money in one of thier pockets, if not both of them.

The justice system is for the most part flawed and a discussion there would take longer than we have here. My opposion to your points still remain this.

The Union will never allow a blanket lifetime ban- they may/will allow a lifetime ban on a case by case basis but a blanket ban is another thing all together.


When there is money to be made- there is no forever- Mike may fight OJ on PPV if they will both make enough money at it.

Comments (32)

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no larry, no

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I would take Vick on my team, Yeah it was bad, but time heals....

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I think these players should disappear and go to the CFL

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Why would someone that has served his time and completed his punishment still be considered a felon?

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The sentiment is good but the practicality is not. While I agree that players involved in gambling should be banned as they threaten the integrity of the game itself and players convicted of "violent or agregious" felonies should be suspended or banned, to simply ban anyone with a felony is over the top. Aggravated assault, drug possession, drinking and driving, fraud and many such offenses might mandate a suspension but expulsion is above and beyond a reasonable punishment.
I think the new commissioner has this under control and has thus far done an outstanding job protecting the integrity of the sport and handing out fair and just punishment. The problem with creating hard and fast rules is that they can come back to bite you. Take for instance the NBA's rule about leaving the bench during an on court fight. Remember the playoffs last year? Amare Soudemire took a few steps toward a fallen teammate, was turned back quickly yet was suspended for the next game. This destroyed what "was" the best series of the whole NBA playoffs. If being convicted of a "felony" automatically results in expulsion, there are going to be situations where the league loses and the punishment does not fit the crime.

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John,
Once you have been convicted of a felony, you are legally a felon. There is no statute of limitations in the matter. As long as a felony is on your record you are a felon. The only way to lose that moniker is to recieve a pardon, which you may be granted even after you have served your time.

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Problem is the NFL Players union sucks in comparison to the MLB Union. The MLB union is one of the strongest unions in the world, that is why what the players want the players get.

If Goodell wants anything, the NFL Players Union doesn't have a chance of fighting anything. Their union is too weak to fight anything.

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But once you've served your punishment, you're a free man without restriction. To ban him from employment means that you extend his punishment beyond anything the law requires, which is just wrong in many different ways. There's no chance a ban on felons who have done their time and completed their punishment would stand up in court.

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If I had a chance to take Vick and havehim play on my team, I would do it in a heartbeat. No matter what he did, those are off-field issues and if they aren't in jail, the players should be able to play.

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Exactly. First the Bears cut somebody that wasn't drunk, and now Larry wants them to be banned for the league after they've served their punishment. And if you smoke marijuana, well you're career is over. That's why they call it the No Fun League.

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Let the Convicts play in - The CFL and change it to Convict Football League

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You are not a free man without restrictions once you serve your sentence. There are a ton of things you can no longer do including particular jobs. You can not get any job that requires any decent level of a security clearance or any amount personal trust. You can not vote. If someone is in the financial industry for instance and is convicted of a felony and completes his sentence he will not be returning to his former profession. The same goes for teachers, military, etc.

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Coach, there are only a few states that don't allow you to ever vote after being convicted of a felony. Most allow voting after parole/probation ends. One state (Vermont, I think) allows all to vote. Even those currently serving sentences.

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If Professional football players cannot avoid felony convictions, then we have sunk to new lows in entertainment and professional sports. C-mon guys and girls, we are not talking about DUI, or doing pot, or beating your wife, or a bunch of speedng tickets, or disorderly conduct - we are talking hard core criminal felony activity. If the Union has a problem with that behavior measurement, then I say I hope the sponsors pull the plug on the NFL and let it rot....And once you are a convicted felon, you are a felon for life ----the players need to clean up their act -- before Congress does so.....

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MOH Coach is 101% correct --- once you get the felon tag, it is with you for life and you are precluded from many jobs --- including many many jobs where unions provide the bulk of the workforce

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This doesn't give anyone a chance to change if what your soloution is to take away the only thing that a lot of these players love. When you take that away it may even drive them to harder crime because they already have nothing. there would be so many players kicked out of the NFL or not allowed in that the league would have to fold for the lack of a tallent pool.

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i agree with gruden. if someone does there time, and pays the sentence that society deemed necessary, why should their opportunities be taken away for the rest of their careers?

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one other thing-

what if my crime is overseas? What if I do something on vacation in Thailand- get convicted and then get released? Does that count? They just had a CONVICTED MURDERER in FRANCE get 3 YEARS because of a bleeding heart judge.

Vick might get that LONG!

Can this guy play in your league? He's gonna be 25 when he gets out- Vick is older than that.

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Larry B gets my vote for the simple reason he can spell !

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Crimes commonly considered to be felonies include, but are not limited to: aggravated assault and/or battery, arson, burglary, some instances of drug possession (dependent on the jurisdiction, often possession over a certain weight, based on the type of drug, is held to indicate intent to sell or distribute), embezzlement, grand theft, treason, espionage, racketeering, robbery, murder, rape, kidnapping, cannabis cultivation and fraud. A third offense for driving under the influence is also a felony in most states.
So I guess Maxwell Smart & 007 couldn't play in the NFL...
Larry, so are you saying that if Tom Brady stole a car when he was 13-14 and got caught, you would not want him to play despite his talent?

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