This Week in the NFL: Lessons Not Learned

by | Oct 21, 2016 | Uncategorized |

The NFL finds itself revisiting a closed case this week when a series of documents obtained and released by SportsNet New York revealed New York Giants kicker Josh Brown openly admitted to physically, verbally and emotionally abusing his then-wife during the initial May 2015 domestic violence investigation.

Brown served a one-game suspension earlier this season based on the NFL’s initial investigation, but as this evidence comes to light, he was left in New York as the team traveled across the pond for this Sunday’s London matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

I offered my initial reaction to the news in the Brandt’s Rants closing section of this week’s column on The MMQB, and continued the conversation through the evening and today on Twitter.

Back in 2015, I recapped the lessons learned from the Mueller Report’s investigation into the handling of the Ray Rice disciplinary process.

For reasons still unclear, the NFL let its guard down in this matter. While the report is now behind us and Rice is now reinstated (though he has yet to be signed to a team), the Ray Rice episode will linger as an investigation that belies the NFL’s usual meticulous attention to detail in so many areas.

— “The Mueller Report: No Smoking Gun, No Satisfying Resolution,” published January 8, 2015 on The MMQB

This week’s revelations and reactions make it clear that the 2014 saga certainly lingered and the league let its guard down once more.

Earlier in The MMQB column, I examined the NFL’s continued claim that player safety is their utmost priority. Cam Newton reopened the discussion about the League’s concussion protocol after he was left in the Panthers’ game against the Broncos, despite showing what many felt were clear signs of needing medical attention. After a six-week investigation, the NFLPA has concluded that even though Newton was on all fours, the NFL and NFLPA agreed (agreed!) that no further measures needed to be taken after he was visually assessed from the sidelines. I’m skeptical, to say the least.

On a related note, this week’s article takes a look at the concussion litigation brought by thousands of former players against the NFL back in 2011. The NFL ultimately was able to settle for $765 million without having to admit any liability, produce relevant documents or be disposed. Five years later the team owners are still feeling the repercussions of the settlement and are now in a battle with their insurance providers to see who’s going to be the one to pay up. Check out this week’s “The Business of Sports” podcast where Chris Seeger, who represented the former NFL players in 2011, joined me to give an inside look into the case.