NFL offseason thread

Six games? I think it’s an all or nothing deal. Six games means he did it - and “it” is sexually assault more than a dozen women. No way he plays this season, if ever, should society decide he did it.

 

It isn't clear to me with the reporting, but were these all licensed masseuses who DeShaun was hitting up on the 'gram?

 

In a completely rational world one shouldn’t have anything to do with the other. But after the first couple of accusations it seemed like the public at large was willing to laugh it off as a gold digging expedition. Then the Atlanta spa shootings happened and it feels like the benefit of the doubt for Watson evaporated.

 

A bakers' dozen and yet not one went to the cops?

 

With the way cops mishandle such accusations and the wringer women are put through when they go to the police?

 

Not that I want to seem like I'm excusing the behavior, but - From the sounds of the court filings and media accounts so far, it seems more like he was asking for happy endings and getting handsy, as opposed to this being a Bill Cosby (drug and rape) or Harvey Weinstein (fuck me or your career is over) situation. Like, what if Bob Kraft had pulled his shit 20 times, and got aggressive if a masseuse told him no? (I mean, he probably did, but he just didn't caught 20 times, because he was going to seedy spas.) It seems like somewhat "new" territory as far as these public sexual assault cases go. I think that's also probably why there is reluctance from the usual Screaming Heads to engage with the topic.

 

"but..."; Look if this is how you are going to view sexual assault why even have it on the books? Just take it out. Having someone force your mom/wife/sister/aunt (because they are someone's) to touch their penis is WRONG and should be punished. Is it rape? Is it the same? Who are men to say?

Read an overview of the attorney representing the accusers, he's not some small-time attorney, he's big time.

 

There is a precedent for this. Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for the first six games of the 2010 season, though it was later cut to four games. He was accused of rape, but the district attorney did not file charges because they didn't feel they had a strong enough case. That doesn't mean he was innocent. It means they didn't think they could get a conviction. The DA released the details they had, which exposed Roethlisberger as a piece of shit whether you believe he raped that woman or not. If I remember correctly, the league had never suspended a player in a criminal matter when no chargers were filed, but Goodell did it anyway without precedent.

A suspension does not necessarily mean Watson sexually assaulted all of these women. It could mean that his behavior was shitty enough even without the assaults being proven that a suspension is warranted, similar to how the league ruled in 2010.

 

Last week: Steelers say Steve Nelson is available for trades.

Earlier today: Nelson tweets he doesn't want to be held hostage.

30 minutes later: The Steelers cut Nelson outright.

 

Key part of your point: 2010.

A whole lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then. Plus, as was noted above, 6 massage parlor workers were murdered, and dozens of protests sparked up across the country just last week.

 

This is the way the story goes, and we all know it. Watson is one of the new faces of the league. An exciting player redefining the position of QB in the NFL. Young, good looking, rich, black and single. Against what his legal/PR/Civil Rights team will portray as uneducated, poor sex workers looking for a payday. He doesn’t need to molest anyone, he can get all he wants. And maybe the alleged victims don’t have American sounding names or look America.
And then they’ll say, what happened to Bob Kraft? Are you just picking on him cause he’s blacked?
And then you’ll have to remember that Adrian Peterson is a wretched piece of dog shit, and if he worked any decent job when he beat his kids, no one would defend or hire him. BUT, Peterson was defended. Wilbon said he was just a black man disciplining his child as black men do. And there were lots of media-types that defended him. There will be those that say, I don’t condone sexual assault, obviously, but he hasn’t been convicted of anything so nothing should happen to him. Unless there’s video. goodell is going to kick the can until he absolutely has to do something. But no one’s forcing him. Public opinion is formed on media coverage. There’s minimal coverage and no media indignation. And no one has to make a move until training camp, unless Houston drafts a QB in the first round.

like I said, we’ve all seen this before. Maybe to save face the NFL does Roethlisberger. But the NFL
is going to Let the courts have their say first. Innocent until proved guilty. And maybe Watson says he’s grown a lot during this time and he’s sorry if you got hurt.

 

Steelers terminate Nelson's contract

Once again, it seems like the Steelers allowed a player to force his way out of town. It has become a very disturbing trend with that team.

The Steelers are a mess right now. They have lost five of the top 12 players on that defense, including Bud Dupree, inside linebacker Vince Williams, nose tackle Tyson Alualu, slot corner Mike Hilton, and now Nelson. Nelson isn't a great player, but he is solid. They did retain Cameron Sutton, who could replace either Hilton or Nelson, but he can't cover for both. They have in-house replacements for Dupree and Williams, but both are downgrades. The guys behind Alualu just aren't very good.

Add that to an offense that needs two or three new starters up front, a starting halfback, and a quarterback of the future and you've got far too many needs to properly address this offseason.