Football NFL execs upset after Head of Officiating seen on Cowboys' party bus - Page 6

tk13 · 08-07-2014, 10:44 PM

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/...-execs-say-yes

Quote:

"That's definitely Dean," said an official with one club upon viewing the video, in which a man looking very much like Blandino, in jeans and a blue t-shirt, steps off the bus along with Stephen Jones, son of Jerry Jones, who serves as the Cowboys COO, EVP and director of player personnel, and who is a member of the highly influential competition committee. "Is the league trying to tell you it's not him? What is the league telling you guys about it? That looks horrible. I can't think of another owner in the league who wouldn't be pissed off after seeing that."

Well, frankly the league is saying nothing. After receiving no response from the NFL on Tuesday as to whether Blandino -- who routinely makes rounds visiting with officials and clubs during the preseason -- was in the video, I made a second round of inquiries into the matter Thursday. Two spokesmen declined to say anything for the record. But no one came close to denying it was Blandino in the video, and the league could point out that with Jones on the competition committee, it's not unusual for him to spend considerable time with competition committee members.

But it would beyond disingenuous, to the point of insulting the public and other NFL member clubs, for anyone from the NFL to have the gall to claim this was anything close to resembling official business. At one point in the video there are a host of young girls assembled on the bus, and the bus is pulled right up in front of a club on the Sunset Strip.

Blandino has done an excellent job in his position, and is engaged and dynamic. Coaches and GMs enjoy dealing with him, he is always available and accessible, works tirelessly, and provides cogent explanations and recommendations to teams and media alike. Everyone I spoke to about the video raved about Blandino as a person and an official, but those same people were flabbergasted by the idea of someone in his position out partying on a team bus with an owner.

At issue is the perception of potential favoritism by other clubs, and the way these images are being perceived around the league.

"So, should I have my owner take him to a strip club when he visits us?" asked one team official, hypothetically. "Is that how it works? We like Dean a lot, but let me tell you, if that was him out with (the owner of a rival of the club this official works for), my owner would be going nuts. This just can't happen.

---

An official from another club said: "It's total hypocrisy. This is a league where some people are above the law, but if you are a coach or a player or a low-level team employee, look out -- they'll throw the book at you. They take away your pension. I'll give Stephen credit, at least they took a bus. (Colts owner Jim) Irsay should have got a bus a long time ago. Have they gotten around to disciplining him yet?"

Another longtime team official: "Whether or not this would in any way affect Dean's ability to be impartial with the Cowboys is really not the issue. This gives the appearance of impropriety. If I am a fan of a team facing the Cowboys, or I work for a team that's facing the Cowboys, I'm upset by this. There shouldn't be any situation like this going on that could cloud his judgment. How is this protecting the shield? The league loves to throw that term around when it applies to players. So how is this not an issue now?"

Another veteran NFL official: "If I were another team owner, how could I not be irate? It gives the appearance of impropriety, and looks like a particularly cozy relationship between a team and the officiating department at a time when instant replay is being taken over more and more by the league office. You're damn right I'd be irate."

Marcellus · 01-06-2015, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

In addition to defensive holding
In addition to Dez Bryant not getting flagged for having his helmet off while arguing the call

Dallas got away with highway robbery here

As has been stated multiple times, before this gif begins Pettigrew pushed off of the LB 2x including once off his facemask which is a blatant hands to the face.

Chiefnj2 · 01-06-2015, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcellus

As has been stated multiple times, before this gif begins Pettigrew pushed off of the LB 2x including once off his facemask which is a blatant hands to the face.

Offsetting penalties, repeat third down. Detroit still got screwed.

keg in kc · 01-06-2015, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

Offsetting penalties, repeat third down. Detroit still got screwed.

Yep.

There's really no way to rationalize this one for me. They made the call on the field, announced it to the world. And then minutes later picked up the flag with no explanation and continued on like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I've admittedly only been watching the nfl as an adult for about 20 years but I've never seen anything like it. I don't know if there was anything questionable actually going on but that was the worst way they could have handled it. Acknowledge the change, better yet explain what's going on. Don't act like a kid trying to hide something you shoplifted behind your back. It's a broadcast with millions of eyes on them. They can't hide what they're doing. They just look guilty now, even if they did nothing wrong.

Perhaps even more key is that that to me was perhaps the most egregious instance of officiating altering the flow of a game that I have ever seen. That kind of thing shouldn't be allowed to happen at any time, much less a playoff situation. Detroit could have stemmed the tide by not shanking the punt or by stopping the Dallas offense but that play was the cornerstone of everything that followed.

Chiefnj2 · 01-06-2015, 07:57 AM

It was a baffling momentum killer that caused a sub-par head coach to roll over and let it affect the team.

**Mr. Flopnuts** · 01-06-2015, 08:14 AM

What's the argument? They said they ****ed up. Case closed.

Pasta Little Brioni · 01-06-2015, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Der Flöprer

What's the argument? They said they ****ed up. Case closed.

Detroit Cincy and Cleveland are our brothers in futility. These things seem to happen quite a bit to us.

rabblerouser · 01-06-2015, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

Detroit Cincy and Cleveland are our brothers in futility. These things seem to happen quite a bit to us.

What??

The worst owners in the league have the worst teams??

MagicHef · 01-06-2015, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rabblerouser

Cleveland 2002, opening day.

And Rudd thought the play was over and was celebrating.

Dez went TO AN OFFICIAL WITH HIS HELMET OFF - FROM THE SIDELINE!! HE WASN'T EVEN INVOLVED IN THE PLAY ON THE FIELD!!!!

That 15 and a Detroit 1st down, by rule.

Unsportsmanlike.

There's no rule about being on the field without a helmet. The rule is about players on the field REMOVING their helmet. Technically Dez did not commit a penalty.

Quote:

Section 3 Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Article 1 There shall be no unsportsmanlike conduct. This applies to any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship. Such acts specifically include, among others:

...

REMOVAL OF HELMET
(h) Removal of his helmet by a player in the field of play during a celebration or during a confrontation with a game official or any other player.

http://www.nfl.com/static/content/pu...er_Conduct.pdf

Chiefnj2 · 01-06-2015, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicHef

There's no rule about being on the field without a helmet. The rule is about players on the field REMOVING their helmet. Technically Dez did not commit a penalty.

http://www.nfl.com/static/content/pu...er_Conduct.pdf

You are telling me any player can walk off the sidelines to argue with a ref in the middle of the field and it isn't a penalty? Everyone and their uncle has agreed it can be a penalty at the discretion of the ref.

**DaFace** · 01-06-2015, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Yep.

There's really no way to rationalize this one for me. They made the call on the field, announced it to the world. And then minutes later picked up the flag with no explanation and continued on like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I've admittedly only been watching the nfl as an adult for about 20 years but I've never seen anything like it. I don't know if there was anything questionable actually going on but that was the worst way they could have handled it. Acknowledge the change, better yet explain what's going on. Don't act like a kid trying to hide something you shoplifted behind your back. It's a broadcast with millions of eyes on them. They can't hide what they're doing. They just look guilty now, even if they did nothing wrong.

Perhaps even more key is that that to me was perhaps the most egregious instance of officiating altering the flow of a game that I have ever seen. That kind of thing shouldn't be allowed to happen at any time, much less a playoff situation. Detroit could have stemmed the tide by not shanking the punt or by stopping the Dallas offense but that play was the cornerstone of everything that followed.

As much as people give Hochuli shit for his long, drawn-out explanations, his style certainly would have been preferable to just pretending like nothing happened here.

MagicHef · 01-06-2015, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

You are telling me any player can walk off the sidelines to argue with a ref in the middle of the field and it isn't a penalty? Everyone and their uncle has agreed it can be a penalty at the discretion of the ref.

Any player can walk off the sidelines into the field of play between plays. This is how substitutions work. The official could have flagged Dez if he felt his arguing was egregious/offensive enough to be unsportsmanlike, but that obviously wasn't the case.

Dez didn't commit a penalty.

rabblerouser · 01-06-2015, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicHef

Any player can walk off the sidelines into the field of play between plays. This is how substitutions work. The official could have flagged Dez if he felt his arguing was egregious/offensive enough to be unsportsmanlike, but that obviously wasn't the case.

Dez didn't commit a penalty.

Being on the field without a helmet Is a penalty - or it used to be, anyway.

rabblerouser · 01-06-2015, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagicHef

There's no rule about being on the field without a helmet. The rule is about players on the field REMOVING their helmet. Technically Dez did not commit a penalty.

http://www.nfl.com/static/content/pu...er_Conduct.pdf

Did he have his helmet off while confronting the officials (about the play that he wasn't even on the field for)??

MagicHef · 01-06-2015, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rabblerouser

Being on the field without a helmet Is a penalty - or it used to be, anyway.

No, it's not, which I showed by quoting the rulebook 5 posts ago.

**DaFace** · 01-06-2015, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rabblerouser

Being on the field without a helmet Is a penalty - or it used to be, anyway.

Na, it's always been that you can't remove it as a player on the field. It's not a penalty to put a foot on the field without a helmet.

01-06-2015, 07:57 AM	#79
Chiefnj2 In Search of a Life Join Date: Mar 2007 Casino cash: $7873688	It was a baffling momentum killer that caused a sub-par head coach to roll over and let it affect the team. __________________ Mismanaging the clock.
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