Favre avoids suspension, fined $50,000 by NFL

[Just George]

I agree with you. I was trying to point out that it was more than just "drining with young women in a bar".

As far as Favre is concerned... you had to see this coming from a mile away... no matter how wrong it is. Favre is a cash cow for the NFL and his sponsors. He is loved by a vast number of football fans. He's one of the greatest players in the history of the game. Ben... not so much... other than for Steelers fans. Ben brought this on himself with poor judgement, plus it was the second time a woman accused him of more or less the same thing. If Ben had played for 20 years and was the icon that Favre is, I can honestly say that I think he would have been dealt with the same way.

You guys can bitch all you want and scream INJUSTICE! from the rooftops till' the cows come home... it doesn't matter. No really cares, except Steelers fans.

I understand WHY you feel like you do, but it changes nothing. You might as as well GET OVAH IT!... as Al Davis once said in a projecter show.

ummm except I am a Colts fan, I like the Steelers but not my #1 team... I am horribly offended by the lack of consistency in the NFL's handling of these cases. Ben was suspended for how his actions reflected on the league, Favre got a different kind of punishment. His fine is for lack of cooperation, there is no consequences for how his actions reflect on the league.... THis is not a Steelers issue or a Favre issue, but it should be a fan issue. I like the NFL, I love watching football, How the commisioner has handled many issues actually reflects very poorly on the League. It should not matter that Favre is an Icon or not (and I would argue that Ben is well thought of outside of the the steeler nation) His poor decisions and boorish behaviors cry out for AT LEAST equal justice or the leagues authority is diminished in the minds of TRUE fans (or at least it should be) as always this is only my opinion and in no way reflects the thoughts and opinions of SU, its mods, members, fans or any one but this old idiot, THE WORLD CHAMPION
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Just George

[silver & black]

ummm except I am a Colts fan, I like the Steelers but not my #1 team... I am horribly offended by the lack of consistency in the NFL's handling of these cases. Ben was suspended for how his actions reflected on the league, Favre got a different kind of punishment. His fine is for lack of cooperation, there is no consequences for how his actions reflect on the league.... THis is not a Steelers issue or a Favre issue, but it should be a fan issue. I like the NFL, I love watching football, How the commisioner has handled many issues actually reflects very poorly on the League. It should not matter that Favre is an Icon or not (and I would argue that Ben is well thought of outside of the the steeler nation) His poor decisions and boorish behaviors cry out for AT LEAST equal justice or the leagues authority is diminished in the minds of TRUE fans (or at least it should be) as always this is only my opinion and in no way reflects the thoughts and opinions of SU, its mods, members, fans or any one but this old idiot, THE WORLD CHAMPION

I share your opinion as well, but it doesn't change anything. Goodell is going to do what's best for the NFL and it's sponsors. Fineing Favre an exorbitant amount of money and suspending him from playing in what is most likely his last game of his career, is NOT in the best interest of the NFL... no matter how unfair any of us think it is. Ben is nowhere near Favre's status at this time.
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Just George

I share your opinion as well, but it doesn't change anything. Goodell is going to do what's best for the NFL and it's sponsors. Fineing Favre an exorbitant amount of money and suspending him from playing in what is most likely his last game of his career, is NOT in the best interest of the NFL... no matter how unfair any of us think it is. Ben is nowhere near Favre's status at this time.

I honestly don't know how Ben is thought of outside of Steeler Nation, but he doesn't have close to the following and clout that Favre has. That may change over the years, but not at this point.

Injustice sucks. Favoritism sucks. It's rampant in the world. Get ovah it!

[steel striker]

It just proves how worthless Goodell is and, after this season the owners should fire this guy. Some guys get fined for making legal tackles and, others who should have been fine for helmet to helmet hits got nothing. Goodell needs to go PERIOD.

[Chidi29]

Mmmm-hm!

Chidi, you know I respect you, but what do you have to say about this one? If Jenn Sterger's lawyer is telling the truth, then Der Kommissar deliberately and blatantly ignored the evidence against Lord Favre and fined him less than James Harrison got for making a football play on the field. But he had no problem throwing the book at Ben over an accusation and ZERO evidence. As intelligent as you are, you can't see the problem here? Come on, man! I don't understand why you keep defending this guy. He is a fraud as a commissioner and needs to be fired.

I respect you, I respect all of you guys, but this is such a terrible argument to make.

Because the accuser's lawyer says something, it's credible? That's bias in the most obvious sense. Its his/her job to slam the league for an unfavorable ruling.

Do we believe the women in Georgia's lawyer just because she thinks Ben is guilty and should have been charged of a crime? Or how about the woman in Reno? If her lawyer comes out and says that the Nevada police are playing favorties to protect Ben, would you believe her? Would you defend her?

You wouldn't. You'd rip the lawyer a new one. You'd laugh it off as a bogus, tailor-made statment made by any competent lawyer. I'd do the exact same thing.

What evidence? We have no idea what was presented.

Besides, the NFL has clearly shown it's not sexist as her lawyer claims. We know that first hand with the suspension Ben got.

And me having to click on a link to TMZ? I vowed I'd never do that.

[Chidi29]

And there was no provable evidence Ben committed a crime either. If there was, he would have been charged with something.


The only thing Ben was guilty of is drinking in a bar with some young women. Being in the same place as someone automatically makes you guilty if you're accused of something?


The key word here is accusations.

I don't need to hear the defense of Ben. I've said it all before. I've defended the guy. I believe he's innocent.

Let me make my point clear because I think there's a misunderstanding that is causing me to come under fire.

1. Again, I believe Ben is innocent. I've supported him and will continue to do so.
2. I don't know if Favre is innocent or guilty. Don't care enough to do the needed digging to come up with a proper opinion.

And now onto the meat and potatoes of my point. Dig in.

3. Media perception does have a big influence on the punishment a player gets. Especially when the legal system isn't calling anyone guilty. Like it or not, fair or not (It's not), that's the way it goes.

That already gives Favre an "upper hand" so to speak because he wasn't thrown to the wolves like Ben was. This is mostly due to the accusation itself. As I've said, they are both crimes, but sexual harassment (sending pics of yourself) and sexual assault is no contest. Assault drums up a better lead story.

Now let's look at what both were punished for.

Ben: Violation of the personal conduct policy
Favre: Failure to cooperate

How did it get that way? Again, it goes back to what they are being accused of.

4. With Ben being a physical thing, when you put him and the girl at the same time and place (which you can't deny) there is a greater chance of something happening. Maybe not illegal but something that would violate the personal conduct policy.
5. With Favre, there was no physical event. It was text messages. There is a much more black and white line or innocence or guilt in the eyes of violating personal conduct. Either he sent the pics or he didn't and is absolved of everything.

To me, that's why Favre didn't get in trouble for the personal conduct. Contact vs non-contact.

I intended to make this more about Favre than Ben. I'd prefer to stop talking about the Ben incident and have tried to put that behind me because hey, it's Week 17 and we're in the playoffs. It may sound like I'm talking harshly about Ben but that's just to show the differences in the two cases.

And as I said with the first point, Favre was fined 50K despite not violating a single NFL policy. The league can't say he did anything wrong. Heck, if you wanted to, you could argue the NFL shouldn't be able to punish him for executing his 5th Amendment right (right to not incriminate yourself).

Favre was still punished.

[Wallace108]

I don't need to hear the defense of Ben. I've said it all before. I've defended the guy. I believe he's innocent.

Let me make my point clear because I think there's a misunderstanding that is causing me to come under fire.

1. Again, I believe Ben is innocent. I've supported him and will continue to do so.
2. I don't know if Favre is innocent or guilty. Don't care enough to do the needed digging to come up with a proper opinion.

And now onto the meat and potatoes of my point. Dig in.

3. Media perception does have a big influence on the punishment a player gets. Especially when the legal system isn't calling anyone guilty. Like it or not, fair or not (It's not), that's the way it goes.

That already gives Favre an "upper hand" so to speak because he wasn't thrown to the wolves like Ben was. This is mostly due to the accusation itself. As I've said, they are both crimes, but sexual harassment (sending pics of yourself) and sexual assault is no contest. Assault drums up a better lead story.

Now let's look at what both were punished for.

Ben: Violation of the personal conduct policy
Favre: Failure to cooperate

How did it get that way? Again, it goes back to what they are being accused of.

4. With Ben being a physical thing, when you put him and the girl at the same time and place (which you can't deny) there is a greater chance of something happening. Maybe not illegal but something that would violate the personal conduct policy.
5. With Favre, there was no physical event. It was text messages. There is a much more black and white line or innocence or guilt in the eyes of violating personal conduct. Either he sent the pics or he didn't and is absolved of everything.

To me, that's why Favre didn't get in trouble for the personal conduct. Contact vs non-contact.

I intended to make this more about Favre than Ben. I'd prefer to stop talking about the Ben incident and have tried to put that behind me because hey, it's Week 17 and we're in the playoffs. It may sound like I'm talking harshly about Ben but that's just to show the differences in the two cases.

And as I said with the first point, Favre was fined 50K despite not violating a single NFL policy. The league can't say he did anything wrong. Heck, if you wanted to, you could argue the NFL shouldn't be able to punish him for executing his 5th Amendment right (right to not incriminate yourself).

Favre was still punished.

Based on your reasoning, I think someone should hire a woman to set Brady up and accuse him of sexual assault. It doesn't matter that there would be no evidence and no charges, the accusation alone would guarantee a four-game suspension.

You said Favre didn't violate a single NFL policy. Well, what policy did Ben violate? He's not allowed to go out and celebrate his birthday? He's not allowed to drink with women around?

I think you're missing the point on accusations. I don't care if someone is accused of sending a picture, accused of sexual assault, or accused of murder. You're OK with handing out punishments based on the severity of the accusations? Even if they didn't do what they were accused of?

And yes, Favre was fined ... but he wasn't suspended. Therein lies the hypocrisy.
You can't hand out punishments based on accusations, regardless of what those accusations are. Unless there's some evidence against Favre, I don't think he should have been fined, but the same holds true with Ben. Unfortunately, Goodell has opened up this can of worms.

[Chidi29]

Based on your reasoning, I think someone should hire a woman to set Brady up and accuse him of sexual assault. It doesn't matter that there would be no evidence and no charges, the accusation alone would guarantee a four-game suspension.

You said Favre didn't violate a single NFL policy. Well, what policy did Ben violate? He's not allowed to go out and celebrate his birthday? He's not allowed to drink with women around?

I think you're missing the point on accusations. I don't care if someone is accused of sending a picture, accused of sexual assault, or accused of murder. You're OK with handing out punishments based on the severity of the accusations? Even if they didn't do what they were accused of?

And yes, Favre was fined ... but he wasn't suspended. Therein lies the hypocrisy.
You can't hand out punishments based on accusations, regardless of what those accusations are. Unless there's some evidence against Favre, I don't think he should have been fined, but the same holds true with Ben. Unfortunately, Goodell has opened up this can of worms.

And I've steadfastly disagreed with Ben getting a suspension of that magnitude. You guys are just reading what you're wanting to read. I've said that Ben got unfair treatment.

I'm saying that in the commish's eyes, Favre didn't violate a policy. Because that's what the ruling was. No policy was violated.

[stillers4me]

Favre was fined for lying to the NFL.........it had nothing to do with what he was accused of, which is another issue in itself. Ben was suspended for accusations only. As far as the accusations go....he skated them.

[Wallace108]

And I've steadfastly disagreed with Ben getting a suspension of that magnitude. You guys are just reading what you're wanting to read. I've said that Ben got unfair treatment.

I'm saying that in the commish's eyes, Favre didn't violate a policy. Because that's what the ruling was. No policy was violated.

I went back and reread your arguments. I now see that you were arguing from Goodell's perspective, not your own. I apologize for misinterpreting what you were arguing.

And for the record, Goodell's perspective is wrong.

[Chidi29]

I went back and reread your arguments. I now see that you were arguing from Goodell's perspective, not your own. I apologize for misinterpreting what you were arguing.

And for the record, Goodell's perspective is wrong.

It's cool. I just wanted everyone to be clear on my point.

I think Goodell was under a lot of pressure to create a severe punishment because of the media coverage. You'd like to try to rise above that pressure but it's easier said than done IMO.

[X-Terminator]

I respect you, I respect all of you guys, but this is such a terrible argument to make.

Because the accuser's lawyer says something, it's credible? That's bias in the most obvious sense. Its his/her job to slam the league for an unfavorable ruling.

Do we believe the women in Georgia's lawyer just because she thinks Ben is guilty and should have been charged of a crime? Or how about the woman in Reno? If her lawyer comes out and says that the Nevada police are playing favorties to protect Ben, would you believe her? Would you defend her?

You wouldn't. You'd rip the lawyer a new one. You'd laugh it off as a bogus, tailor-made statment made by any competent lawyer. I'd do the exact same thing.

What evidence? We have no idea what was presented.

Besides, the NFL has clearly shown it's not sexist as her lawyer claims. We know that first hand with the suspension Ben got.

And me having to click on a link to TMZ? I vowed I'd never do that.

How is it a terrible argument? I said IF her lawyer is telling the truth, then it means Goodell decided to ignore it and only fine Favre rather than suspend him. Which means that it's a clear-cut case of favoritism. They don't have any evidence of the "sexts?" They still have the messages in question which I'm fairly certain the league has seen since they conducted their investigation. I'd consider that evidence, even if you do not.

[Chidi29]

How is it a terrible argument? I said IF her lawyer is telling the truth, then it means Goodell decided to ignore it and only fine Favre rather than suspend him. Which means that it's a clear-cut case of favoritism. They don't have any evidence of the "sexts?" They still have the messages in question which I'm fairly certain the league has seen since they conducted their investigation. I'd consider that evidence, even if you do not.

Yeah, if the lawyer is completely true. Considering the nature of her job, defending her client, you're likely not getting the whole truth. I could just as easily bring up Goodell's statements and say IF he is telling the truth, it's a fair ruling. You'd disagree with that idea, no? This is a classic "he said, she said" argument where neither side can be fully trusted.

And as far as the sexts go, it's not an issue of whether or not Sterger got any. She did. It's a matter of tracing it back to Favre which couldn't be done.

[stlrtruck]

Yeah, if the lawyer is completely true. Considering the nature of her job, defending her client, you're likely not getting the whole truth. I could just as easily bring up Goodell's statements and say IF he is telling the truth, it's a fair ruling. You'd disagree with that idea, no? This is a classic "he said, she said" argument where neither side can be fully trusted.

And as far as the sexts go, it's not an issue of whether or not Sterger got any. She did. It's a matter of tracing it back to Favre which couldn't be done.

I would trust her lawyer over Goodell any day. IMO, Goodell has proven that he is a man of many words, many empty words! Example: Early in his taking the office, he spoke of the integrity of the league, but yet he has failed to truly hold the integrity of the league entirely in his grasp.

[Chidi29]

I would trust her lawyer over Goodell any day. IMO, Goodell has proven that he is a man of many words, many empty words! Example: Early in his taking the office, he spoke of the integrity of the league, but yet he has failed to truly hold the integrity of the league entirely in his grasp.

Ok, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it. But when I see her make comments like "the NFL is sexist" when it's clearly not (How can it be sexist if they suspended Ben after his accusations regarding contact with a girl?) she loses credibility.

[NCSteeler]

Favre = Martha Stewart Can't prove you did wrong, but I can prove you lied to me.

[Chidi29]

Favre = Martha Stewart Can't prove you did wrong, but I can prove you lied to me.

We know Favre lied?

[NCSteeler]

We know Favre lied?

According to our fine commissioner or course we don't don't know for sure whether Marta lied either.

[Chidi29]

According to our fine commissioner or course we don't don't know for sure whether Marta lied either.

No, the commish said he failed to cooperate. That doesn't mean lying.

[stlrtruck]

Ok, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it. But when I see her make comments like "the NFL is sexist" when it's clearly not (How can it be sexist if they suspended Ben after his accusations regarding contact with a girl?) she loses credibility.

I've been in an NFL organization before and yes, it is sexist. Regardless of what happened with Ben, that was all show boating by the commissioner and it's plain to see.

[NCSteeler]

Most men's organizations are sexist to some point. many men sit around the office and talk about the hottie contractor they would f*ck or "whos' the new chick". I'm guessing it's no different in a NFL locker room.