People criticize baseball’s “unwritten rules” and, to an extent, I can understand the criticism and acknowledge that a portion of that critique is valid. What I find amusing annoying as shit is how football has its own set of unwritten rules yet is never criticized. Just as with the steroids issue, the NFL manages to skate by with nary a peep of condemnation or chastisement.
This column is borne out of this story about the Jets who might be in trouble with the NFL for not listing Brett Favre on their injury report for the final five games of last season. As is well documented at this point, Favre had torn tendons in his throwing arm near the end of the ’08 season.
Apparently, because he did not receive daily treatment and there was no talk of him missing any starts, the Jets decided that there was no point to listing Favre on the weekly injury report. This line of reasoning makes sense to me but the NFL sees it otherwise. According to the league, the Jets should’ve listed Favre because they knew he had an injury that could affect his performance, even if his presence on the injury list had him labeled as “probable.”
Contrast the Jets’ apparent injury list faux-pas with the Patriots’ well-known act of gamesmanship, where they list nearly one-third of their active roster on the injury report, irrespective of those players’ conditions or likelihood of playing in games. In their adherence to the letter of the law (but clearly not the spirit of it), the Patriots manage to water down the value of the injury list to the point that no observer can actually look at New England’s list of players and assign it any value.
As we all know, the entire discussion of the injury list revolves around that “unwritten rule” in football called gambling. As much as the NFL pretends that it doesn’t cater to the legal bookmakers in Las Vegas (or the illegal ones found in the backs of pubs and betting parlors), there is no question that the NFL derives an ancillary level of revenue from the actions of those who participate in sports betting.
Most recently, the NFL fought a measure by Delaware which would’ve legalized parlay bets on NFL games in that state. Due to its incredible financial might and its connections with the federal government, the NFL was able to slow down Delaware’s betting initiative.
I find the NFL’s hypocrisy both insulting and infuriating. If you truly don’t want to be associated with sports betting then cut the charade with the injury list. The Patriots already make a mockery of it and yet are above reproach. But when the Jets use a degree of thoughtfulness and honesty with the injury list, they are “under investigation.” This isn’t a plea to stop the seeming persecution of the Jets to the benefit of their tormentors the Patriots. This is a plea for the NFL to get off its high horse and just admit that gambling and the injury list are part of it’s “unwritten rules.”
This column is borne out of this story about the Jets who might be in trouble with the NFL for not listing Brett Favre on their injury report for the final five games of last season. As is well documented at this point, Favre had torn tendons in his throwing arm near the end of the ’08 season.
Apparently, because he did not receive daily treatment and there was no talk of him missing any starts, the Jets decided that there was no point to listing Favre on the weekly injury report. This line of reasoning makes sense to me but the NFL sees it otherwise. According to the league, the Jets should’ve listed Favre because they knew he had an injury that could affect his performance, even if his presence on the injury list had him labeled as “probable.”
Contrast the Jets’ apparent injury list faux-pas with the Patriots’ well-known act of gamesmanship, where they list nearly one-third of their active roster on the injury report, irrespective of those players’ conditions or likelihood of playing in games. In their adherence to the letter of the law (but clearly not the spirit of it), the Patriots manage to water down the value of the injury list to the point that no observer can actually look at New England’s list of players and assign it any value.
As we all know, the entire discussion of the injury list revolves around that “unwritten rule” in football called gambling. As much as the NFL pretends that it doesn’t cater to the legal bookmakers in Las Vegas (or the illegal ones found in the backs of pubs and betting parlors), there is no question that the NFL derives an ancillary level of revenue from the actions of those who participate in sports betting.
Most recently, the NFL fought a measure by Delaware which would’ve legalized parlay bets on NFL games in that state. Due to its incredible financial might and its connections with the federal government, the NFL was able to slow down Delaware’s betting initiative.
I find the NFL’s hypocrisy both insulting and infuriating. If you truly don’t want to be associated with sports betting then cut the charade with the injury list. The Patriots already make a mockery of it and yet are above reproach. But when the Jets use a degree of thoughtfulness and honesty with the injury list, they are “under investigation.” This isn’t a plea to stop the seeming persecution of the Jets to the benefit of their tormentors the Patriots. This is a plea for the NFL to get off its high horse and just admit that gambling and the injury list are part of it’s “unwritten rules.”
