BREAKING: NFL, Kap, and Reid settle Grievance Case about Collusion

[Gugny]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CuddyDark]

35 minutes ago, buffaloboyinATL said:

So did MANY other players who were ultimately given a second chance after serving their suspension. Rice could easily argue he was not given that same opportunity because of collusion between the owners.

Also one last thing. I'm not trying to jump on you or anything but this just jumped into my mind... I believe the NFL has the right to suspend "indefinitely" as part of the CBA. So they could just say he's suspended until he's fifty.

[Turk71]

I would bet there was definite evidence of collusion. Goodell and/or the owners probably failed to anticipate a lawsuit and created txt or email evidence. 

[K-9]

25 minutes ago, buffaloboyinATL said:

I know the cases are different but can’t the argument also be made that hiring Kaepernick could also impact the bottom line? (I honestly thought this is why the NFL would win this case)

It would be an extremely weak argument as NFL revenues keep increasing. Also, the league is extremely reluctant to have their books opened for examination. Green Bay’s financials, since they have to be disclosed by law, offer a good glimpse. Kaepernick and others who took a knee had no impact.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/packers-financials-show-that-nfl-made-billions-despite-national-anthem-controversy/

 

 

[Alphadawg7]

1 hour ago, buffaloboyinATL said:

For the record, I have no issue with the NFL not bringing Rice back. I am just using him as an example to say I am surprised they caved on the Kaepernick lawsuit because it is a bad precedent that could open a can of worms.

 

I don't know that the NFL "caved" though.  They don't have a track record of caving.  They pursued their golden boy Brady to the bitter end until they won, even with defeat along the way, they kept going to higher courts to keep fighting.  They did the same thing with Zeke too.  Even to the point where it started looking bad for them, they ultimately won in both cases and got the suspensions they wanted even though most of public opinion wasn't on the the NFLs side in either case.  

 

So, "caving" isn't part of Goodell's DNA.  The NFL settled because they clearly were concerned about their ability to win and what would be exposed in the process.  In Zeke and Brady, it was about them as players and punishment.  In this case, the NFL was going to have emails, texts, etc all potentially exposed and involved in this case.  And I am sure there are things they do NOT want out about inside the NFL.  They are a very private entity, and there clearly has to be some kind of physical evidence that they were afraid of getting out for them to give this fight up and pay a large settlement.  

 

That being said, I really do not think other players are going to try and find ways to now go after the league.  They have way more resources and determination to win than anyone.  Settling here is a clear indicator there was enough evidence working against the NFL.  And besides, most the time its not a case where the NFL is involved as a defendant, its usually about enforcing some sort of penalty, suspension, etc in a players violation of rules or misconduct.

 

A guy like Ray Rice would have to have evidence that the teams jointly unified to keep him from having a job.  But even then, I dont know he has a case, he violated rules.  Kapernick did NOT do anything that his contract or the CBA prevented him from doing at the time he did it.  Being held out of the league because of a difference of political opinion is different than someone getting denied because they were criminally arrested and charged with a crime.  

Edited February 16, 2019 by Alphadawg7

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

[BringBackOrton]

3 hours ago, K-9 said:

Given his history of charitable donations and activism in social causes, I think he will use the money to speak louder than he did before. Which will continue to sow more goodwill in the various communities he supports. Which will give him even more credibility. 

Do you think he'll also invest in pig socks?

[Blank Stare]

2 hours ago, Boyst62 said:

Hope he gets hit by a bus. Both of them. 

Wow. Embarrassing. 

[Hebert19]

3 hours ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

Tyrod Taylor had a low TD to int ratio as well, look at how few yards he threw for.  I saw his game versus the Bills he sucked, He went 13-29 187 and i TD, very Tyrod Taylor like.

I didnt know this was civil court, i thought this was settled out of court.  Anyway the burden of proof is actually no where near as stringent in civil court so that actually bolsters your argument but damages come into play in civil court so absolutely his career is relevant.  

How much is taylor making.  Terrible argument.  So give him what taylor is making for next 5 year and see what number you get. 

[Trogdor]

4 hours ago, H2o said:

If he takes the money and allows that money to silence him then I think we realize what it was all about in the first place. 

 

And if it is $60,000,000-$80,000,000 that is like 3 times the money he would have made for the rest of his career being a mediocre backup. 

If he donates a big chunk of that then it's really a win for him and the community. Also the mediocre QB thing is played out, his stats and actual gameplay don't back it up at all. 

[Gugny]

15 minutes ago, TheProcess said:

Wow. Embarrassing. 

 

She doesn't mean it.  She says stuff like this to get a reaction.  Internet bravado/trolling.  Disregard.

[Trogdor]

1 hour ago, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

 

....yup....shocking isn't it?.....smell the race card coming......Sharpton and Jackson are prolly en route......

I mean it was specifically for notable black people. Maybe the race card makes sense in this case. 

[Trogdor]

3 hours ago, formerlyofCtown said:

There was a chance the NFL would lose based on current politics.  You notice they used the term collusion?  Where do we recognise that term from?  If you dont think that was intentional you would be mistaken.  You see lawyers consider those things when they file suit and settle a suit.  Those are the very things that lawyers discuss when trying to reach a settlement and I gaurantee Kaps Lawyers braught that up.  

Also If they absolutely did it then why would Kap settle.  

Have you ever considered that Kap was just a flash in the pan and not that good of a QB.  Do you really think if this was Mahomes he would be unsigned Lol.  

You act like collusion suits aren't a normal thing. Not to mention that Trump's comments regarding this case probably didn't help. Kap was at least above average as a QB and there are much worse starting in the league. The NFL settled in this case and Kap got what he set out for. 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

4 hours ago, CuddyDark said:

Rumors say 60-80M for Kaepernick.

 

More than he would’ve netted playing.Win for him  

[purple haze]

4 hours ago, H2o said:

Then wouldn't he be considered a "sell-out"?

No.  Two different issues.  They pay him to keep the inner workings of the league silent.  He still does his social activism.  He's given away a grip of his money already.

[CoudyBills]

2 hours ago, stony said:

I mean, check your grammar before you call me Cletus.  But thanks for weighing in.   

Cletus.  Better?  You don't like being called stupid?  Don't be such an #######.

Edited February 16, 2019 by CoudyBills

[Orlando Tim]

5 hours ago, stony said:

I've never understood how Vick was reinstated into the league and generally accepted back into mainstream society so easily.  

You must be missing the part of Vick thaywas worth a 100 million after his jail time- talent gets you back in league every time.

[boyst]

2 hours ago, TheProcess said:

Wow. Embarrassing. 

Yes,you are.

[stony]

8 minutes ago, Buffalo Timmy said:

You must be missing the part of Vick thaywas worth a 100 million after his jail time- talent gets you back in league every time.

Not sure I follow you.  Vick was fun.  Never really a good QB.  

[JOE IN HAMPTON ROADS]

not.

one.

dime.

 

unless Mexico pays for it.

 

wait what was the question?

 

[Boatdrinks]

8 hours ago, H2o said:

And if that is the case then good for him and the people he helps 

Yeah, like his donations to scumbags that kill cops ? The guy is a goddamn disgrace of a human . 

[Gugny]

2 minutes ago, Boatdrinks said:

Yeah, like his donations to scumbags that kill cops ? The guy is a goddamn disgrace of a human . 

 

Please provide a link that shows he contributed to any people who kill, or have killed, police officers.

 

If you can't, then shut up.

[Gugny]

1 minute ago, Boatdrinks said:

Agreed. In the end, all I care about is never seeing this scumbag play in the NFL again. Whatever they gave him is a pittance to stay away. 

Don’t know who the f*** that is and I don’t care. Read up on your hero. I’m not going to do it for you. 

 

I can guarantee you that I'm more educated on this topic than you are.

 

You made a claim that Colin Kaepernick made donations to people/organizations who kill police officers (you referred to them as "cops").  I'm simply asking you to provide proof that he's ever done so.  I don't think that's unfair, seeing how you brought it up.

 

So.  Let's see that proof.

[Boatdrinks]

Just now, Gugny said:

 

I can guarantee you that I'm more educated on this topic than you are.

 

You made a claim that Colin Kaepernick made donations to people/organizations who kill police officers (you referred to them as "cops").  I'm simply asking you to provide proof that he's ever done so.  I don't think that's unfair, seeing how you brought it up.

 

So.  Let's see that proof.

Cool . I don’t care what you think you know about the scumbag. I also don’t care what you consider to be fair or not. Check into it, it’s not that hard to find it. I’m not trying to convince you it’s apparent that you don’t want to know. I’m glad he won’t be playing in the league, and he can go  create a utopian police hating state in Cuba or something. 

[Gugny]

5 minutes ago, Boatdrinks said:

Cool . I don’t care what you think you know about the scumbag. I also don’t care what you consider to be fair or not. Check into it, it’s not that hard to find it. I’m not trying to convince you it’s apparent that you don’t want to know. I’m glad he won’t be playing in the league, and he can go  create a utopian police hating state in Cuba or something. 

 

Do you even know what he said with regard to Cuba?  I don't think you do.

 

Again ... I ask you to please provide me with a link, or some sort of proof that shows that Colin Kaepernick made donations to people/organizations who kill police officers.

 

If you can't, then that means you're spreading false information and smearing someone.

 

I'm pretty sure the only police officers Colin Kaepernick has spoken against are the dirty ones who've murdered people in cold blood (i.e. - shot unarmed people in the back as they were running away).  

 

But, again .... if you can show me something that states otherwise, I'd be happy to read it.

 

Educate yourself.  You're making yourself look pretty simple.  

[mannc]

9 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

 

Simple answer:  Discrimination in any workplace is illegal.  And colluding to keep him out of the league for his political beliefs is a form of discrimination.  

No, that’s not correct.

[buffalonian]

10 hours ago, B-Man said:

After all the hoopla...Kaepernick took the money, and a confidentiality agreement.

 

It was NEVER about "Principle & Conviction".

 

It was ALWAYS about the Benjamins.

 

There is a distinction between why CK took a knee and the collusion lawsuit against the NFL. They are two different things. He took a knee to bring attention to racial injustices. That act relates to what you refer to as his “principal and conviction.”  The lawsuit CK filed against the NFL had nothing to do with his principals as they relate to racial justice issues, rather it involved seeking compensation for the concerted effort by the NFL to prevent him from playing football and the damages he incurred as a result. By agreeing to settle, CK is merely accepting a resolution to his having been blocked from playing football. It says nothing about the underlying racial justice issues or CK’s commitment to those issues. As such, settling with the NFL does not make him a “sell out” as to those issues. 

[papazoid]

14 hours ago, CommonCents said:

Big Bucks.

Gag order.

Career over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NFL wins

[Foxx]

[CSBill]

15 hours ago, LikeIGiveADarn said:

 

Easier and cheaper on tbe NFL to just settle it and make it all go away than to drag it into court and have it be in the news every day for 6 months.

 

This

[H2o]

11 hours ago, Trogdor said:

If he donates a big chunk of that then it's really a win for him and the community. Also the mediocre QB thing is played out, his stats and actual gameplay don't back it up at all. 

Good for him if he does and the people he helps. 

 

The QB thing? They were calling for his head in San Fran a year or two before the whole kneeling came about. He is the same as Tyrod. Great athlete, not so great passer. Especially if you keep him in the pocket. 

[H2o]

6 hours ago, Boatdrinks said:

Yeah, like his donations to scumbags that kill cops ? The guy is a goddamn disgrace of a human . 

I was thinking more along the lines of the inner city kids.

[Bring it]

16 hours ago, Foxx said:

what a disgrace.

My feeling exactly!

[Orlando Tim]

10 hours ago, stony said:

Not sure I follow you.  Vick was fun.  Never really a good QB.  

My point is he was a top ten talent after he was a headache- Kap was no longer a top 20 qb after he became a headache. That is why Vick was given second chance where as Kap was not. Talent vs headache is a personal equation to each GM( like Browns with RB) but Kap was too much headache and not enough talent.

[Mr. WEO]

18 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

A little surprised as I thought this was a slam dunk case for the NFL.  It's very difficult to prove collusion so maybe there was something in Goodell's or other owners emails or text messages that suggested it which is why a gag order was put into place after the agreement.  Or, the NFL just wanted it to end.  Who knows.

 

18 hours ago, LikeIGiveADarn said:

 

Easier and cheaper on tbe NFL to just settle it and make it all go away than to drag it into court and have it be in the news every day for 6 months.

 

It would have been easier and cheaper for the NFL to have one of its teams simply sign him.

 

There's no chance Kaep got 50 million.

 

And how much of a sellout to his cause is this guy anyway?  If his cause is legit, he would force the case to trial, without concern for losing.  Pretty lame, but he was never a serious social justice advocate......until he lost his starting job to Gabbert and Chip Kelly came in and told him he would have to compete with Gabbert to get it back.  That's when he started to sulk....I mean that's when he realized he and others of color were being oppressed.

Edited February 16, 2019 by Mr. WEO

[Gugny]

2 hours ago, Boyst62 said:

What's the right side of history?  That a petulant child who can act on emotions devoid of factual proof can cause an uproar and stir nothing more than gossip to push an agenda that is definitively a lie?

 

Yes, I'll stick to a history of facts over two #######s who just want to cry for attention. They're both #######s.

 

Common man.  You're smarter than this.

 

Proof I found in less than one minute:  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/03/29/police-killings-black-men-us-and-what-happened-officers/469467002/

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2019 by Gugny

[Inigo Montoya]

The rapid deterioration of this thread into political rock hurling is why the NFL was smart to settle this case for any amount of money. No matter where you stand on Kap, he is forever going to be a lightening rod and it’s best for football if this whole mess just goes away.   Football has always been something that brought every Bills fan together in the stands no matter what you looked like or who you voted for.  We need to get back to that.  

 

There needs to be one place we can all go to be a community and leave our politics at the door. I hope that can be the NFL again someday. 

[Bring it]

24 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

Common man.  You're smarter than this.

 

Proof I found in less than one minute:  htedtps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/03/29/police-killings-black-men-us-and-what-happened-officers/469467002/

 

 

 

Proof? No doubt that some of these killings are unjustified! But I’ve sat a jury enough to also know that the general public and certainly not the media hear all the evidence in a case. And yes one piece of evidence can change a lot! 

Did Kap have access to evidence in these cases and others that most people don’t? We don’t know that either way.

I certainly don’t think that gunning someone down because of their race is right! But, I sure wouldn’t want to be a cop and have to go into some of these hair trigger situations either. No matter the color of the people involved.

 

 I guess my problem with Kap is his kneeling whether intentional or not disrespected the many good cops that are out there. Along with our vets! Now he has profited from it. That leaves me disgusted!

[Hapless Bills Fan]

17 hours ago, Bills2ref said:

Are we sure that’s it? Because I sure feel I could be fired at my job if I perform political activism at it. I was thinking it was more along the lines that collusion between two businesses is illegal, irrespective of the part being negwtively impacted. In this case two (or more) independent businesses (the nfl franchises) colluded with each other to negatively impact a party (Kapernick). From my brief research on the subject over the past twenty minutes this is what I’ve gathered. However, like I said, I’m completely unsure. 

 

You're both kind of right (to my understanding).   This isn't a question of workplace discrimination.  If your employer has a rule about political activism at work, you can indeed be fired for it, that isn't discrimination.

But then if your employer (lets say you do specialized work in computer hardware development) calls up other businesses in the same field and says "It would be in our industry's best interests if Bills2ref stays unemployed, he's a loudmouthed troublemaker who will make the whole computer hardware development industry look bad" and at least one other business indicates or behaves in a way that can be seen as agreement, that could be collusion and illegal.

 

[Gugny]

12 minutes ago, Bring it said:

Proof? No doubt that some of these killings are unjustified! But I’ve sat a jury enough to also know that the general public and certainly not the media hear all the evidence in a case. And yes one piece of evidence can change a lot! 

Did Kap have access to evidence in these cases and others that most people don’t? We don’t know that either way.

I certainly don’t think that gunning someone down because of their race is right! But, I sure wouldn’t want to be a cop and have to go into some of these hair trigger situations either. No matter the color of the people involved.

 

 I guess my problem with Kap is his kneeling whether intentional or not disrespected the many good cops that are out there. Along with our vets! Now he has profited from it. That leaves me disgusted!

 

He was never trying to disrespect good police officers.  He never said "all cops are bad," although the socks were a bad look.  He never disrespected Vets - in fact, most fellow vets I've spoken to have supported him as he's exercised his freedom of speech via silent protest.  Lastly, he's not profiting; he's getting monies from which he was screwed due to being blacklisted.