Were The NFL Guilty Of A Witch Hunt?

The NFL recently had two investigations. One into sexual harrassment allegations against the Washington Football Team, and another into racial discrimination against Eugene Chung. The investigations were not throughly done. And slaps on the wrist were all that was done if anything.

With Chung the league says it cannot confirm or deny that the events took place. The league released the following statement on Thursday:

"After multiple discussions, including with Mr. Chung and his representative, we were unable to confirm the precise statement that was made, or by whom and under what circumstances any such statement was made."

The league later added, "We intend to use this occasion to reinforce the commitment of the NFL and of every NFL club to ensure appropriate interview processes and develop diverse, inclusive, and respectful workforces on and off the field. Mr. Chung has offered to assist us moving forward and we welcome the opportunity to speak with him about how we can better advance employment opportunities throughout the League."

As far as the Washington goes, Jerry Trotta of musket fire wrote, "The Football Team, meanwhile, under Dan Synder’s not-so-watchful eye, fostered a negligent work environment to the extent that 15 former employees (!) claimed they were sexually harassed during their time with the organization."

Surely 15 women is enough to have a lengthy report but it doesn't stop at just these 15 women. And The accusations run from 2006 to 2018.

James Dator of SB nation wrote, "In 2018, the New York Times revealed that the team had used cheerleaders as “personal escorts” during the 2013 season for a trip to Costa Rica to entertain suite holders and key team sponsors."

Banks and Katz lawyers for the victims said, "In response to a year-long investigation in which more than 100 witnesses were interviewed, and which we believe substantiated our clients' allegations of pervasive harassment, misogyny and abuse at the Washington Football Team, the NFL has chosen to protect owner Dan Snyder."

The New York Times said the whiteness numbers was above 150 people. Accusing the team of other acts including taking lewd photos and videos.

While the NFL declared guilt of negligence at the very least on the part of owner Dan Snyder, the billionaire only received a $10 Million dollar fine. The NFL stripped DeBartolo of his ownership of the 49ers in 1997 for gambling but apparently sexual harrassment is not as serious to the league, even in a situation this big.

Nick Boykin of Wusa9 in the capital wrote, "National Football Team officials and lawyers did not release a written report into the Washington Football Team investigation, which included misconduct allegations against the team, whose owner Dan Snyder has stepped away momentarily from the team and put his wife Tanya in charge in a co-CEO role."

The league will be donating that money to charities. Anyone wanna bet those charities will be ones Snyder is a part of?

The league did a more thorough investigation into the Patriots deflategate scandal, with a near 150 page report. Than it did of these two scandals. 

The league's report on deflategate would show 4 Indianapolis Colts balls were also under inflated. Which the league ignored, And whitness claimed that the officials were told to stop testing after so many balls came up deflated. Not to mention the Steelers balls a season or two later that went unpunished.

Robert Kraft had even released this statement about the wells report on deflategate. "What is not highlighted in the text of the report is that three of the Colts' four footballs measured by at least one official were under the required psi level. As far as we are aware, there is no comparable data available from any other game because, in the history of the NFL, psi levels of footballs have never been measured at halftime, in any climate. If they had been, based on what we now know, it is safe to assume that every cold-weather game was played with under inflated footballs. As compelling a case as the Wells Report may try to make, I am going to rely on the factual evidence of numerous scientists and engineers rather than inferences from circumstantial evidence."

During Brady's appeal trial Daniel Nash, lawyer for the NFL said, "Is there a text in which Mr. Brady instructs someone to put a needle in a football? No, there is not such direct evidence." Nash would try to claim circumstantial evidence but the Judge wasn't having it. Judge Berman asked the NFL legal team, "What is the evidence of a scheme or conspiracy that covers the Jan. 18 game? I'm having trouble finding it."

In which Nash would eventually argue that the CBA gave the NFL the right to punish Brady as it pleased.

Berman would appeal the suspension on grounds of fairness saying, "several significant legal deficiencies' in the arbitration award imposing the suspension, including: 1) Inadequate notice to Brady of his potential discipline and alleged misconduct, 2) Denial of opportunity for Brady to examine one of the lead investigators, and 3) Denial of equal access to investigative files.

The court is unable to perceive ‘notice’ of discipline, or any comparability between a violation of the steroid policy and a ‘general awareness’ of the inappropriate activities of others, or even involvement in a scheme by others to deflate game balls on January 18, 2015, and noncooperation in a football deflation investigation."

The NFL would later win an appeal, where the higher court said the CBA didn't require the NFL to be fair and basically implied what Nash had previously argued, that if the NFL wanted to, they could punish players for breathing if they wanted to.

What this boils down to is to what Jerry Trotta of musket fire wrote. Deflategate was a "witch hunt" and the NFL was looking to "punish the Patriots". And if anyone is curious about why, the answer is the Patriots had and have been successful for to long. That is also the biggest fear from everyone outside of the Patriots organization and fanbase, that Mac Jones will be the start of the Patriots Dynasty 3.0.