Ray Rice eligible to return to the NFL

[msmerymac]

Breaking news. The league's decision was overturned on Rice's appeal. He is eligible to return immediately, although a team would have to pick him up.

[secretlyevil]

What the fuck? Let's hope every team is smart enough to stay the hell away.

[secretlyevil]

Nov 28, 2014 15:21:06 GMT -5 @mrsbecky said:

My guess is he won't get signed this year but will get signed relatively quietly in the off season.

no, but you might be right. I hope you're wrong.

[Velar Fricative]

Nov 28, 2014 15:21:06 GMT -5 @mrsbecky said:

My guess is he won't get signed this year but will get signed relatively quietly in the off season.

Yup.

[msmerymac]

Nov 28, 2014 15:21:06 GMT -5 @mrsbecky said:

My guess is he won't get signed this year but will get signed relatively quietly in the off season.

Agreed. My husband joked that Washington would do it because, you know, their asshole owner. BIL said he doesn't think Rice will play before Peterson, but I think Peterson will be back next year.

[thejackpot]

He should have won his appeal. The NFL royally screwed up and he had a valid issue. I am sure that a team will pick him up at some point too.
Did the NFL tighten up their stance on player punishment yet? They need to go over it with a fine tooth comb to keep punishment consistent and enforceable.

[osulori]

Ewww.

[IIOY]

Nov 28, 2014 16:00:50 GMT -5 Stan said:

Nov 28, 2014 15:24:27 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Agreed. My husband joked that Washington would do it because, you know, their asshole owner. BIL said he doesn't think Rice will play before Peterson, but I think Peterson will be back next year.

I was thinking the Eagles. Their fan base doesn't mind criminals.

Don't engage in needless assholery here, OK?

[meshaliuknits]

Nov 28, 2014 16:12:26 GMT -5 @mrsbecky said:

My guess is the Eagles or the Raiders. Hell H and I were just discussing whether Jerry Jones would pick up Peterson depending on how Demarco Murray's contract shakes out (but I can't remember whether his contract is up this year or not?) so I could potentially see Dallas making a move here too.

I hate it, but you might be right. Won't do a lick of good, though.

Sent from my EVO

[laurenpetro]

Nov 28, 2014 16:10:31 GMT -5 IIOY said:

Nov 28, 2014 16:00:50 GMT -5 Stan said:

I was thinking the Eagles. Their fan base doesn't mind criminals.

Don't engage in needless assholery here, OK?

In your defense it's not like they need him. As much as it pains me to say this, nice job yesterday.

[IIOY]

Nov 28, 2014 16:28:36 GMT -5 laurenpetro said:

Nov 28, 2014 16:10:31 GMT -5 IIOY said:

Don't engage in needless assholery here, OK?

In your defense it's not like they need him. As much as it pains me to say this, nice job yesterday.

LOL Half the time, I don't even follow them. I just don't like how these conversations devolve once comments like this start being tossed out there. On a board filled with football fans, it's counterproductive. That said, I gladly accept your "nice job." ;-)

[Deleted]

I rolled up in here ready to fight people for bringing up the Eagles since no way do they need Rice so it's only meant to be a dick comment if made. Thanks IIOY for taking care of that.

I hope he doesn't get signed. There are a few teams that could use him but the bad press would be sticky.

[secretlyevil]

It is disgusting how much this country worships football. Hey as long as these guys are good football players what does it matter what kind of heinous person they are?

[IIOY]

Nov 28, 2014 17:50:48 GMT -5 Stan said:

Nov 28, 2014 16:10:31 GMT -5 IIOY said:

Don't engage in needless assholery here, OK?

I was being serious. They are a team whose fans don't care what you do to other living things if you help them win.

So don't be so defensive of your team that you overlook that.

I'm not defensive about "my" team.  I'm irritated that people like you come into these threads with comments that generalize, just as you did once again, about the fans when many of those fans on are on this board.  It's counterproductive and serves as nothing more than a catharsis for the person posting.  We spend a lot of time on this board talking about the need not to generalize about groups of people, so this isn't exactly a new concept.

So don't be so defensive about your personal opinion that you overlook that.

[gpw]

Nov 28, 2014 15:54:28 GMT -5 thejackpot said:

He should have won his appeal. The NFL royally screwed up and he had a valid issue. I am sure that a team will pick him up at some point too.
Did the NFL tighten up their stance on player punishment yet? They need to go over it with a fine tooth comb to keep punishment consistent and enforceable.

I actually agree with this.  I hope no one picks him up ever, though.

[bubsy]

Nov 28, 2014 16:12:26 GMT -5 @mrsbecky said:

My guess is the Eagles or the Raiders...

I say this as a lifelong Oakland fan, he's not old enough and far enough past his prime for the Davis family.

[meshaliuknits]

Nov 28, 2014 19:27:12 GMT -5 bubsy said:

Nov 28, 2014 16:12:26 GMT -5 @mrsbecky said:

My guess is the Eagles or the Raiders...

I say this as a lifelong Oakland fan, he's not old enough and far enough past his prime for the Davis family.

LOL

But he *may* be cheap enough that they're willing to overlook that.

It's nice to know there's another member of the nation on here.

Sent from my EVO

[IIOY]

Nov 28, 2014 18:51:05 GMT -5 Stan said:

Nov 28, 2014 18:37:54 GMT -5 IIOY said:

I'm not defensive about "my" team.  I'm irritated that people like you come into these threads with comments that generalize, just as you did once again, about the fans when many of those fans on are on this board.  It's counterproductive and serves as nothing more than a catharsis for the person posting.  We spend a lot of time on this board talking about the need not to generalize about groups of people, so this isn't exactly a new concept.

So don't be so defensive about your personal opinion that you overlook that.

Do you really think this is just about my chance as an NFC East fan to cheap shot the Eagles or their fans? I'm resigned to and depressed about the fact that a lot of teams would take him and that a lot of fans would be okay with that. I think my team's fans would, sadly and for the most part, be okay with it too, especially this season. But I know our ownership wouldn't do it. 

You're right that I shouldn't generalize, as I'm sure there are lots of fans who hated the acquisition of Vick. But there are a lot of fans who didn't, and continued to financially support the team who acquired him. But this isn't about "catharsis" for me. It's about never forgetting that people put the love of a game and a team over a bunch of defenseless animals, and about the realization that football and a lot of fans don't care about women, no matter how much pink they wear in October. 

I can't fault people who still enjoy the NFL and the Eagles, and any other team with criminals on its roster, but I can be depressed about it without being an asshole. I have just as much a right to an opinion about this as anyone else. 

Everyone here agrees that football as a whole needs a complete cultural overhaul.  Whenever controversy has flared up, whether at the high school, college, or professional level, we've had multiple, lengthy discussions and it's universally agreed that the entire culture is terrible, for many reasons.

Further, no one here is actually that defensive about "their" teams for purposes of winning or losing beyond some light-hearted ribbing.  The issue is that when generalized comments about all the fans of a particular team get made, they can seem personal, and we have a board history of fallout from this.  It's understandable that emotions run high about some of this behavior, and we are all angry about it, but we need to stick to the facts.  If you want to rip on the Eagles (or any other) team itself, have at it. Let's just not pretend that an entire city shares exactly the same feelings or beliefs.

[redheadbaker]

I have a LOT of Eagles fans in my family, and one of them posted, wondering if others thought the Eagles should sign Rice. One of my family members said that all teams should take a stand and not sign him. My jaw just about hit the floor (in a pleasantly surprised kind of way).

[laurenpetro]

You know who's not above taking him? The Jets. They give no fucks about anything and they suck more than a Dyson.

[Mrs.Rad888]

Nov 28, 2014 17:19:55 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

It is disgusting how much this country worships football. Hey as long as these guys are good football players what does it matter what kind of heinous person they are?

Baseball too, to a lesser extent. Fortunately, MLB hasn't had as many DV issues as the NFL has had (or maybe they're better at keeping under wraps), but they have had quite a few high profile DUI and alcohol-related incidents.

[secretlyevil]

Nov 29, 2014 4:09:21 GMT -5 Mrs.Rad888 said:

Nov 28, 2014 17:19:55 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

It is disgusting how much this country worships football. Hey as long as these guys are good football players what does it matter what kind of heinous person they are?

Baseball too, to a lesser extent. Fortunately, MLB hasn't had as many DV issues as the NFL has had (or maybe they're better at keeping under wraps), but they have had quite a few high profile DUI and alcohol-related incidents.

professional sports in general.

[jaybird]

Nov 29, 2014 0:01:08 GMT -5 laurenpetro said:

You know who's not above taking him? The Jets. They give no fucks about anything and they suck more than a Dyson.

My first thought was the Jets too. They love a good circus. I could also see them trading for Sanchez just to troll us all.

[wawa]

Nov 28, 2014 16:00:50 GMT -5 Stan said:

Nov 28, 2014 15:24:27 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Agreed. My husband joked that Washington would do it because, you know, their asshole owner. BIL said he doesn't think Rice will play before Peterson, but I think Peterson will be back next year.

I was thinking the Eagles. Their fan base doesn't mind criminals.

As a member of that fan base who did nothing but bitch and refuse to buy anything when thr fucking dog killer was on the team I'm glad to see that IIOY has this covered. Because my initial reaction was not polite.

I'm just starting to give a fuck about watching games again now that he's gone. I'm just glad that given our current talent its unlikely they'll decide to totally drive me away by signing rr.

[Deleted]

Nov 28, 2014 17:54:15 GMT -5 Stan said:

Nov 28, 2014 17:03:38 GMT -5 @silver said:

I rolled up in here ready to fight people for bringing up the Eagles since no way do they need Rice so it's only meant to be a dick comment if made. Thanks IIOY for taking care of that.

I hope he doesn't get signed. There are a few teams that could use him but the bad press would be sticky.

But if they did, they'd take him, along with plenty of other teams. i love football, but not enough to defend Ray Rice, or Michael Vick, or any like that. I haven't even really watched football this year, and it's because I don't know how to reconcile my love for the sport with the way the NFL handles DV/SA.

Well, look who got a nice big broad paintbrush on Black Friday!

Please set it down. This is not a logical argument purely on the basis of stereotyping, if not other factors as well. Tons of fans are struggling with the dealings or non-dealings of the NFL with players' general fuckery.

[lya]

Nov 28, 2014 18:40:06 GMT -5 gpw said:

Nov 28, 2014 15:54:28 GMT -5 thejackpot said:

He should have won his appeal. The NFL royally screwed up and he had a valid issue. I am sure that a team will pick him up at some point too.
Did the NFL tighten up their stance on player punishment yet? They need to go over it with a fine tooth comb to keep punishment consistent and enforceable.

I actually agree with this.  I hope no one picks him up ever, though.

I actually don't know much about the appeal. What was it based on and why should he have won?

(Honestly just looking for information about something I know nothing about, no snark or anything)

[Deleted]

Nov 28, 2014 17:50:48 GMT -5 Stan said:

Nov 28, 2014 16:10:31 GMT -5 IIOY said:

Don't engage in needless assholery here, OK?

I was being serious. They are a team whose fans don't care what you do to other living things if you help them win.

So don't be so defensive of your team that you overlook that.

So I guess you don't live around here because if you did you probably would have heard how happy people were to see Vick go and how furious they were when he signed. Reid didn't care. He's gone now and so is Vick and no one is losing sleep over it.

My point is that you can't call out one team and leave out several others. Off the top of my head I can name the Jets (where Vick currently plays) or the Steelers (Plaxico Burress) or the Rams (Leonard Little).

The entire league has a huge problem right now. The players are learning that there are no permanent repercussions for breaking the law and hurting others. The fact that Rice and Peterson will probably be signed within the year is disgusting and should be shut down at a higher level than the teams.

[msmerymac]

I in no way support Vick as a human being, but he actually served time, was prohibited from owning pets, and was arguably risky to sign since the Eagles didn't know what kind of physical shape he was in. McNabb went to bat for him.

Rice has not served time and can't be prohibited from being in an intimate relationship (though god know it would be nice is all women boycotted Rice forever). I might be naive, but I also think if Vick got out if jail today, popular opinion has been swayed to the point where signing him might be even more of a PR risk.

I'd like to think Buffalo won't sign him. The fan base is known for being tightly knit. The owner cares a lot about the community. Buffalo is nicknamed the city of good neighbors. Right now fans are raising money for a former player (Darryl Talley) who is suffering from a lot of mental health issues and lost his business and his house. They were supportive of Jim Kelly through his cancer treatment. A lot of former players choose to stay in the area after retirement because it's a nice place to live in a lot of ways. I think the fans would have a LOT of negative things to say if Rice came on board.

[msmerymac]

Nov 29, 2014 11:15:46 GMT -5 lya said:

Nov 28, 2014 18:40:06 GMT -5 gpw said:

I actually agree with this.  I hope no one picks him up ever, though.

I actually don't know much about the appeal. What was it based on and why should he have won?

(Honestly just looking for information about something I know nothing about, no snark or anything)

That the league changed the rules after the Rice incident, originally sentenced him to a two game suspension, then suspended him indefinitely after public outcry. The original punishment was based on the old rules and what the player's union would allow. From now forward, an incident will be based on the new rules, but Rice's assault took place in February.

At least, I think that's how it is being interpreted.

[StrawberryBlondie]

My original thought was the Vikings, since our players seem to love to get arrested.