Goodell Testimony to Reveal the Truth: Saints-Rams Call Was Bad!
As if we needed more evidence that this world has been turned over to the people who actively funnel attention for their own personal gain, a civil district court in New Orleans is pushing ahead this farcical call for “justice” in last year’s Saints-Rams divisional championship game.
The Associated Press reported Monday that, as of right now, commissioner Roger Goodell and three officials are going to be called for questioning under oath some time in September, as if this will produce some deep, Watergate-style truths about the hidden motivations behind a stupid blown call by a referee who probably just zoned out in a split second of immense importance and—get this—made a mistake.
Do we really think that the NFL is going to admit fault beyond its private, post-game conversation with Sean Payton? Do we really think the league is going to let this ruling go uncontested, without shredding this request for testimony through an arsenal of legalese? Let’s imagine for a second that there was some sort of dastardly, crafted-in-the-dark plan to punish New Orleans (or legitimize the Rams ahead of their new stadium opening next year)—is an organization evil enough to orchestrate such a ruse in the first place going to buckle under the pressure of a state civil court interrogation?
As Pro Football Talk noted on Monday, “State-court judges are elected; federal court judges are appointed for life. What better way for a Louisiana judge to ensure re-election in Louisiana than to exercise discretion in a way that supports Louisiana interests?”
The lawyer who filed the lawsuit, Antonio LeMon, says he hopes to raise awareness for Steve Gleason’s charity—Team Gleason—through the process (any of the $75,000 in damages requested by LeMon from the NFL would go there), which is the only aspect of this entire charade that doesn’t feel ridiculous and a massive waste of resources, time, ink and attention.
Would your life change at all if you knew for sure, to a degree of legal certainty, that the bad call was in fact … bad? There’s something to be said for moving on, and realizing that just about everywhere else you turn (be it the NFL, or the rest of the world) there is something far more important that deserves our collective focus.
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