The NFL Players Association can’t be all that pleased with Eli Manning at the moment. As we all know, the idea of a union is to be cohesive. If certain members of the union support what the other side is trying to do, the union’s position becomes weaker. On Wednesday, Roger Goodell and the NFL handed out suspensions to four current and former Saints players for their involvement in the bounty program. The NFLPA fully intends to fight those suspensions, but from the sound of it they won’t have the support of one of their most prominent members.
“I think (Goodell is) doing the right thing to make sure this doesn’t ever happen again,” Manning said during a conference call about his upcoming Saturday Night Live appearance. “There’s no room for any type of bounty system in the N.F.L. You have to respect the game.
“I think he’s been harsh to try and prove, to make a statement, that there is no place for this in the game of football.”
Jonathan Vilma, who has been suspended for the entire 2012 season, strongly disagrees with Manning. All four players who were suspended are appealing, and the Players Union has made it clear that they feel the punishments handed out were far too harsh. While I tend to agree with Manning if the information revealed in the investigation is accurate, it is surprising to see a player side with the commissioner before the league has heard the NFLPA’s appeals.
H/T Pro Football Talk
Photo credit: Kirby Lee-US PRESSWIRE
