By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Blame the bounty scandal.
All four players punished in the NFL's bounty investigation have filed appeals with the league. People familiar with the situation say the players have asked Commissioner Roger Goodell to remove himself as arbitrator because they do not believe he can be impartial.
Former Saints linebacker Scott Fujita, a union leader with a record of criticizing the NFL's player-safety record, sees elements of a "smear campaign" in a bounty investigation that has sullied his reputation.
When Sean Payton met with his players on Monday, he took a moment to recognize his team for a trait that any coach would envy.
There it is, within grasp, for a half-dozen teams: that coveted playoff berth.
The New Orleans Saints are a missed chip-shot field goal away from being 3-0 and having a two-game lead on NFC South rival Atlanta.
"Forever you can equate the two and I think it's fair to equate the two," said linebacker Scott Shanle, now finishing his seventh season in New Orleans. "Never has a coach been suspended for an entire year and it's a pretty big deal when you look at the grand scheme of what a head coach does, especially a coach like coach Payton, who's had the success he's had."
"I think the start of our season would have been different. We would have won one or two games here or there that would have changed everything to where we are now," Shanle said.
