Stephen Ross earlier, he wasn't at
the meeting because he's suspended through week six of
the regular season. However,
Roger Goodell asked about the Dolphins situation here. He is
talking about the punishment that was imposed, eight days
ago, on Stephen Ross for tampering but not for tanking,
integrally games,
critically important,
I think the finding it
very clear on the champion charges
Has
and you know,
while tanking clearly did not happen here. I think we all
have to understand that our words and our actions
have implications can be interpreted. We have to be careful.
They are never going to find a team guilty of tanking ever
ever. The implications are two significant for the league for
the teams are talking about lawsuits, talking about perp
walks. If anyone ever admits
to deliberately losing games in an age and era of
ever-expanding legalized gambling? However, however,
the only reason tanking didn't happen is because Brian Flores
didn't go along, save them right? He saved Stephen Ross is
ass. Now he also blew the whistle but he saved him
by getting him to back off
of All a billionaire should have to say she I think it's
probably better for this team
to have a higher draft position next year than to worry about
whether we win for five or six games this year. He did
everything he could to put the tank in motion,
the league will never acknowledge that
the league will never punish an important Santa thing. Chris
whenever a tank actually happens,
the coach goes along with it. Now, is it possible after
the fact, the coach tries to blow the whistle while Hugh Jackson
kind of tried to do it, but see because he signed a release
when he got his buyout
by out after he was fired.
And then he tried to file a grievance over the damage. It
did to his reputation. Be part of his four-year plan where
they baked the tanking into the various factors that they use
to incentivize
behaviors that weren't conducive to winning. That got shut down
that got thrown out. Sorry Hugh. Sorry we're not going to
consider your argument based upon your position that there
was tanking going on here because you signed You're
right. So by the way, the guy who made that decision
was Peter Harvey.
Yeah, well, you know, that's right. The, I forgot about that
Peter Harvey was involved in that, but
it mean
the NFL got luck. They're never gonna catch it. Oh, I'm never
gonna catch you in Ross, got lucky. I will say this too. But
where do we draw the line here in this business?
You know, at some point you're going to have teams that are
wait, were
3 and 10
and we want to play it. We do want to play some of the young
guys you have. Maybe we're not sure if we're going to win,
you know? But I don't we re probably won't because I'm
gonna play maybe some of the Lesser guys but it's to develop
them that seem to me. That's where this is going to be
interesting as we go along. And that to me is where we got
to shift the the, you know, responsibility to The Gambler
a little bit too. I mean, listen, you're gambling. There's
a reason it's called gambling.
So if you're betting money on that, You're just stupid.
I don't know what else to tell you.
So that so like that's where I just wonder
where the fine line is there because I do think there's
teams that are like that. It's not like they want to lose.
They're going to coach hard, they're going to do things to
put these lesser guys
and good positions but it's more about development and
they're willing to take the L for maybe a few more W's,
the next year. And to me that's not tanking and that's where
I think this can get very interesting and that's where
I think there's got to be a
Little responsibility in The Gambler a little bit. Like
the guy who gambles and preseason football, I just go well,
you're just an absolute, you're an addict. You're an idiot.
Have you think you're in the really know what's going to go
on here tonight? I mean, I
had friends last week, texting me. What do you think about
the Raiders Jags? And I want to, I think you have a problem.
That's what I think that you have a problem because I
know all these coaches and all these people and I have no clue
what the hell's gonna happen here. And I know you at home
who hasn't paid what tension to football now. It has absolutely
no clue.
That's where I think it can be an interesting conversation as
we go forward. Here,
I did say on Friday of last week that the 1-800 number that
is used for anyone who has a gambling problem and we do
encourage anyone who may have a problem to take advantage of
that 800 number. If you make a bet on any preseason game,
it should automatically connect you to that number
that I know. I'm on the same page being that, but but here's
the problem. Yeah, the NFL sells this idea
that in every instance, in every game,
both teams are doing everything they can to try to win.
That's all that matters. It's Adrian waking up from the coma
when don't
win. What do I write in for taken seven today that every
game is that no matter the stakes, no matter the team, no
matter whether you're
probably, you know, we're not making the playoffs this year
because here and here's the problem on one hand, it's win
win win they're all trying to win the trying to win every
game win. Win win, win win.
Oh, by the way. The team that
loses the most games gets first pick in the draft. Our Premier,
offseason Jewel, and if you've got the first pick, hey, you're
there's Talk of the Town,
you're the, you're the team, you're the team everybody's
talking about. Hey, it's great to have that first pick, but
don't try to get the first pick. It's great to have
the first pick, but don't you try to get it? I tried to make
the example of the day,
it's kind of like the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
Don't touch that Apple. But somebody's going to
Carve the thing up and eat it.
Somebody gets the apple hand into it, don't you try to get
it but we're giving it to somebody. We don't like to talk
about how we go about the process of figuring it out
because we don't want to acknowledge the teams may
choose not to win
but that's a problem. Chris as long as they incentivize it
indirectly they can act like they're surprised when teams
realize and I've said this for years it's good business. Not
maybe bad football and maybe bad for building a culture on
Payton. Talked
about that on this show
earlier. This year it's horrible for your culture to
introduce that concept of losing, but
but hey, if the Dolphins has gotten, if they'd gotten Jill
burrow,
I think Burrows presents would have eradicated, whatever Funk
was there that led to them consciously
positioning themselves to get the first overall pick in
the 2020 draft, think how different the Dolphins would be right
now, think how different The Bangles would be right now sure
if Borough had been a dolphin. So as long as they have that
Tation.
And as long as somebody is going to get to eat the apple,
it's impossible to reconcile that with
all of our teams are always trying to win every single game
that they play. I know, I know. This is where I
it is tricky. I can say this, I was involved in something like
this in 2004, where? The last game of the year
I got. Yeah. Well I mean again the but I want to explain this.
Don't don't jump to conclusions.
I had I was
I was I've replaced Brad Johnson. This is starting
quarterback. I got hurt you know then
got healthy at the end of the year
and Gruden you know Brian Griese had been playing and we
had you know a few younger other guys
that yeah we were the future look good. But they might have
not been starters and whatever else and we put them in
the lineup. It was against Emmitt Smith in the Arizona Cardinals
Emmitt, Smith's last game
and you know yes we might have not
put our best players out there
but we weren't tanking. Gruden was a psycho on that day as he
was any other day. I mean he wasn't trying to lose the game.
Trust me. He MF me like seven times in the first quarter. So
we were trying to win
so that's where it just I do think there is
something to developing guys or wait this guy next year,
you know? Yeah, he might not be as good as
John, the left guard but John the left guards probably going
to be out of here next year. He's getting up there in age
and he's got a number on the side. We have another guy that
can replace him as good. We'd like to give him some
experience
so he can feel positive going in the offseason
and that to me is not tanking.
That's not, you know, and so that's where this I just I'm
interested to see how this plays out with the gambling
influence. Now in the NFL that you're explaining so well,
January 2, 2005, the Shaun King Revenge game Cardinals. Win
6:48. Although Sean King
did not. I must the throw late in the game.
Game and that we should have won. Geez the only mustard
seven points against the Cardinals but my God like how
did you make it to 2006 to lose your spleen 2000
bad now. You're right. I'm sure Gordon didn't want me after
that. That was the ultimate the ultimate game of we thought we
crack the code
on some of the things they were doing on the defensive side of
the ball where we came in. We were like, oh, we got it when
they do this, we know what they're doing and
we thought and I can remember being under Center like
the third place. The game going. Wait
they're not doing anything that coach said they were going to
do and they're Breaking All the Rules and I literally remember
kind of like looking at the sideline when I was under
the center one time like what do you want me to do? Because
everything you taught me is just been blown up by this
right here.
So it was quite the experience that day and yeah I learned
from it. That's for sure.