- Mar 19, 2006
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Brett Favre fined $50K by NFL
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- Mar 19, 2006
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Brett Favre fined $50K by NFL
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<!-- end mod-article-title --><!-- begin story body --><OBJECT id=videoPlayer class=inlineimg title="Big Grin" border=0 alt="" classid="clsid
</OBJECT>Could Sterger Sue Favre?
Roger Cossack on the NFL ruling in the Brett Favre investigationTags: NFL, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Brett Favre, Jenn Sterger, Roger Cossack, SportsCenter
Could Sterger Sue Favre? VIDEO PLAYLIST
The league said commissioner Roger Goodell "could not conclude" that Favre violated the league's personal conduct policy based on the evidence currently available to him.
<!-- begin inline 1 --><!-- INLINE QUOTE-BOX MODULE -->
"The forensic analysis could not establish that Favre sent the objectionable photographs to Sterger," the statement said. "The review found no evidence to contradict the statements of both Favre and Sterger that they never met in person, nor was there anything to suggest that Sterger engaged in any inappropriate conduct."
Joseph R. Conway, one of Sterger's attorneys, blasted the NFL's ruling in a statement released later Wednesday.
Saying he was "extremely disappointed, but not surprised" by the ruling, the Conway said "our evidence and the personal testimony of Ms. Sterger clearly showed a pattern of lewd and offensive behavior by Mr. Favre that lasted all of the 2008 season."
The attorneys stated that their evidence proved the photos were sent by Favre and that "Mr. Goodell completely failed to address the complicity of the New York Jet organization in Favre's conduct. The evidence was explicit that Ms. Sterger's personal telephone numbers were provided to Favre by still-current employees of the New York Jets. This was done without Ms. Sterger's knowledge and consent."
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Sterger
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Favre
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Goodell determined Favre was "not candid in several respects during the investigation resulting in a longer review and additional negative public attention for Favre, Sterger and the NFL," the statement said.
The league's investigation began in October and the fine was announced Wednesday.
The NFL also reviewed media reports that Favre pursued two massage therapists who worked at the Jets' facility in 2008, when Favre played for the team. But the league said that claim could not be substantiated because people with "potentially relevant information" declined to be interviewed or cooperate with investigators.
Reaching a conclusion in the case dragged out because of difficulties in setting up interviews with "certain key individuals," the complication of retrieving and reviewing electronic records and Goodell's decision to meet with both Favre and Sterger before reaching a conclusion, the NFL's statement said.
The allegations against the 41-year-old Minnesota Vikings quarterback surfaced on the website Deadspin, which posted a video Oct. 7 that included text messages and voicemails allegedly left by the quarterback for Sterger, including one in which he invites her to his hotel. The video ends with several below-the belt photos -- said to be of Favre -- which were allegedly sent to Sterger.
A former model who also appeared on the Versus television network, Sterger refused to speak on the record to the website. Weeks after the story broke, she talked with league investigators and cooperated fully, according to her manager.
The league said its sole focus was on whether Favre violated workplace conduct policy, not to "make judgments about the appropriateness of personal relationships."
The NFL said its investigation included the following: "an analysis of publicly available reports; a series of interviews with knowledgeable individuals, including Sterger and Favre; a review of communications between the two furnished to our office; and independent forensic analysis of electronically stored material."
The league also said the investigation was limited in several respects because the matter was not brought to its attention until two years after it allegedly occurred.
Conway said the NFL's ruling sends a "disturbing" message.
"It clearly shows that an NFL star player was given preferential treatment and tells all other players that failure to cooperate may cost you some money but will not result in other punishment. Additionally, today's decision is an affront to all females and shows once again that, despite tough talk, the NFL remains the good old boys' league."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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<!-- end mod-article-title --><!-- begin story body --><OBJECT id=videoPlayer class=inlineimg title="Big Grin" border=0 alt="" classid="clsid
</OBJECT>Could Sterger Sue Favre?Roger Cossack on the NFL ruling in the Brett Favre investigationTags: NFL, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Brett Favre, Jenn Sterger, Roger Cossack, SportsCenter
Could Sterger Sue Favre? VIDEO PLAYLIST
- Could Sterger Sue Favre? Could Sterger Sue Favre?
Roger Cossack on the NFL ruling in the Brett Favre investigationTags: NFL, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Brett Favre, Jenn Sterger, Roger Cossack, SportsCenter - Favre Fined In Sterger Case Favre Fined In Sterger Case
Vikings QB Brett Favre fined $50K by NFL for lack of cooperation in Jenn Sterger caseTags: Adam Schefter, SportsCenter, NFL, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Brett Favre, Jenn Sterger
The league said commissioner Roger Goodell "could not conclude" that Favre violated the league's personal conduct policy based on the evidence currently available to him.
<!-- begin inline 1 --><!-- INLINE QUOTE-BOX MODULE -->
? Today's decision is an affront to all females and shows once again that, despite tough talk, the NFL remains the good old boys' league.
? <CITE>-- Joseph R. Conway, attorney for Jenn Sterger</CITE>
<!-- END INLINE QUOTE-BOX MODULE --><!-- end inline 1 -->"The forensic analysis could not establish that Favre sent the objectionable photographs to Sterger," the statement said. "The review found no evidence to contradict the statements of both Favre and Sterger that they never met in person, nor was there anything to suggest that Sterger engaged in any inappropriate conduct."
Joseph R. Conway, one of Sterger's attorneys, blasted the NFL's ruling in a statement released later Wednesday.
Saying he was "extremely disappointed, but not surprised" by the ruling, the Conway said "our evidence and the personal testimony of Ms. Sterger clearly showed a pattern of lewd and offensive behavior by Mr. Favre that lasted all of the 2008 season."
The attorneys stated that their evidence proved the photos were sent by Favre and that "Mr. Goodell completely failed to address the complicity of the New York Jet organization in Favre's conduct. The evidence was explicit that Ms. Sterger's personal telephone numbers were provided to Favre by still-current employees of the New York Jets. This was done without Ms. Sterger's knowledge and consent."
<!-- begin inline 2 --><!--INLINE MUG-->
Sterger
<!--END INLINE MUG--><!-- end inline 2 --><!-- begin inline 3 --><!--INLINE MUG-->
Favre
<!--END INLINE MUG--><!-- end inline 3 -->
Goodell determined Favre was "not candid in several respects during the investigation resulting in a longer review and additional negative public attention for Favre, Sterger and the NFL," the statement said.
The league's investigation began in October and the fine was announced Wednesday.
The NFL also reviewed media reports that Favre pursued two massage therapists who worked at the Jets' facility in 2008, when Favre played for the team. But the league said that claim could not be substantiated because people with "potentially relevant information" declined to be interviewed or cooperate with investigators.
Reaching a conclusion in the case dragged out because of difficulties in setting up interviews with "certain key individuals," the complication of retrieving and reviewing electronic records and Goodell's decision to meet with both Favre and Sterger before reaching a conclusion, the NFL's statement said.
The allegations against the 41-year-old Minnesota Vikings quarterback surfaced on the website Deadspin, which posted a video Oct. 7 that included text messages and voicemails allegedly left by the quarterback for Sterger, including one in which he invites her to his hotel. The video ends with several below-the belt photos -- said to be of Favre -- which were allegedly sent to Sterger.
A former model who also appeared on the Versus television network, Sterger refused to speak on the record to the website. Weeks after the story broke, she talked with league investigators and cooperated fully, according to her manager.
The league said its sole focus was on whether Favre violated workplace conduct policy, not to "make judgments about the appropriateness of personal relationships."
The NFL said its investigation included the following: "an analysis of publicly available reports; a series of interviews with knowledgeable individuals, including Sterger and Favre; a review of communications between the two furnished to our office; and independent forensic analysis of electronically stored material."
The league also said the investigation was limited in several respects because the matter was not brought to its attention until two years after it allegedly occurred.
Conway said the NFL's ruling sends a "disturbing" message.
"It clearly shows that an NFL star player was given preferential treatment and tells all other players that failure to cooperate may cost you some money but will not result in other punishment. Additionally, today's decision is an affront to all females and shows once again that, despite tough talk, the NFL remains the good old boys' league."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
It must suck to be an attorney. To have to be a slithering liar to make a buck doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. Hard to believe law school was even a consideration for me:facepalm:
- Mar 19, 2006
- 38,634
- 554
- 113
- 75
I would urge anyone who has an interest in this story to read this..
Goodell finds clever way to settle Favre mess
By Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports 2 hours, 28 minutes ago
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There is a fine line between lame and smart. Give NFL commissioner Roger Goodell credit for finding a smart solution to the whole Brett Favre(notes)-Jenn Sterger affair, even if some people will inevitably criticize Goodell for leniency.
In fining Favre $50,000 for failure to cooperate in the league?s investigation of the sexting allegations, Goodell came up decidedly short of the warden from ?Cool Hand Luke.? At the same time, Goodell saved his precious personal conduct policy from a strong challenge while simultaneously keeping the league from getting into an ugly entanglement over sexual harassment charges.
Related Coverage
Dec 28, 2010
It's been a rough year for Favre on and off the field.
(Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
In other words, Goodell didn?t exactly kick Favre in the rear as the Minnesota Vikings quarterback expectedly closes his career and he didn?t satisfy the Sterger contingent. Instead, Goodell avoided checkmate in a case where he was playing with his king and a bunch of pawns while being attacked by a queen and an angry bishop.
?I can?t begin to tell you the number of issues we had to figure out in this one,? an NFL source said Wednesday, after saying he expected criticism from women?s groups and other activists. ?It?s not just the investigation, it?s every angle you could possibly imagine.?
Fact is, the league almost would have been better off if Sterger had filed a sexual harassment claim or a lawsuit (the deadline apparently was Tuesday). It would have largely taken the league out of the process and turned it over to people who had less invested in the outcome. In this case, the league was in a difficult spot of trying to investigate a future Hall of Fame player who had no public record of prior misconduct. Under the personal conduct policy, Favre didn?t qualify as a repeat offender like Pacman Jones or a player with a damaged reputation like Ben Roethlisberger(notes).
Nonetheless, what Favre was accused of doing was so filled with hubris that even Donald Trump might blush. Start with sending text messages, move along to voicemails and then add explicit photos of private parts. However, proving the photos were actually Favre is basically impossible, short of him dropping his Wranglers. Just think about getting that past any half-witted employment lawyer.
At the same time, Goodell had to answer questions about just what the heck is going on behind the closed doors of most NFL training facilities and stadium. At least one Jets employee has been named as an accomplice with these shenanigans, making you wonder if others above him were also aware. Ultimately, this whole situation threatened to unveil all sorts of sordid details about the workplace environment if Goodell hadn?t found a clever way out.
Still, though Goodell chose to wait for possible legal action, he couldn?t afford to go too far with Favre or else face the threat of Favre (and perhaps the NFL Players Association) challenging the league?s conduct policy. Remember, Favre has never been directly charged by Sterger with anything, not even a human resources complaint. By contrast, Roethlisberger has been sued in one state and was investigated in another, two public cases that embarrassed the league.
The only accusations Favre has faced came from media reports that started at Deadspin.com. Fair enough, but what happens when other media outlets start reporting other athletes for inappropriate conduct that isn?t challenged in some legal fashion?
<!-- {PHOTO} -->
Jenn Sterger
(Al Pereira/Getty Images)
<!-- {PHOTO ENDS} -->
If Goodell had punished Favre for this, he would have brought the bar even lower for what behavior should be punished. In the short time that the personal conduct policy has been in place, the bar has gone from repeated misconduct that included beaten strippers and shot-up bouncers to a media report about Favre supposedly sexting.
In other words, Goodell?s pet policy has been pushed and pulled to amoeba-like proportions.
In response, Goodell and the league came up with a cleverly worded punishment. The release on this incident reads longer and more carefully than anything the league has done with Jones, Roethlisberger, Michael Vick(notes) or Plaxico Burress(notes). The statement weaves around the bottom line so effectively that you?d think Favre was being punished for something far more than not being straight with the boss.
For the league, that?s important. It doesn?t want to be in court and it really doesn?t want to besmirch Favre?s reputation any more than what?s already been done. Fact is, Favre is part of the business and it?s Goodell?s job to protect that business and all that goes with it.
And while some will claim this was lame, it?s really quite smart. Sadly, sometimes those qualities bleed into one another.
Jason Cole is a national NFL writer for Yahoo! Sports. Send Jason a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
Updated 2 hours, 28 minutes ago
Goodell finds clever way to settle Favre mess
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There is a fine line between lame and smart. Give NFL commissioner Roger Goodell credit for finding a smart solution to the whole Brett Favre(notes)-Jenn Sterger affair, even if some people will inevitably criticize Goodell for leniency.
In fining Favre $50,000 for failure to cooperate in the league?s investigation of the sexting allegations, Goodell came up decidedly short of the warden from ?Cool Hand Luke.? At the same time, Goodell saved his precious personal conduct policy from a strong challenge while simultaneously keeping the league from getting into an ugly entanglement over sexual harassment charges.
Related Coverage
Dec 28, 2010
(Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
In other words, Goodell didn?t exactly kick Favre in the rear as the Minnesota Vikings quarterback expectedly closes his career and he didn?t satisfy the Sterger contingent. Instead, Goodell avoided checkmate in a case where he was playing with his king and a bunch of pawns while being attacked by a queen and an angry bishop.
?I can?t begin to tell you the number of issues we had to figure out in this one,? an NFL source said Wednesday, after saying he expected criticism from women?s groups and other activists. ?It?s not just the investigation, it?s every angle you could possibly imagine.?
Fact is, the league almost would have been better off if Sterger had filed a sexual harassment claim or a lawsuit (the deadline apparently was Tuesday). It would have largely taken the league out of the process and turned it over to people who had less invested in the outcome. In this case, the league was in a difficult spot of trying to investigate a future Hall of Fame player who had no public record of prior misconduct. Under the personal conduct policy, Favre didn?t qualify as a repeat offender like Pacman Jones or a player with a damaged reputation like Ben Roethlisberger(notes).
Nonetheless, what Favre was accused of doing was so filled with hubris that even Donald Trump might blush. Start with sending text messages, move along to voicemails and then add explicit photos of private parts. However, proving the photos were actually Favre is basically impossible, short of him dropping his Wranglers. Just think about getting that past any half-witted employment lawyer.
At the same time, Goodell had to answer questions about just what the heck is going on behind the closed doors of most NFL training facilities and stadium. At least one Jets employee has been named as an accomplice with these shenanigans, making you wonder if others above him were also aware. Ultimately, this whole situation threatened to unveil all sorts of sordid details about the workplace environment if Goodell hadn?t found a clever way out.
Still, though Goodell chose to wait for possible legal action, he couldn?t afford to go too far with Favre or else face the threat of Favre (and perhaps the NFL Players Association) challenging the league?s conduct policy. Remember, Favre has never been directly charged by Sterger with anything, not even a human resources complaint. By contrast, Roethlisberger has been sued in one state and was investigated in another, two public cases that embarrassed the league.
The only accusations Favre has faced came from media reports that started at Deadspin.com. Fair enough, but what happens when other media outlets start reporting other athletes for inappropriate conduct that isn?t challenged in some legal fashion?
<!-- {PHOTO} -->
(Al Pereira/Getty Images)
<!-- {PHOTO ENDS} -->
If Goodell had punished Favre for this, he would have brought the bar even lower for what behavior should be punished. In the short time that the personal conduct policy has been in place, the bar has gone from repeated misconduct that included beaten strippers and shot-up bouncers to a media report about Favre supposedly sexting.
In other words, Goodell?s pet policy has been pushed and pulled to amoeba-like proportions.
In response, Goodell and the league came up with a cleverly worded punishment. The release on this incident reads longer and more carefully than anything the league has done with Jones, Roethlisberger, Michael Vick(notes) or Plaxico Burress(notes). The statement weaves around the bottom line so effectively that you?d think Favre was being punished for something far more than not being straight with the boss.
For the league, that?s important. It doesn?t want to be in court and it really doesn?t want to besmirch Favre?s reputation any more than what?s already been done. Fact is, Favre is part of the business and it?s Goodell?s job to protect that business and all that goes with it.
And while some will claim this was lame, it?s really quite smart. Sadly, sometimes those qualities bleed into one another.
Jason Cole is a national NFL writer for Yahoo! Sports. Send Jason a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
Updated 2 hours, 28 minutes ago
