Mike Silver on 101ESPN

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[mp3]http://icestream.dev-cms.com:8000/stl/2012/04/04052012141036.mp3[/mp3]

On the audio that surfaced
I knew GW pretty well, and I think it's mostly hyperbole. It wasn't until you hear "crabtree and acl, etc", it starts to take you into more sensationalistic territory. I believe people who have been around GW don't believe that he wants people to go out and tear Crabtree's ACL, but obviously this is a very, very bad look in light of the entire bounty scandal.

Does anything change with his suspension?
I sure hope it's not a lifetime ban. He's a great coach, and I think he can be a positive force for the culture change the NFL is looking for. Some of the things in this speech is him trying to motivate players in a very very violent game. I think GW coming back after a year, understanding the way the culture is changing, and being able to passionately speak about it could be really good for football. He is taking his medicine and not appealing like Payton and Loomis.

Are you disappointed in GW?
I am. The thing I'm disappointed in, is that when the league investigated this after the SB, and the feelgood story of the Saints, etc., that it was a signal to knock it off. I wouldn't blame GW the most for that, because it's incumbent upon the people who are in charge of that Organization to make sure that doesn't happen.... but I think that's the thing that's most disappointing to me (that they didn't stop after the first warning).

Asshole Face paid over $250,000.00 of his own money to get Gregg Williams in there. That's how much he wanted him.

He's not only a brilliant coach, but he can do things to get players to want to run through a wall for him.

It's a terrible branding issue for the NFL (and maybe a legal one), and GW is more over the top than other coaches, but he's certainly not the only coach who pushes those buttons. I hope the people who are saying "Ban GW for life" are looking at the bigger picture, and the positive things that can come out of it.

(ends with a really long narrative about concussion issues by Silver)

 

[Stranger]

It's a terrible branding issue for the NFL (and maybe a legal one), and GW is more over the top than other coaches, but he's certainly not the only coach who pushes those buttons. I hope the people who are saying "Ban GW for life" are looking at the bigger picture, and the positive things that can come out of it.

Yup.... It's a terrible branding issue for the NFL

The NFL is going to have to make major changes to satisfy the "interests" who are pushing these buttons, and relieve the negative pressure on their brand. I hope it's just former injured players who want fair financial compensation to meet their medical needs, and not something more sinister.