Jeff Pash, the NFL’s general counsel is reported by the New York Times, to have given the Washington Football Team preferential treatment. Naturally, the NFL denies any wrong doing on Pash’s part.
3.5 scandals and counting
Last week, the NFL had a series of issues, starting with the DEA raiding the Washington Football Team’s head trainer Ryan Vermillion at both his home and his office at team headquarters. Next came the first release of Jon Gruden’s emails, the one disparaging DeMaurice Smith just before the NFLPA vote. That was followed by the second release of Gruden’s emails. Those prompted his resignation as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Finally, it was Adam Schefter allowing Bruce Allen to edit and approve his story.
Schefter’s thing wasn’t so much of a scandal, as much as it was bad journalism and doing anything for a scoop. During a time when unfiltered truth is nearly impossible to find, that could set the stage for credibility issues down the road for Schefter.
More so, when the word of the day is transparency.
Transparency?
The New York Times has been releasing bombshell email stream after email stream. All of it stemming from an Arizona court case with Daniel Snyder versus Bruce Allen. The latest release has involved the NFL’s lead counsel Jeff Pash and his close relationship with Allen.
All of these emails continue to rip the curtain down and expose hypocrisy from the NFL. Not just hypocrisy, but a real lack of transparency. Neither of which the league has shown a particular interest in rectifying.
No named statements…
The NFL has found no other current team or league personnel to have sent emails containing racist, anti-gay or misogynistic language similar to messages written by Jon Gruden that led to his resignation as Las Vegas Raiders coach, a person familiar with the documents told The Associated Press on Friday.
The person said the league “did not identify other areas and other individuals it has to contact at club leadership or league leadership levels.” The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the league has not publicly released what is in the 650,000 emails the independent investigators collected during an investigation of sexual harassment and other workplace conditions at the Washington Football Team.
That came from an article on ESPN News Service without any name attached to the byline. The league is washing his hands of this story, according to the nameless writer. He wished not to be identified.
With the NFL’s general counsel Pash in New York Times headlines, the NFL is trying to hold the lid down on Pandora’s box. Only the NFL and a select few have access to the unreacted emails of Allen. The NFL has ruled the case closed and once again is refusing access to the hard evidence. Odd? Not really, because where there is smoke, there is fire, and the league is digging in.
The league declined the request on Thursday afternoon, a few hours before the emails came out.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 15, 2021
*Top Photo: The Boston Globe/Haraz Ghanbari