Fine Blotter (So Far) for Week 16

• Dallas Cowboys:  Anthony Brown:  $9,115 for drilling the opposing kicker illegally.

More forthcoming upon discovery.

2016 Week 16 Score Report

• Highest scoring week of the year at 51.625 PPG.
• That makes the season average up to 44.933 PPG.
• Home teams were 11-5 for the week, 137-98-1 for the year.
• Not surprisingly, Over went over BIG at 12-3-1.  Now 8 games over .500 for the year, but that's still a slight winner for Vegas.
• Favorites were 9-7 against the spread and 11-5 straight up.  116-106-7 against the number for the year, 149-79-1 straight up.
• Interesting stat:  Double-digit favorites have not failed to cover the spread since Week 3.  They are 10-2 on the year, one non-cover each in Week 1 and Week 3.  New England covered 17, and then quite a few more, against the Jets.
• Team with more penalties was 7-8 on the week, 87-117 for the year.
• Four Cliffhangers for 47 total.  Six non-competitive games to make 17 out of the 48 in the last three weeks.

Went over basically everything already, but to summarize:

AFC:

• New England is the #1 with a win or an Oakland loss or tie.  New England has clinched a first-round bye and the AFC East.
• Oakland is the #2 with a win or tie if New England wins.  If they win and New England loses, they're the #1.  If they lose, Kansas City wins the AFC West and the #2 with a win.  A Kansas City tie or loss clinches the AFC West for Oakland.  Oakland is either the #1, #2, or #5.
• Pittsburgh has clinched the #3 and the AFC North.
• Houston has clinched the #4 and the AFC South.
• Miami is the #5 unless they lose and Kansas City wins.  (Oakland's result then determines the #5 between Oakland and KC.)
• Kansas City is the #6 unless they win and either Miami or Oakland lose.  Kansas City can be the #2 if they win and Oakland loses, the #5 if they and Oakland win and Miami loses, or the #6 otherwise.
• All six AFC playoff teams have been determined.
• Three of the four divisions are done.
• Only relevant Week 17 games:  NE at Miami (1 Eastern) -- NE gets homefield with at least a tie, Miami clinches the #5 with at least a tie.
• Oakland at Denver (4 Eastern):  Oakland wins the AFC West and the #2 with at least a tie.  Wins the #1 with a win and a New England loss.
• Kansas Ciry at San Diego (4 Eastern):  Only relevant in concert with the other 4 Eastern AFC relevant game.  If Oakland wins, then game is irrelevant if Miami at least ties.

NFC: 

• Dallas is the clinched #1 and NFC East champion.
• Atlanta clinches the #2 with a win -- has clinched the NFC South.
• Seattle has clinched the NFC West.  #2 if they win and Atlanta loses, #3 if both they and Atlanta win, #4 if they lose, even if the Sunday nighter goes to a tie.
• Green Bay and Detroit will decide the NFC North, winner takes all.  Loser is eliminated if Washington won their game earlier. The NFC North winner is the #3 if Seattle loses, #4 if Seattle wins.  A tie means Green Bay is #3 and Seattle the #4.
• New York Giants are the #5.
• The #6 is either the Green Bay-Detroit loser if Washington loses or ties (or Detroit if GB-DET ends in a draw), or Washington if they win and the Green Bay-Detroit game goes to a result.  (Tampa Bay still has about seven games to go their way to get a 9-7 over Green Bay on Strength of Victory, we think...)
• So, barring the stupidities with Strength of Victory, the only relevant games are:
• New Orleans at Atlanta (4 Eastern):  Atlanta gets the #2 with a win, Seattle enters the fray with a loss.
• Seattle at San Francisco (4 Eastern):  Even if not relevant for the #2, there's still the difference between the #3 and the #4 to play with.
• New York Giants at Washington (4 Eastern):  Washington must win to take the #6.
• Green Bay at Detroit (8:30 Eastern):  Winner takes all, loser eliminated unless Washington does not win.

Sounds like the NBA is still in the business of fixing games...

Marquee game of the NBA Opening Day Christmas quintupleheader, the second game.

Cavs/Warriors, the only two apparent relevant teams this year.

In the last two minutes of the game (according to the NBA report), Kevin Durant was fouled and should've been sent to the line with 3.4 seconds left and the Cavs up (in Cleveland) 109-108.

Also, LeBron should've been called for a hanging on the rim T with about 1:45 to go and the jam making it 105-103 Cavs.

Cavs won by the 109-108 score.

Cavs and Warriors together combined for ten pre-Christmas losses.  Only three other NBA teams have less than ten alone.

Rematch in Oakland on Martin Luther King Day, January 16, as a night game.

Very Un-Goodell-esque NFL storyline setup right now...

The number of relevant Week 17 games appears to be shockingly low.

The six AFC playoff teams have all been determined, and the two teams with byes are also determined.

The AFC championship will be contested between:

• New England:  #1 with a win or tie or an Oakland loss or tie.  #2 if they lose and Oakland wins.
• Oakland:  #2 if New England is #1 with a NE win.  #1 if New England is #2.  #5 if they lose and Kansas City wins.
• Pittsburgh:  #3.  Clinched.  Even a loss and a Houston win and Pittsburgh wins the tiebreak.
• Houston:  #4.
• Kansas City:  #5 if they beat or tie San Diego or New England beats or ties Miami.  #2 if they win and Oakland loses
• Miami:  #5 if they beat New England and San Diego beats Kansas City.  #6 otherwise.

So that means the number of relevant AFC games is THREE:

New England-Miami for the #1 seed and Miami's wild-card position.
Oakland-Denver and Kansas City-San Diego:  For the AFC West, to begin with, and there's still wildcard position for KC even if Oakland beats Denver.

NFC is slightly more complicated:

• Dallas has clinched and the #1 seed after the Giants' loss Thursday.  Even though they play Monday night, it doesn't matter.
• Atlanta is the current #2 and has clinched the NFC South. A win over New Orleans at home gets them the #2.  Depending on Detroit Monday, a loss may make them the #3 regardless of who ends up the #2, but a Dallas win Monday means a loss only makes them the #3 if Seattle wins.
• Seattle is the current #3 and has clinched the NFC West.  They need a Detroit loss Monday and then a Detroit win over Green Bay, an Atlanta loss to New Orleans, and a win over San Francisco to get the #2.  A loss probably puts them the #4.
• Detroit currently leads the NFC North, but plays tonight against Dallas.  A loss there and one in the Sunday nighter against Green Bay eliminates them.  Two wins, and they need an Atlanta loss or tie to get the #2.
• The New York Giants are in the playoffs, and have clinched the #5.
• Green Bay is the current #6, but wins the NFC North with a win in Detroit in the Sunday nighter.  A loss and a Washington tie or win eliminates them.
• Washington must win and have Detroit lose tonight, or Detroit win out for the #6.
• Tampa Bay needs a win and a lot of help.

Atlanta-New Orleans:  Positioning
Seattle-San Francisco:  Positioning
Detroit-Green Bay:  Winner Take All (or at least most)
Washington-Giants:  Washington must win to have a shot.  The game must end in a tie for Tampa Bay to have one.

So, for all intent and purpose, the number of relevant games in the NFC is FOUR, making SEVEN relevant Week 17 games.  Not your typical Roger Goodell NFL year.

Mike

This Week's Naughty List

First, I think we can conclude the Giants are either going to get de-pushed or one more incident thereto.

Last night's game had some...  interesting... betting action.

Yesterday afternoon at about 2 Pacific, the game was a 2 point favorite to the Giants.  An hour later, it was a point to Philly.  About an hour to kickoff, it was a point to the Giants.  It kicked a point to Philly.

Think $530,000 or so in fines might have something to do with that?

• Los Angeles Rams:  Aaron Donald, TWICE in the game with the Hags.  $18,231 for a facemask, then $24,309 for the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he picked up afterward for throwing the flag at the official for the facemask.  According to Pro Football Talk, that makes Donald a FIVE-TIME LOSER this season.  An ejection on opening night led to two fines totalling $21,269 and a previously unfound $18,231 for unnecessary roughness in Week 6.  So that's over $80,000 for Donald alone, one of the highest single-player totals in the league and about two-thirds the amount necessary to draw a team fine.
• Los Angeles Rams:  Dominique Easley:  $18,231 for roughing the passer.
• So you basically quit on your new city in Week 15 and you still have the energy for dirty hits and bullshit for over $60,000 in fines...  Well, congratulations, LA, you now have drawn that first $50,000 threshold.  Ninth NFL team to exceed $121,000+ to get that first $50,000 fine.
• Seattle Seahawks:  Cassius Marsh:  $12,154 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  Jameis Winston:  $9,115 for a headbutt.  Entering Week 15, the Bucs were the least-fined team in the NFL.

And more found on Saturday:

• Green Bay Packers"  TJ Lang:  $24,309 for a blindside block.
• Green Bay Packers:  Datone Jones:  $9,115 for a facemask, making him a TWO-TIME LOSER.
• Pittsburgh Steelers:  Stephon Tuitt:  $9,115 for a facemask
• Pittsburgh Steelers:  Marcus Gilbert:  $9,115 for unnecessary roughness.
• And please welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to the club.  That's 10 teams at the first $50,000 team fine threshold, and that's just the fines I've been able to find!
• Washington Redskins:  Jordan Reed:  $9,115 for his punch and ejection.

More may be found, but just to review on the four I posted about earlier in the week:

• Elliott was hypocritically not fined for his Salvation Army "donation".
• T.J. Ward was fined only $9,115 for his back suplex.  And nothing for the unsportsmanlike conduct afterward.
• No fine on either Ka'Deem Carey or Thomas of the Packers for the headshot Deadspin caught that jarred Carey's logo off his helmet.
• And Jeremy Hill was not fined for his touchdown celebration, even though it violated BOTH halves of the celebration foul rule reasoning.

Chronic tripping thug thrown off Duke team... for now.

I think Coach K finally got the message his team is not very good, and has figured out one of his star players is why.

Duke's team has struggled fairly severely with a couple of far lesser opponents, even though they are the #5 team in the country.

But the three tripping incidents with star player Grayson Allen, including one last night, were far more than even the coach could accept.

Allen has been, at the least, suspended indefinitely.  The ACC accepted the team suspension.  It appears Allen will miss multiple games.  Coach K is using this as a "learning experience" and is not sure how long the suspension will be yet.

He should be thrown off the team and told to prepare for the NBA Draft.  It is clear that this is one of those players (not unlike one of the Golden State Warriors) whose "talent" also includes attempting to injure other players.

Allen is a senior and actually decided to stay at Duke against the advice of a number of NBA scouts.

It's now clear that, and his basketball career at large, are mistakes.

And now for something playing far more fairly...

Alex Trebek needs a pat on the back this week.  So do some of the staffers on Jeopardy!

If you've had any ear to the news the last two weeks, you are almost certainly aware of the story of the outgoing champion on the show, Cindy Stowell of Texas.

Stowell was a lifelong fan of the show, and had, as a life ambition, to make it onto the syndicated version of the show.

Then cancer struck.  Stage IV and terminal, and she was notified as such.

Stowell had one final chance to be on Jeopardy! before the cancer would take her this year.  Passing the online contestant test in the early summer, she petitioned the show's producers that, should she make the contestant pool, that she be allowed to play as soon as the schedules would allow, owing to the fact her time on Earth was not long.

Stowell was directed to an in-person interview and practice game in Oklahoma City, another part of the audition process.  She took part, and passed.

To their credit, the producers of Jeopardy! acceded to her request, getting her on the show at the next available space for her to play, in a taping in August.

Stowell fulfilled her dream of being on the show, and eventually, through a combination of quite-obvious skill, and some luck and Houdini stuff, she won six times, pocketing over $105,000 in the process.

Very few people at the show knew that Stowell was battling a high fever, on pain medications, and, on top of it all, facing terminal Stage IV cancer.

Alex Trebek knew, a few staffers, that was it...  None of the contestants knew, no one else did either.

And yet, the games were kept fair and, at least on the show, no mention of the cancer was made until after Stowell's final appearance, when she was defeated on Wednesday night, December 21st.

Anyone who's followed the story knows what happened:  Just eight days before the first of her programs was to air in syndication, on December 5th, Cindy Stowell's cancer felled her.

The Jeopardy! website immediately did a tribute to Stowell, before she even started, and added a second part to it once Stowell's defeat had made sufficient air not to be a spoiler.  The Jeopardy! Archive, a fan-driven recap site, where all of the questions and answers and scores of most of the matches on the show, changed their direct front page to a memoriam tribute to Stowell.  (It is unknown at this time how long that tribute will remain active, but it is as of the writing of this post.)

(This veteran of the Ken Jennings spoilers also wants to give a compliment to the increased security and NDA threats around unaired results -- only one aspect of Stowell's shows was revealed, and I'll get to that in a second.)

And I share the sentiments of a huge game-show fan friend of mine who watched five of the seven matches with me:  For what Alex knew and the grace with which he handled it all, give him the Daytime Emmy.

After Stowell's time on the show was completed, according to the show, she fell ill in the hospital.  The show scrambled, as quickly as they could, to complete as many of her episodes as they could, so she could see them before she died.  (They succeeded in getting three to her.)

They also accelerated the process of contestant eligibility verification so that they could give her the prize money she had won ($105,803) -- which she said she wanted donated to cancer research.  According to a New York Times article, that charity is the Cancer Research Institute, with credit to KXAN for the information.  To my understanding, the family has asked any tributes be made in donations to same.

It is hoped from both myself and my friend an additional amount will be added, because, according to the show's website, Stowell would have been effectively a lock for this year's Tournament of Champions, had she survived to see it.  Stowell is not listed on the Tournament Tracker the show provides, for obvious reasons.  However, had she been on the list, she would be the seventh seed for 12-13 available slots.  (Ironically, the champion she defeated is the third seed on that list, with seven wins.)

Alex Trebek, as I said before, handled this with wonderful grace.  He didn't need to make a statement to the press on Stowell's death, but he chose to do so anyway:

From the show's website:

“When Cindy Stowell taped her appearance on Jeopardy!, she had Stage 4 cancer. Competing on Jeopardy! was a lifelong dream for Cindy, and we’re glad she was able to do so. Sadly, Cindy died on December 5. Our condolences and best wishes to her family and friends.” – Alex Trebek

But Trebek and Jeopardy! did not see that as sufficient tribute.  The one thing "spoiled" from Stowell's appearances on the show was a statement Trebek made to the show's fans, edited into post-production for the show which aired on the 21st -- this is a non-affiliated party's YouTube copy of it, and I hope Sony will allow it to remain or replace it with the same statement on the official show account:


One thing the official show account on YouTube HAS done (and it's also on the contestant/tribute page the show has on it's website for Stowell) is this interview about her experience on the show.  As an increasingly-jaded game-show fan of four decades, thank you Cindy.  Godspeed.  And I leave my readers with, as the show says, her own words...

Or is that the only reason they exist -- another bunch of sexual abuse/anti-woman stuff...

Why do I have a feeling we are going to see a lot more of this, either made public or made public AND nothing is done about it, with the new Fearless Leader, President GrabHerInThePussy?

Two disturbing stories this week have surfaced to indicate, once again, the only place for a woman in sports appears to be the sexual object of men...

First, a slightly benign one:  Video has apparently surfaced (and Deadspin has picked it up) of a Chargers security guard apparently jacking off in his pants to the Charger cheerleaders.

San Diego police have been notified.  His company has stated "appropriate action" will be taken.  (*snork*  The Chargers are gone in two weeks!)

If anyone is offended by me calling that one "slightly benign", here's the other one in comparison:

The continuing sexual abuse mushroom over USA Gymnastics has led to several major revelations, two of which (at least) are particularly disturbing:

• The number of complaints it is now believed USA Gymnastics has been trying to cover up in the name of farming Olympic medals from little female waifs is now well over 300!
• A Michigan physician who had worked with USA Gymnastics and is one of the central targets of the investigation was arrested -- and found with a child porn stash of over 37,000 images, says the FBI, as reported by the New York Daily News.

Anyone who is shocked by this needs a major reality check.  Larry Nassar is this guy's name, and he has apparently worked with USA Gymnastics from 1986 to 2015.   He faces at least four lawsuits and life in prison if he's convicted of just the direct sexual abuse charges, much less the stash.

This is why equality needs to be enforced by force.  There are four very powerful words which mask a lot of violence, sexual abuse, drug abuse, etc. -- and they are the four central words to the careers of many who are not in as much power as we'd like to think they are...

"You can be replaced..."

Music industry, television and film, sports, what have you and you name it.  If The Powers That Be can replace you and render you irrelevant, they have absolute power over you -- and this is what President Oompa-Loompa made into a reality brand, and now into the Presidency of these United States.

Week 15 Fine Blotter Part 1: OBJ struck again.

He was right...

• New York Giants:  Odell Beckham Jr., and this one is going to piss off people.  $18,231 for Craig Sager cleats.  For one offense or another, that is the SIXTH NFL fine for Beckham this year.
• Since Beckham has now been fined nearly $130,000 and the team is well over the final Club Remittance threshold, the team has also been fined the same amount.
• That puts the Giants $529,920 in arrears to the league this year.

It's time for the league to either get off OBJ's back or suspend him for unsportsmanlike conduct, etc.  He's planning another fine situation this week in the Thursday nighter vs. Philly.

He wasn't the only one:

• Washington Redskins:  DeSean Jackson, $9,115 for holiday-themed illegal cleats.

Week 15 2016 Score Report

(Reminder to those inclined:  Bulk of the games this week are on SATURDAY.  Two games Christmas Day, and the last Monday nighter, along with Thursday.)

• 43.625 PPG this week.  Season average is now down to 44.46.
• Home teams were 7-9 this week.  126-93-1 for the year.  (.575 exactly)
• Over was also 7-9 this week, and now one game below .500 for the year.  Losing about one unit a week now if you were to bet one unit on every game going Over.  (Actually, you'd lose that either way now -- just as Vegas likes it.
• Favorites 8-8 against the number this week, 12-4 straight up.  107-99-7 against the spread for the year, 138-74-1 straight up.
• If you want an indication on how some of the sad sacks in the league have quit already:  Buffalo was -10.5 to Cleveland.  Atlanta -13.5 to San Francisco.  Seattle -15.5 to the Rams.  All covered by 5.5 points or more.
• Team with more penalties was 8-7 this week, still 80-109 for the year though.
• Three Cliffhangers, including one where a 2-point attempt with 4 seconds left to win the game went awry (technically not a true Cliffhanger, but counting it, for now, due to circumstance).
• There were no Last Chance Misses (except the one with the 2-point conversion miss, if you are so inclined.)
• 6 non-competitive games this week.
• Meaning 43 Cliffhangers for the year (19.1%).  As for games that are within one score at some point in the fourth quarter:  164/224 (73.2%).

Storyline update:

AFC:

• New England one game clear for the #1 (12-2 to Oakland's 11-3.)  Both clinched playoff spots this week.  New England has won the AFC East.
• If Oakland wins twice, so must New England to get homefield.
• Steelers #3 at 9-5.  They play Baltimore Christmas Day.  A Steelers win wins the division, a Baltimore win really makes things interesting.
• Stupid NFL Situation of the Week on a sidebar here:  Chris Boswell kicked six field goals for the Steelers in their win last week.  According to the NFL, the last time someone made 7 or more (the record is 8) was in 2007.
• So Boswell was rewarded...  with a drug test.  REALLY?????
• Houston is #4, tied with Tennessee at 8-6, Houston has the first win between the two teams -- the second game is Week 17 at Tennessee.
• Kansas City is #5 with 10-4, and needs at least one Raiders loss to win the division.
• Miami is 9-5 for the #6.  Miami at Pittsburgh.  Kansas City at Houston.
• Baltimore, Tennessee, and Denver at 8-6 and still well in it.
• Indianapolis is 7-7 and alive by the division, mostly.
• Eliminated:  Buffalo (Miami pretty much finished them off, even though Buffalo is also 7-7), Cincinnati, the Jets, Jacksonville, San Diego, and Cleveland.

How bad is it for Indianapolis?  To play on in the playoffs, they need:

• Two wins.
• Houston loses twice.
• Tennessee loses to Jacksonville.

That would win the division.

A wildcard, for starters, would require two wins and two losses by Miami, Denver, and Baltimore.

NFC:

• Dallas is 12-2 and the #1, wins homefield with one more win or a loss or tie by the Giants.
• Seattle is 9-4-1 and has the #2 and has won the NFC West.
• Atlanta and Detroit are both 9-5.  Atlanta gets the #3 on the "strength of victory" tiebreaker as of right now:  Their wins are against teams with better records than Detroit's wins.
• Giants are #5 at 10-4.
• Green Bay has snuck into the #6 over Tampa, with the tiebreaker being "strength of schedule" -- the NFC East + Detroit, basically.  Both are 8-6.
• Green Bay at Atlanta, Giants at Detroit.
• Redskins are 7-6-1, Vikings are 7-7.
• Saints are 6-8, hanging on skin of teeth.   Two wins, two losses by Tampa, Washington, and Green Bay, get the wildcard #2 to 8-8.
• The Carolina Panthers have a similar longshot path.
• Eliminated:  Arizona, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago.

So, basically, 19 teams with a couple or three more hanging on by a thread.

Not your normal year, is it, Roger???

Fine Blotter: Another $200K for the Giants, and the NFL is now definitely booking itself into a corner.

First, the news:

The NFL ruled that the New York Giants illegally used walkie-talkies during it's 10-7 win over Dallas a couple weeks back (the win that gave them the series sweep for the season).

As a result:

• Team has been fined $150,000.
• Coach Ben McAdoo has been fined $50,000.
• And the fourth-round pick the Giants have will now be the last pick in the fourth round, even below compensatories, unless the Giants have more than 12 picks below them in the fourth round, at which point it will drop 12.

I want this clear:

Between this and the on-field stuff, that's basically half a million dollars in fines for the New York Giants this year.  If you don't think the league is noticing this...

Maybe this is why the Cowboys "got back on track" last week to get a very important win which all but seals homefield for the playoffs.

That said, the NFL is definitely booking itself way into a corner here.

As of right now, 48 hours before we start Week 16 (with the bulk of games on Saturday, by the by), take one look at the three teams which appear to be the Super Bowl frontrunners, and you can see major flaws in marketing any of them as champions:

• New England:  Does the league really want another round of having to explain Spygate, Deflategate, the relationship between the league and Bob Kraft, etc.?

To counter:  New England really appears to be the best case of a team which Donald Trump would be proud to call after a Super Bowl victory as a corporate, White champion (yes, I'll go there with the race card), under which everyone is to know their place.

• Dallas:  The Drug-Boys are back, and between those suspensions and the increasing probability of at least one Ezekiel Elliott cover-up, maybe it's more than the league is willing to accept.

To counter:  If you think Donald Trump would like him some Bob Kraft, Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady, he'd LOVE some Jerry Jones.  Not to mention the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on national stages again for President Grab-Her-In-The-Pussy.

• New York Giants:  Before today's fines, they had to be considered a good outsider to wildcard into the playoffs and run the table.  Now, with Odell Beckham Jr. and a half million dollars in fines running around, does the league really want to take that chance?

To counter:  Consider the other two options.  The Giants have come up a bit on the outside the last couple of weeks to get themselves into the discussion, especially with an eerily-similar formula to that which felled the Cheatriots to 18-1.  (Defense being one of the few answers to the Dominant Team -- Dallas in this case.)

So now one has to take a look and ask the question:  If the league eventually rejects all three of these teams, who else is on the docket at about 10-6 ish to make a "miracle run"?

• First on my list would have to be Seattle.  They're already in the playoffs, and, even with four losses and a tie, hold the #2 seed.  If the NFC East winner is dropped in the Divisional round, the 12th Man Cult gets to host the NFC title game again, and that and the refereeing therein would be enough to get the Hags and the 12th Man to Houston.

Advantages:  Legion of Boom Defense and it's dirty hits, just like the other two NFC titles of this current run.  Football over all life, especially with Pedophile State in the Rose Bowl.

Disadvantages:  Bulk of the prominent team is anti-establishment Black.  (And with the protests of Kapernick getting major heat from nationalist fans in the league, is the NFL going to want to push an anti-establishment Black playerbase?)

• Second on my list would be Oakland. The problem the league has with any of the four teams above is that there's no one for the rank and file fan to cheer for. The Raiders are a long-suffering franchise whom the fans across America (especially the extension of the Raider Nation) might get behind.

Advantages: Not unlike the Cubs, the significant national fanbase could be a great benefit to the NFL. It would be a team that is not (to my knowledge) in the league's doghouse, and, hence, might represent a smaller level of hypocrisy than most of the other options. It might finally seal an NFL stadium deal to keep the team in Oakland.

Disadvantages: First, does the NFL really want to keep the team in an Oakland most people accept is falling apart and is too dark of a city to really hallmark anything? Second: Is this an effort to keep the team in Oakland or to increase the team's value for a move, next year, to a Las Vegas which is already willing to accept the Raiders with open arms?

• If the league wanted to go a traditionalist route, there is Kansas City, if they win the AFC West.

Disdvantages: Biggest problem with Kansas City is that there's no real storyline or rigged reason to push them. Arrowhead Stadium, as old as it is, is still one of the hallmark stadiums in the league, and no one is going to confuse Kansas City with a corporate town.

• Another "coming up on the outside" team is Brian Tuohy's discussion of Atlanta, due to their new stadium.

Advantages: I can think of two. The new stadium, and divorcing the legacy of the Falcons once and for all from Michael Vick when he was abusive to animals.

Disadvantages: Is downtown Atlanta too Black for a corporate NFL in the Trump Administration? Keep in mind the Braves ran to Cobb County to bleach it's audience. With the only demographic rising in acceptance of football being White Middle-Class America, would Atlanta, new downtown stadium or no, be a good place for the NFL to market as flagship?

Teams I do not think are on "The List":

• Houston:  And this has little to do with the Super Bowl Host Curse.  If Houston were to win the Super Bowl, it would probably do so without it's one major marketable player (J.J. Watt).  At that point, it would almost be completely against NFL type to push Houston, especially with a better option in-state.
• Green Bay:  Race is right (coach, QB, many of the fans), Wisconsin put Trump over the top...  But the only reason the league tolerates the Green Bay situation is that it's almost iron-clad, given the nature of the real ownership of the team.  Green Bay is about as non-corporate as you get in the NFL of today.  That said, to win the division, they'd need six in a row, and there is a story there:  Off the #6 for one win, final redemption in Seattle for the second, and then you might get to host the Giants if the league abandons the Cowboys in the Divisional round.
• Pittsburgh:  Probably about as "last-resort" as Green Bay, but if the league is having enough of Beckham, Josh Brown is not far behind in the sweepstakes to determine the first player suspended for outright unsportsmanlike conduct on touchdown celebrations.

Sorry, Beckham's right... Hypocrisy by the NFL...

That's funny there's no fine for that. I could only imagine if I was the one to do it. Just bein honest .

— Odell Beckham Jr (@OBJ_3) December 19, 2016

He's right.

The Salvation Army Kettle stunt Ezekiel Elliott pulled last night was flagged, should've been fined.

An NFL spokesman, today, said it won't be fined, according to ESPN.  That led to the (CORRECT) response by Odell Beckham Jr.

Use of a prop in a touchdown celebration is illegal, flagged correctly and should've been fined.  Elliott said he would match a fine with a Salvation Army donation -- and will make the latter anyway.

May I suggest either $12,154 (the value of the fine), or $24,308 (the fine plus your matching of it).

At least one other thing has come from this:  Donations to the Salvation Army are up 61% for the time period surrounding the game year-over-year.

Well, I guess we've got one thing pretty much banked for Week 16...

One of the following two scenarios will occur:

Either:

• Green Bay defeats Minnesota
• or Detroit loses to Dallas on Monday night.

Why?

From Jeff Moss of Detroit, through Brian Tuohy:

Amazing that the Packers were dead in the water 4 weeks ago, now they & Lions will be flexed into an end-all-be-all for the NFC North. https://t.co/Oo4tPqoMNR

— Brian Tuohy (@TheFixIsInTuohy) December 19, 2016

EDIT TO ADD:  Whoops, click the Twitter link.

Moss' post is that the Lions have been notified that their game in Ford Field in Week 17 with the Packers is 95% confirmed the flex game for the Sunday night slot -- usually a winner-take-all loser-goes-home affair.

So let's watch and see how many of THESE get fines on Fine Friday...

One cursory look through Deadspin and it's Twitter account...

• Ezekiel Elliott.  Play was flagged.

pic.twitter.com/hpSWANeKh1

— Deadspin (@Deadspin) December 19, 2016

We can now understand at least the two criteria the NFL is using for this crackdown.  One is to prevent confrontation, the other is to not make the game look bad to lower levels.

Of course, the NFL forgets the only way it can make the second work is to remember the NFL is the only level of football which even allows spiking the football after a touchdown, much less anything else.

Don't worry, this off-season, that's gone.

• T.J. Ward.  Play was flagged, Ward fortunate he was not tossed, because he could've gotten a second flag just afterward.

BAH GAWD pic.twitter.com/wpNxNKHHLM

— Deadspin (@Deadspin) December 19, 2016

Oh my.  I seem to recall that was ejectable long before we went fine-happy to try to convince people the game was safe.  Not only that, but then he throws the flex afterward.  Penalty resulted in a clinching field goal in the 16-3 loss.

• See if you can guess who's getting fined for this one...  Play was NOT flagged.

Bears' Ka'Deem Carey loses his helmet decal after tackle: https://t.co/B82nH9lr76 pic.twitter.com/KMYUGJtgUD

— Deadspin (@Deadspin) December 18, 2016

That is a 15 yard penalty.  And a stiff fine.  A running back cannot use his head to battering-ram like that.  Carey will probably be fined $24,309 for that.

• Jeremy Hill. This, even though it is a clear confrontational situation, was NOT flagged.

If you're a Terrible Towel on the road, beware the consequences. pic.twitter.com/2CbCn8vkZx

— Deadspin (@Deadspin) December 18, 2016

Especially under the NFL's emphasis, that's a cardinal 15-yard penalty, and he may well get fined for that anyway.

Two updates

• In the latest "Money Talks, Bullshit Walks" motif:  Minnesota will be in the Holiday Bowl, boycott over.  Never mind the team is almost-certainly ineligible because of the sexual assault situation and the number of players involved.
• And you can add at least a fifth men's college team to my list today:  Men's Soccer Team at Washington University (St. Louis, MO) suspended because of lewd remarks about the women's team.

It's time to basically shut down college sports.

Let's be blunt about it.

These little boys, in programs all over the nation, are out of fucking control.

• The University of Minnesota may be thrown out of the Holiday Bowl (AND DAMN WELL SHOULD BE!!!) after the team has threatened a boycott after ten players were suspended earlier this week after a season-long Title IX sexual assault investigation.  It does require an NCAA approval (WHY?  The NCAA doesn't sanction the bowls in the first place!!!), but the replacement school is known (Northern Illinois) and would be able to play if the decision were reached in about the next two days.

Forget the goddamn boycott.  This should already be happening.  The Minnesota Golden Gophers should forfeit all wins from this season because of ineligibility.  This investigation was being discussed on the Big Ten Network's coverage of their game with Oregon State, their first game of the season!!

Hence, none of the wins are valid, and they need to be on the horn with the NCAA (I guess...) and Northern Illinois to make it happen, or there's no game.

Period.

But don't we seem to be getting a lot of this in college sports this fall?

Of course, since most of the teams I am about to list are "lesser teams", they can shut these down easily?

• Harvard:  Men's Soccer Team gone.  Lewd comments about the women's soccer team.
• Princeton:  Men's Swimming and Diving Team gone.  Lewd, Misogynistic, and Racist comments found on electronic media.
• Amherst College (Massachusetts):  Men's Cross-Country Team gone.  Racist, Misogynistic, and Homophobic comments.
• Columbia University:  Wrestling Team gone.  Racist, Misogynistic, and Homophobic text messages.

And if we're finding out about this much of it, how much more is going on where sports are actually of value?

Is it also of little coincidence that all four of these schools are academic institutions who only very-peripherally have sports programs?

But, especially as the country becomes far more racist, homophobic, misogynistic and Trump-nationalistic, maybe it's just time we take this experiment of college sports and render it to the dustbin of history...

This Wake Forest match-fixing situation is going postal in a hurry

Time to get the FBI involved.  And, yes, it almost-certainly involves some degree of compensation, so it's sports bribery.

Louisville has been forced to suspend it's offensive coordinator for the bowl game.

Indiana, since it played Wake Forest the last two years, conducted an internal investigation to see if any of their coaches were involved -- all were cleared.  (I actually believe that.  When's the last time Indiana has done jack shit on the football field?)

Virginia Tech has belief none of their parties were involved, in a statement released today, but there is evidence they were (the game involved actually went to overtime SCORELESS).

At least another recent opponent has also said they may have received the leaks.

Fine Friday again for Week 14

More may be forthcoming, but we begin with frustrations in Seattle with the blowout loss last week.  (per ESPN's Rob Demovsky):

• Seattle Seahawks:  Richard Sherman:  $18,231 for a cheap shot (not defenseless, or it'd have been far more, he was penalized double for a repeat offender).
• Seattle Seahawks:  K.J. Wright got a big one as a repeat offender.  His defenseless player hit cost him $48,620.
• A third Seattle player, Cliff Avril, escaped a fine for hitting an opponent in the nuts -- probably because it was one of those "in the pile" situations and no one could actually pick it up on the video, or at least that's what Demovsky says.
• Those two large repeat-offender fines catapault Seattle all the way from the middle of the table to threshold-passing range, so the team has another $50,000 to cough up.  (For the record, their opponents last week passed that threshold a couple weeks ago.)

Any other fines I can find:

• Denver Broncos:  Emmanuel Sanders:  For an illegal touchdown celebration -- throwing a football like a fastball in baseball????  Are you SERIOUS, NFL??  $12,154, and he did get flagged 15 for it too.  (Pro Football Talk)

OK, it's clear, and I'm not even sure at this point it's going to wait til next year.

First off, if the league is going to go this far, then it has to finish it:  15 from the previous spot for anything but handing the ball to the ref and going back to the sideline (no Lambeau Leap, no spikes, etc.), and it starts NEXT WEEK, No Fun League.  If you're going to go this far on it, then you might as well go the rest of the way too.

COME ON, MAN!!

• Sanders was chastised by his coach for the penalty, and the team probably added to it.  Denver has now crossed the first threshold, so, if the same penalties apply as in past years, that's $50,000 from the Broncos -- the sixth team to cross.
• Washington Redskins:  DeShazor Everett:  TWO TIME LOSER in the same game, and why wasn't he tossed for the pair???  Injured Brett Celek on a helmet shot, then took out Darren Sproles less than two minutes later!!  $24,309 for each, $48,618 for the pair.  (24-7 Sports)
• And, as you might suspect:  Washington becomes the seventh team to pass the first $50,000 threshold.
• The Aqib Talib situation was NOT FINED.  Talib started a fight after Harry Douglas cheap-shotted one of his teammates on the previous play with a helmet to the knee.  
• Douglas was NOT FINED FOR THE LOW BLOCK!!!
• Cincinnati Bengals:  Carlos Dunlap:  $18,231 for a horse-collar on the quarterback.
• Cincinnati Bengals:  Tyler Eifert:  $18,231 for a crackback block. (Pro Football Talk again for the Bengals fines.)

And more found Monday on Spotrac:

• Houston Texans:  Chris Clark:  $9,115 for a facemask.
• You guessed it:  Houston is also past the first threshold.
• Indianapolis Colts:  Erik Walden:  $9,115 for unnecessary roughness
• Indianapolis Colts:  T.J. Green:  $9,115 for roughing the kicker.
• Chicago Bears:  Cornelius Washington:  $9,115 for a facemask
• Oakland Raiders:  Jihad Ward:  $9,115 for a facemask.
• Atlanta Falcons:  Ra'Shede Hageman:  $18,231 for roughing the passer
• Atlanta Falcons:  LaRoy Reynolds:  $18,231 for a facemask

That's over $237,000 in direct player fines, tacking on another $200,000 for four teams crossing the first threshold this week (Houston, Washington, Denver, and Seattle).

Interesting statistic here, the eight teams (by what I have seen reported) to cross the first threshold for fines, and their current situation vis-a-vis the playoffs:

• New York Giants:  First NFC wild-card at 10-4, only two victories over Dallas this year.  Can win division and homefield throughout with two wins and two Dallas losses.
• Cincinnati Bengals:  Eliminated from the playoffs this week at 5-8-1. 
• Washington Redskins:  Playing Carolina tonight -- if they win, they're second NFC wild-card at 8-5-1.  If not, they're behind Tampa (who would have the wild-card with common games over Green Bay) and Green Bay.
• Seattle Seahawks:  Clinched the NFC West this week at 9-4-1, sit as the #2 seed in the NFC right now.
• Denver Broncos:  In it, but barely.  They're the third team at 8-6, and, hence, the ninth-placed team in the AFC.  They lose a three-way tiebreaker to Baltimore and Tennessee, and then lose head-to-head with Tennessee.
• Houston Texans:  Leads AFC South (#4 seed) at 8-6 and the one game won over Tennessee.  They play again in Week 17.
• Green Bay Packers:  One back from Detroit in the NFC North at 8-6.  Currently #7 or #8, depending on what happens with Washington -- of course, see post below on the division.
• New York Jets:  Just End The Season -- again.

So only two of the eight teams are out of the playoffs.  One is definitely in.  And the other five are all knee-deep or deeper in the run.

Next three teams on the list are Pittsburgh (#3 seed, 9-5, AFC North leaders), Buffalo (7-7, almost out but not quite), and Detroit (see Green Bay, #3 seed, 9-5, NFC North leaders).

So 9 of the 11 most-fined teams this year are in the playoff chase, and there's only 20 teams with any real shot left!

A little behind, so here's the Score Report for Week 14

• One of the lightest scoring weeks in years (weather may have had a role -- if it did, expect another low-scoring week this week):  39.812 PPG  Only one game went over 50 (Atlanta's finishing off of Jeff Fisher.).
• For the 14 weeks and 208 games:  44.524 PPG
• Home teams were 9-7 this week, but it took the national 4:00 game, the Sunday nighter, and the Monday nighter to get there.  119-84-1 for the year (.586)
• First five afternoon games on the board went under.  Washington and Philly pushed at 49, and the Over finished at 6-9-1 for the week, 103-102-2 with one middle for the year.
• Favorites were 10-6 against the number last week, 11-5 straight up (Detroit was the only favorite to win but not cover -- geez, giving 7 when every game save one has been within one score?  I know The Bears Still Suck, but...).  99-91-7 ATS, 126-70-1 SU.  (Quite a number of Pick Em games this year.)
• Team with more penalties was 4-11 this week, 72-102 for the year. (.391)
• 3 Cliffhangers this week, 40 for the year.  (Washington, Miami, and the Jets)  (19.2% of the games this year are Cliffhangers.)
• 5 Last Chance Misses, including one overlap in the Washington game.
• 4 other games finished within one score (for 10 of the 16 total), and one more was within a score in the 4th.  5 non-competitive games.
• Percentage of competitive games now down to about 74%.

Storyline update:

• New NFC contender:  With the Giants sweeping the Cowboys and giving them their only two losses, looking suspiciously like the year the Giants ended 19-0 for the Patriots.  Looks like a match-up situation, and with Ezekiel Elliot and the drug suspensions, one has had to wonder (with one, until last week, having to wonder if the Super Bowl was pretty much set, for reasons I hope to get into in another post) if maybe the NFL is either telling Jerry Jones to get a leash on some of his players or prepared already to go another direction.
• Dallas still the NFC #1 at 11-2, but they can lose the division if they fall flat down the stretch -- Giants are two back with three to play and have the tiebreak.
• Detroit is now the #2 at 9-4, Seattle #3 at 8-4-1 (before last night's game), and Atlanta #4 at 8-5 (wins tiebreak over Tampa Bay on common games).
• Giants #5 at 9-4, Tampa #6 at 8-5.  Three teams at seven wins, so basically nine teams in the NFC in the running.
• Tampa at Seattle, Giants at Atlanta.

AFC:

• New England #1 at 11-2, Kansas City #2 at 10-3 (tiebreak over Oakland with Head to Head sweep).
• Pittsburgh #3 at 8-5, Houston #4 at 7-6 (all tiebreakers to Houston).
• Oakland #5 at 10-3 (with a better record than all the other playoff teams except the two #1 seeds), and Denver #6 at 8-5 (wins tiebreak with Miami on common games).  Tennessee and Baltimore have seven wins, so, nine AFC teams appear to be in the running.
• Oakland at Pittsburgh, Denver at Houston.

We've got a match-fixing scandal in the ACC...

(Blogger's Note:  I regret the obvious error.  Wake Forest in the Big Ten???)

Just WHY is the one remaining question...

Thank you to my anonymous bullshit detector and to Deadspin for this one.

The announcer of Wake Forest University football has been thrown off the campus and fired.

And I think the FBI is going to have a talk with him real soon now.

According to Wake Forest University, Tommy Elrod gave game materials, with game plans and everything, on multiple occasions, dating back to at least 2014.

He was found out when, after Wake Forest was trashed by Louisville (this year, and there was talk there was sabotage involved...), Wake Forest found out that Louisville knew of plays Wake Forest had never run.

First thought my friend had was gambling debts.

Why?

• Elrod was an assistant at Wake Forest for at least 11 years, including six (at least) as quarterbacks coach. (From cached searching, he's already been pulled off the Wake Forest official site.)
• Elrod also played for Wake Forest.
• He certainly had access to all that as a trusted member of the Wake Forest community for so many years.

And the worst part of it:  Louisville was a 34.5 point favorite in the game he was caught.

Louisville only won by 32.

Drug Suspension Blotter: Another Repeat Offender out of the league

• Sammie Lee Hill has been thrown out of the league for at least a year.  His second drug suspension of the year, though his first may have been the end of his NFL career to begin with (he was cut by the Titans after it)
• Indianapolis Colts:  D'Qwell Jackson, 4 games, PEDs
• Green Bay Packers:  Mike Pennell, 4 games  Substance abuse, his second suspension of the season.
• Cleveland Browns:  Jordan Payton, 4 games, PEDs
• New Orleans Saints:  Kenny Vaccaro, 4 games, PEDs

And, speaking of blood on the field...

Someone care to explain to me why this was not even flagged today?

Harry Douglas took out Chris Harris' knee with a helmet shot early in the game today.  No flag, no call.

Bush league play by Harry Douglas #DENvsTEN https://t.co/lQE4biOFVK

— The Sports Junky (@TheSportsJunky1) December 11, 2016

I have little use for Aqib Talib, but one has to take note that Talib got flagged for fighting Douglas on the next play.

So which fine is bigger, Goodell?  Or does Douglas get fined at all??

Oh. My. God. They're serious....

(Deadspin)

Someone wants a fucking bloodbath in the NFL.

Three legislators in the state of Washington actually want to legalize guns in football stadiums, sports arenas, convention centers, etc.

And if you can't see the myriad ways this goes pear-shaped (especially with respect to the "12th Man", both with respect to the opponents and members of the "12th Man" they find disloyal, for whatever (non-)reason...), I don't know what to tell you.

Sounds like the blood on the field is not enough for some Rethuglipigs.

This, two days after a Turkish stadium was bombed and 28 Turkish soccer fans killed.

Fine Blotter: Getting weird in Oakland...

• Oakland Raiders:  Marquette King, $12,154 for unsportsmanlike conduct -- he made the official's flag into a prop and was penalized late in the fourth quarter.

Why is this weird?

This makes King a TWO-TIME LOSER, as he was fined for a cheap shot earlier in the year.

He's the Raiders PUNTER.

It's Week 13 Fine Friday

Note:  The numbers I have on fines are the ones I've found -- there may be more.  The NFL, after a couple of years of huge numbers of fines making the league look bad, has covered up most fine reports, so I've had to resort to places like Twitter to find them.

• New York Giants:  Odell Beckham, Jr.:  $12,154 for verbal abuse of an official, saying Stevie Wonder could've seen him getting fouled.  (Except it wasn't for those post-game comments -- it was for similar comments during the game -- the post-game comments could draw another fine.)  That's his FOURTH NFL fine of the year, and his ninth in his third NFL season.  No suspension -- yet.  
• New York Giants:  Eric Pinkins:  $24,309 for a special teams cheap shot.
• New York Giants:  Largely, but not exclusively, due to Beckham, the Giants will now be fined as a team dollar-for-dollar for every fine for the rest of the year.  They have reached the final penalty plateau, and you can add another $50,000 to that.  By latest math, the Giants have been fined nearly $300,000 for game misconduct.
• New York Jets:  Sheldon Richardson,
• New York Jets:  Buster Skrine, 
• New York Jets:  and Breno Giacomini:  $9,115 each for personal fouls in the same game.
• New York Jets:  And that makes them the fourth NFL team to reach the first $50,000 penalty level, $121,540 on the nose.
• Philadelphia Eagles:  Dorial Green-Beckham forgot last week's immunity was only for charity causes.  Since his cleats were simply pimping Kanye West, he DID get fined $6,076.

More probably coming.

Playing fair a moment: Copa Sudamerica, Posthumous Edition

I've been remiss in not mentioning this.

Chapecoense football club was travelling to the Copa Sudamerica (the club championship of South America) final, the first of a two-legged final with Atletico National, when their plane went down and 71 died, including 19 members of the team.

Obviously, the matches were never played.  And, at the request of a continent's worth of soccer teams, players, and officials (led by Atletico National, who were recognized by COMNEBOL for their Fair Play). Chapecoense were awarded the Copa Sudamerica on Monday.

A worldwide soccer effort has been launched to get the franchise back on it's feet, including Barcelona, who, today, announced inviting what team Chapecoense can get together for a friendly next August.

Another body, laid on the altar of football...

Rashaad Salaam.

Running back, former Heisman winner.

Dead at 42, reports say suicide.

Anyone else thinking CTE?

Week 13 2016 Score Report

• Week 13 score average:  43.533 PPG
• With all teams now having played 12 games, the season average:  44.917 PPG
• Home teams were 9-6 for the week, 109-77-1 for the year (.586)
• The over was 6-8-1 this week - the first real push of the year:  Tampa Bay and San Diego went off at a 49 total, and it finished 28-21.  100-93-1 for the over for the year, slight nod to Vegas.
• Favorites:  9-5 against the number (the Monday nighter went off a Pick), 10-4 straight up.  For the year, 89-85-7 against the number, 115-65-1 straight up.
• Team with more penalties was 5-6 last week, 68-91 for the year.
• SEVEN non-competitive games this week.  NO Cliffhangers.
• Three Last Chance Misses.
• Only five games finished within one score, after this find from Brian Tuohy through the Wall Street Journal:

Through the first 12 weeks of the season, 60.2% of NFL games have been decided by eight points or fewer https://t.co/1Ah66FQ7OV

— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) November 29, 2016

• 37 Cliffhangers for the year out of 192 games played.  (19.27%)
• Percentage of games decided by eight or fewer is down to 58.33% (112/192)
• Only 49 non-competitive games out of 192 (74.47% of games competitive)

Storyline Watch:

• Getting serious in Oakland this week:  They are the #1 seed again on common opponents to New England.  (The victory over the Bills was an opponent New England lost to, New England plays neither Atlanta or Kansas City.)  That said, Oakland has to go to Kansas City in a game that, if KC wins, gives KC the tiebreak over Oakland at the end of the year.  Oakland wins, they're up two with three to play for the division.
• Baltimore and Pittsburgh are both now 7-5 -- Baltimore beat the Steelers in the first meeting, they meet again on Christmas Day.  Baltimore is #3.
• Houston, Indianapolis, and Tennessee are all 6-6 -- Tiebreaker for the one division spot for the #4 goes to Houston because they've swept the other two in their first meetings.
• #5 is Kansas City at 9-3 -- see above with Oakland Thursday night.
• #6 is Denver at 8-4.  One up on Miami and Pittsburgh, two up on Indy, Tennessee, and Buffalo.
• Denver at Baltimore, Kansas City at Houston.

NFC:

• Congratulations to the Dallas Cowboys, the first team to clinch a playoff spot -- four weeks to go. Still the #1 at 11-1 after the (rigged) win over Minnesota.
• Seattle is the #2 at 8-3-1 -- Dallas is 2 1/2 up with four to play.  A win and a Seattle loss and Dallas clinches home field throughout with three weeks to go.
• Detroit is 8-4 for the #3 -- two clear of both the Vikes and the Packers.
• Atlanta is 7-5 for the #4.  Breaks the tie with Tampa Bay on division record, Tampa is the #6 at 7-5.  (Tampa is half a game up on Washington, one full up on the Vikings and Packers.)
• New York Giants are #5 at 8-4.
• Tampa at Detroit, Giants at Atlanta.

I'm still not sold on Oakland.  I really am not.  Even if I thought they were pushing Oakland, I think it's more to raise the value of a Las Vegas Raiders team rather than keeping them in Oakland, too dark of a city (on any number of points) for the corporate NFL these days.

The NFL Gives Thanks For These Contributions: Fine Blotter

• Dallas Cowboys:  Rolando McClain has been thrown out of the league for his FOURTH drug offense in a year and a half.  He's probably now, if he ever plays again (and the Cowboys do not expect this), looking at 2019 before he can play again, and that's if he stays straight.
• Buffalo Bills:  Seantrel Henderson is done until mid-next-season, as he's also gotten his second strike of the season for drugs and will sit 10 games.
• At least five players have received multiple drug strikes since the Super Bowl.

And now to the regular weekly bullshitfest:

• Pittsburgh Steelers:  Antonio Brown, for at least the THIRD TIME THIS SEASON (and FOURTH in about a year), fined for a touchdown celebration.  $24,309 for him..  He is now a FOUR-TIME LOSER (just this season) with almost $64,000 in fines this year (at least as of current count, $15,000 or so more than the rest of the team combined and more than half the number necessary to get the team fined another $50,000 for accumulation).
• Pittsburgh Steelers:  And $12,154 for Le'Veon Bell for the same event. 
• Green Bay Packers:  Julius Peppers:  $9,115 for a facemask.
• And the Green Bay Packers become the third team to be fined $50,000 under the Club Remittance Policy for over $121,000 in accumulated fines.  They hit the number of $121,540 exactly with the Peppers fine.  That is the seventh game the Packers have had at least one fine.
• Kansas City Chiefs:  Eric Berry:  $24,309 for a helmet hit.
• Houston Texans:  Kareem Jackson:  Same fine, same offense.
• Carolina Panthers:  Derek Anderson:  $12,154 for unsportsmanlike conduct on the sideline.  He was the backup quarterback and may have been ejected for disrespect of an official.
• Carolina Panthers:  A.J. Klein:  $9,115 for a facemask.
• Cleveland Browns:  Corey Coleman:  $9,115 for an offensive facemask.

Black Ex-NFL Player Dies In Deliberate Road-Rage Attack, White Attacker Will Not Be Charged

You read that right.

It appears the big lede here is being buried in the death of former New York Jet Joe McKnight.

This is Deadspin, from NOLA.com:

A witness, who declined to give her name, said she was leaving a store in the area when she saw a man at the intersection yelling at another man, who was trying to apologize. The man who was yelling shot the other man more than once, she said.

She said the shooter shot the man, stood over him and said “I told you don’t you f—- with me.” Then he fired again, she said.

And now, today, word from numerous media sources:  The shooter, a 55 year-old White business owner named Robert Gasser, will not be charged.

Joe McKnight was unarmed.

Look, I sometimes have cross words for NFL players and the like, but this likely was a racially-motivated attack...

Trump won Louisiana by 20 points, just saying.  Just saying....

You STILL Want To Believe These Games Are Not Fixed?

That's Sam Bradford taking a shot to the head (AND a hand in the face mask) on the two-point conversion play that, when missed and the ensuing onside kick was not recovered, allowed Dallas to go to 11-1 and the front of the line of Super Bowl favorites with a 17-15 escape of now-6-6 Minnesota.

The referee actually told Bradford, it was revealed this morning, that he was not hit in the facemask.

The photo shows otherwise.

Your sport is RIGGED, Football Nation America.  Wake the fuck up....

(Photo from Deadspin, no word on where they got it.)