Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Tomorrow is going to be a very important day for the Cleveland Browns...

  • If Ogunjubo's suspension is reduced to a fine, the team fine for the Browns will be reduced from a current $750,000 (ish) to $500,000 (ish).  This is because of the first clause of the Club Remittance Policy capping a team with three suspensions to $250,000 in fines rather than $500,000 for four if Ogunjubo's suspension stands.
  • Garrett's only real course for action does appear to be that he and his are claiming the CBA cannot allow the Commissioner or any party within the NFL to ban for life any player on the basis of an on the field act.  Even Burfict was technically only suspended to the end of the season, and I need to double-check to see if he's even in need of a Commissioner reinstatement!
  • The hearings were held Monday and Tuesday.  An announcement should come early Wednesday, so the Browns know if they have Ogunjubo this week.
  • The team and head coach Kitchens have said they stand behind Myles Garrett.  (How much more of this before people figure out that a culture was created in Cleveland where hurting people was tantamount to winning -- especially because this Browns team SUCKS??)
Predictions:
  • Garrett's ban will stand and will force the NFLPA to determine whether it wants to die on this hill on the "life ban for on-field acts" situation.
  • Ogunjubo, I can't make a call on.  The act, in and of itself, is a dirty shot -- but it's not suspendable on direct face.  HOWEVER, not only does the team record of fines for the year indicate a pattern of dirty and injurious play, it is a blatant cheap shot as a function of a fight of someone who probably should have reasonably been thought to have a concussion from Garrett's actions.  At best, I'm 60-40 it goes to an additional fine.
  • Pouncey?  Said it then, believe it now.  He will be suspended, but it will reduce from 3 games down to 2.  I don't think they want to afford Pouncey on the field for the rematch (and one of the reasons they should've suspended Mason Rudolph -- they have all but guaranteed an incident December 1!), but there is significant mitigation in the actions of Pouncey, as disgusting as they otherwise would be.
And remember, we still have not even dealt with from this game:
  • A roughing the passer call
  • The other ejection
  • Possibly (I have not seen the hit) Juju Schuster-Smith's injury
  • Mason Rudolph himself
  • And about ten players who will probably be fined for their actions.
  • Remember that the Browns must match all fines their players get (which could easily head for another $75000-$100000 with the above)
  • And that the Steelers, as of the announcement of the Pouncey suspension, will probably breach Level 1 with the Rudolph fine (which almost-certainly will be AT LEAST the $35,096 for fighting) to add another $50,000 to that number.
  • As such, by the time we're done, even if Ogunjubo is reinstated for this week, we're probably talking $575-$600K for the Browns and probably $350K or so for the Steelers.
  • All this with a rematch now just a week and a half away.

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