The Nittany Turkey

Primarily about Penn State football, this is a tale told by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

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Archives for August 20, 2012

Pros cover up stuff, too: Hali arrest

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In this morning’s post about ex-Nittany Lion Tamba Hali’s punishment for an unstated violation of the NFL substance policy, for which he was suspended one game and docked one more game’s pay, we assumed that the league’s failure to divulge details meant that the Kansas City Chiefs’ All-Pro pass rusher smoked a joint and tested positive.

That turns out not to be true, at least the drug testing part of it, because the NFL substance-abuse policy specifies either a four-game or a one-year suspension in the circumstance of a failed test. Hali didn’t get that strict a sentence.

So, what’s going on here?

Turns out that the league office has given up a little more precious information. The one-game suspension is purportedly because of a violation of the law that was previously unreported and undisclosed.

So, Hali must have been arrested at some point in the past, and the arrest must have been related to a “substance,” which could be alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, performance enhancers, or anything else that is illegal (Click here to know what should be done if you are caught in the same situation). Whatever it was, whenever it was, everybody kept their big mouths shut, as today was the first the ever-nosy sports media even heard of such a thing.

ProFootballTalk claims to have a knowledgeable source that the offense likely involved marijuana, possibly, maybe, perhaps, allegedly. If you would like to know more, see the page here, although they don’t much away. We have nothing official from anyone. Mum’s the word.

I guess there’s a bit of a loophole in the NFL substance abuse policy. If the league catches a player in violation, he gets either four games or a year. If the law catches a player using, then his team can tell the league later about the arrest and lose the guy for only a single game, although the policy apparently provides for up to four.

Confusing as hell, isn’t it? Well, go read it for yourself.

If I’m reading it correctly, the NFL better review the policy and fix it.

Click on the following to know more about Virginia Center for Addiction Medicine and how they have helped hundreds of poeple battle addiction in their life.

“Paterno” review by the New York Times

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Joe Posnanski’s much anticipated, yet ill-timed, biography of former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno, simply entitled “Paterno,” will be released tomorrow, with advance copies already having been distributed to the media. Today, the New York Times published its review, written by Dwight Garner.

Paterno by Joe Posnanski
“Paterno” by Joe Posnanski, a Biography of the Coach

My review of the review is that Garner does a pretty straight job, but he injects some opinions that are still based on conjecture (which included accepting the Freeh report’s conjectures as fact). He feels that Paterno’s undergraduate experiences at Brown are given short shrift, and in this respect I admit that I always like looking back on the early days of figures who have become larger than life many years later.

As for Sandusky — which is a subject that will spur sales of the book — Garner asserts that there is no new information about the scandal itself, but there are revelations about the nuances of the Sandusky/Paterno relationship, to wit:

The book’s best chapter, and the one many people will turn to first, is titled simply “Sandusky.” Paterno hired Mr. Sandusky as a full-time assistant coach in 1969, when Mr. Sandusky was 25, and made him Penn State’s defensive coordinator eight years later. The two men disliked each other almost from the start, Mr. Posnanski reports, and he adds new detail about this uneasy relationship. Paterno thought Mr. Sandusky was a glory hound who wanted his job. Their styles were different. Paterno liked a drink now and then. Mr. Sandusky was a teetotaler.

I’ve got a Kindle copy of the book coming to me just as soon as Amazon releases it. My own review will be forthcoming.

 

Tamba Hali Suspended by Chiefs

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All-Pro ex-Nittany Lion Tamba Hali has been suspended by the NFL Kansas City Chiefs for violation of the NFL policy on substance abuse.

The league’s announcement gave no details of the violation. ???? ??? ??? ????? Hali will miss the opening game against the Falcons and will forfeit pay for one more game.

He’ll be allowed to participate in pre-season practices and games, including Friday night’s Seahawks game. ???? ??? ??? ?????

Chances are that he merely relaxed with a joint — this Turkey’s conjecture — but the league’s policy is unforgiving.

“Tamba’s situation is unfortunate,” Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli said. “Obviously we are disappointed and will miss him during the suspension, but the NFL’s policies are very clear and we respect the league’s decision in this matter. ???? ???? ??? ???? ”

Hali is the Chiefs’ best pass rusher, and is coming off his best season.

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