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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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.

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.

Is it a figment of my imagination?

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I watched the first quarter of the Cowboys vs. Raiders pre-season game just to check out the former Penn State guys. Otherwise, I have no interest in either team. But this was the night that Dan Connor was to get his first start alongside Sean Lee for Dallas, so I didn’t want to miss that debut.

Oakland got the ball on the first series, which meant that Stefen Wisniewski would get some camera time, as he was starting at center. He was called out by ESPN announcers Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden, who mentioned that he played guard all last year and thought the chances were good that he’d be the next big thing as an offensive lineman. They didn’t bother to mention that he was a Penn Stater.

Meanwhile, Connor and Lee were in there at linebacker for the ‘Boys. Tirico and Gruden gave them some significant shout-out time, talking about how Connor came from Carolina and Lee was viewed as being a great leader in the locker room and on the field. They mentioned that Connor and Lee had played together and were reunited. That would have been the perfect time for a plug for Linebacker U., yet there was nary a mention of Penn State.

Was this my imagination? Penn State paranoia? You’d be inclined to think so if it weren’t for the fact that our buddies in the booth mentioned college affiliations for many other players on both teams, not only rookies, but also long-established NFL players. I might be over-sensitized, but when I hear the wonks talking about so-and-so, who is “an eight year pro out of LSU,” but haven’t heard a single mention of Penn State with three ex-Nittany Lions in starting positions, it almost feels as they are deliberately avoiding saying the poisonous two words, “Penn State.”

Before you say it is SEC bias, let me assure you that Tirico and Gruden mentioned schools such as Southwest Missouri State and Temple in connection with other players, so it has nothing to do with region, conference, or NCAA division.

Because the game was so boring, and because the starters were all pulled during the first quarter, that’s all I watched. (The final score was 3-0.) This leads me to ask two questions of you readers:

  1. Did any of you see the entire game, and if you did, was there any mention of Penn State?
  2. Do you think I’m paranoid? Just plain crazy?

Tell me what you think.