Matt Prater Suspended

[BroncoInCALI]

Wait, so you are making the case that "potentially" Matt Prater was drunk on the field? Do you get your news from the Dr. Seuss News Network or something?

And as for the marketing of alcohol to millions while cracking on a player to the level they did Prater is far more a part of the conversation than your made up nonsense.....lmao.....but, sure, keep going. It's entertaining.

 

[HOF-ELWAY-7]

Fine, your kicker is a drunk and should have known better.

Sounds like I made your ass quit!

 

[cdumler7]

One event is 100% off field, the other was potentially not.

And btw, kind of off topic - but it's actually pretty common to see people in jail for longer on things that aren't actually worse. I had to do 30 days once over a misdemeanor charge of "criminal damage to property" and I watched people come in and then leave a few days later with probation on a felony via plea.

As for the NFL and hypocrisy over advertisements. What a bunch of horseshit. That's like claiming anyone who works at the alcohol factory should be allowed to drink while working and calling them hypocrites. It's a business, making money off a product isn't some kind of free pass towards it.

There is no "potentially" about it. It was in the off season that this happened. Players at that time were not allowed in the facilities for team activities. His lawyer has told us he was at home drinking some beer and the NFL showed up for a random drug/alcohol test. Because he was in the alcohol program they are allowed to do this at any time they want.

What did Matt Prater do to you that has made you have such a vendetta to prove he is a worse human being than that of a guy who knocked out his wife? Not saying he is a saint by any means but this just seems a bit over the top in my opinion.

 

[Broncos6482]

I find some of these posts stunning. It's totally fine to compare suspensions. To say that showing up to a team function drunk, deserves a steeper suspension than knocking your fiance out cold is the silliest thing I've read in a while. Prater didn't show up at a team function drunk, get your facts straight. There is a player conduct policy in every players contract and I assume one of those infractions would cover knocking out the women you "love". Take it out of the NFL and into court. Who gets the steeper sentence, a guy that knocks out his wife and drags her out of the elevator face down and drops her like a piece of meat or a guy that gets a DUI? Oh wait, he didn't get a DUI for this suspension, he served all of his time, paid his dues and had a couple of beers legally. It's absolutely ridiculous that a guy has a couple of beers legally, doesn't hurt anyone and gets a stiffer sentence than a thug that knocked out his wife.

One more point,as Cali said it's hypocrisy to watch all the beer commercials where everyone is drinking, lining the NFL's considerably deep pockets.

Legality has nothing to do with this. I can legally walk into my boss's office and call him an idiot. I don't because it would be detrimental to my employment. Same thing with Prater. The NFL has pretty strict policies spelled out in the CBA regarding any kind of substance use. So while it's perfectly legal for him to knock a few back on his vacation, his employer has said that he's not allowed to because of his dui. He did, he got caught, he got suspended per the cba.

Now back to Rice. Here you're talking about a gray area for the NFL in that punishments for domestic issues aren't spelled out in the CBA specifically. So now you've got to make a judgment call. In the case of Rice, you've got a guy who has never been in any trouble before (that I know of, correct me if I'm wrong please). He comes in to plead his case, he's extremely apologetic, he admits he screwed up badly and throws himself on the mercy of the court. And the woman he knocked out is there too, speaking on his behalf, pleading for him. So the NFL decides, ok, because this is your first issue, we're going to be a little more lenient and only suspend you for two games, but they put Rice on an extremely short leash and tell him that if he has any other incident, he'll get hammered.

I don't write all of that to say that I agree with the length of Rice's suspension (I don't, I think it should have been longer), but I write it to demonstrate how the NFL could have reached its decision. The thing is, we don't know all of the facts of the Rice case (or the Prater case, for that matter). But comparing the Rice suspension to the Prater suspension is pointless: the length of one has nothing to do with the length of the other.

 

[BroncoInCALI]

For the record, I'm not arguing the suspension vs suspension thing. The Collective Bargaining Agreement is what it is, until something happens that makes them look at changing certain thing. I just get frustrated with the situations like this.

I am reminded of the movie Shawshank Redemption......"WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO OBTUSE?" (That got Andy thrown in solitary for 6 weeks or so....lol)

Letter of the law with Prater is understood. Even though it is a bit heavy handed given the circumstances.

 

[Broncos6482]

I get that, although personally I'd rather the NFL err on the side of too heavy handed than too lenient (I'm looking at you, Ray Rice).

 

[cdumler7]

Looks like Broncos have made a roster move releasing Mitch Ewald (Thank goodness as this kid had me scared for these first few games with how bad he has looked). In his place they have traded for Brandon McManus of the NY Giants. The Broncos have given up a conditional 7th round pick. So far McManus has played in 7 career preseason games and is 3-3 on field goals with the shortest one being from 46 yards and has 18 touch backs on 25 kick offs.


From what I understand there is rumors that if this kid performs at a high level over the first 4 weeks of the season the team is actually considering letting Prater walk. This kid is known to have just as strong of a leg as that of Prater (has been rumored McManus has made a 75 yarder before) and while in college was voted special teams player of the year. He was also a Punter while in college so if Colquitt were to ever get hurt we would have his back up already on the roster ready to go.

 

[Malibu]

I find some of these posts stunning. It's totally fine to compare suspensions. To say that showing up to a team function drunk, deserves a steeper suspension than knocking your fiance out cold is the silliest thing I've read in a while. Prater didn't show up at a team function drunk, get your facts straight. There is a player conduct policy in every players contract and I assume one of those infractions would cover knocking out the women you "love". Take it out of the NFL and into court. Who gets the steeper sentence, a guy that knocks out his wife and drags her out of the elevator face down and drops her like a piece of meat or a guy that gets a DUI? Oh wait, he didn't get a DUI for this suspension, he served all of his time, paid his dues and had a couple of beers legally. It's absolutely ridiculous that a guy has a couple of beers legally, doesn't hurt anyone and gets a stiffer sentence than a thug that knocked out his wife.

One more point,as Cali said it's hypocrisy to watch all the beer commercials where everyone is drinking, lining the NFL's considerably deep pockets.

!00% I agree. Great post. Just saying.

 

[Malibu]

Fine, your kicker is a drunk and should have known better.

Just curious. Why are you so concerned about the Prater situation and what us Broncos fans think? Just saying.

 

[HOF-ELWAY-7]

Legality has nothing to do with this. I can legally walk into my boss's office and call him an idiot. I don't because it would be detrimental to my employment. Same thing with Prater. The NFL has pretty strict policies spelled out in the CBA regarding any kind of substance use. So while it's perfectly legal for him to knock a few back on his vacation, his employer has said that he's not allowed to because of his dui. He did, he got caught, he got suspended per the cba.

Now back to Rice. Here you're talking about a gray area for the NFL in that punishments for domestic issues aren't spelled out in the CBA specifically. So now you've got to make a judgment call. In the case of Rice, you've got a guy who has never been in any trouble before (that I know of, correct me if I'm wrong please). He comes in to plead his case, he's extremely apologetic, he admits he screwed up badly and throws himself on the mercy of the court. And the woman he knocked out is there too, speaking on his behalf, pleading for him. So the NFL decides, ok, because this is your first issue, we're going to be a little more lenient and only suspend you for two games, but they put Rice on an extremely short leash and tell him that if he has any other incident, he'll get hammered.

I don't write all of that to say that I agree with the length of Rice's suspension (I don't, I think it should have been longer), but I write it to demonstrate how the NFL could have reached its decision. The thing is, we don't know all of the facts of the Rice case (or the Prater case, for that matter). But comparing the Rice suspension to the Prater suspension is pointless: the length of one has nothing to do with the length of the other.

OMG.... Thanks for the civics lesson. Fine keep it in the NFL justice system. Where the he!! did I ever say Prater didn't deserve to get a suspension? I never minimized what he did. I guaran-damn-tee you that knocking out your fiance is covered by the CBA's personal player conduct rule and is not "gray area". It's freaking egregious that a guy knocks out his wife, drags her face down out of an elevator, drops her like a piece of meat and gets less of a suspension than a guy who did something legal but broke an employers rule. Yes it was the second offense for Prater but the "second offense" did not break the law, it broke a rule. BIG difference. Common sense would tell you which is the more egregious offense, a two time alcohol offense where no one got hurt or a guy knocking out his fiance. Are you really suggesting that knocking out your fiance is less of an offense to the NFL because it was the first time he's been in trouble?

My sense of right and wrong tells me that you don't give a slap on the wrist to a guy that knocks out a women that you supposedly love and drag her out of an elevator and drop her to the ground. I was simply using the two suspensions for context and how it seems way out of whack, but again thanks for the lesson Stephen A Smith.

I could care less if I'm coming across as an a$$, I have no time or patience for people that minimize domestic violence using such buzz words as apologetic, screwed up, he's never been in trouble / first time offense ETC. I love the ol, we don't know what happened; correct we don't. I'm sure she got knocked out by the violence of the elevator starting to move severely pushing her face directly into his fist. And the coup de gras is, he thought the best way to revive her was dropping her limp body to the ground knocking her back into consciousness.....

 

[Broncosr0k]

OMG.... Thanks for the civics lesson. Fine keep it in the NFL justice system. Where the he!! did I ever say Prater didn't deserve to get a suspension? I never minimized what he did. I guaran-damn-tee you that knocking out your fiance is covered by the CBA's personal player conduct rule and is not "gray area". It's freaking egregious that a guy knocks out his wife, drags her face down out of an elevator, drops her like a piece of meat and gets less of a suspension than a guy who did something legal but broke an employers rule. Yes it was the second offense for Prater but the "second offense" did not break the law, it broke a rule. BIG difference. Common sense would tell you which is the more egregious offense, a two time alcohol offense where no one got hurt or a guy knocking out his fiance. Are you really suggesting that knocking out your fiance is less of an offense to the NFL because it was the first time he's been in trouble?

My sense of right and wrong tells me that you don't give a slap on the wrist to a guy that knocks out a women that you supposedly love and drag her out of an elevator and drop her to the ground. I was simply using the two suspensions for context and how it seems way out of whack, but again thanks for the lesson Stephen A Smith.

I could care less if I'm coming across as an a$$, I have no time or patience for people that minimize domestic violence using such buzz words as apologetic, screwed up, he's never been in trouble / first time offense ETC. I love the ol, we don't know what happened; correct we don't. I'm sure she got knocked out by the violence of the elevator starting to move severely pushing her face directly into his fist. And the coup de gras is, he thought the best way to revive her was dropping her limp body to the ground knocking her back into consciousness.....

No one is saying that Ray Rice is not a piece of shit that can rot in hell. (And Ravens fans too for their support of him). Just claiming a general conduct may not be enough when you get dickheaded lawyers involved. The substance abuse policy is spelled out in a lot of detail. The NFL has admitted that it fucked up by not having a comprehensive policy for this type of issue.

We all agree Rice should have been suspended for a lot more games (probably the whole season) but Prater's fate was spelled out the day he went to Phase 2. That is why drawing the comparison of Gordon, Prater, Miller, Blackmon to the douche that is Ray Rice cannot be made.

The season cannot get here soon enough. We need more to talk about.

 

[Broncos6482]

No one is saying that Ray Rice is not a piece of shit that can rot in hell. (And Ravens fans too for their support of him). Just claiming a general conduct may not be enough when you get dickheaded lawyers involved. The substance abuse policy is spelled out in a lot of detail. The NFL has admitted that it fucked up by not having a comprehensive policy for this type of issue.

We all agree Rice should have been suspended for a lot more games (probably the whole season) but Prater's fate was spelled out the day he went to Phase 2. That is why drawing the comparison of Gordon, Prater, Miller, Blackmon to the douche that is Ray Rice cannot be made.

The season cannot get here soon enough. We need more to talk about.

Well said. I'm glad some people can understand what it is that I'm trying to say. I'm certainly not trying to defend Ray Rice, or anyone who would abuse others, for that matter.

 

[Mondo Jay]

I find some of these posts stunning. It's totally fine to compare suspensions. To say that showing up to a team function drunk, deserves a steeper suspension than knocking your fiance out cold is the silliest thing I've read in a while. Prater didn't show up at a team function drunk, get your facts straight. There is a player conduct policy in every players contract and I assume one of those infractions would cover knocking out the women you "love". Take it out of the NFL and into court. Who gets the steeper sentence, a guy that knocks out his wife and drags her out of the elevator face down and drops her like a piece of meat or a guy that gets a DUI? Oh wait, he didn't get a DUI for this suspension, he served all of his time, paid his dues and had a couple of beers legally. It's absolutely ridiculous that a guy has a couple of beers legally, doesn't hurt anyone and gets a stiffer sentence than a thug that knocked out his wife.

One more point,as Cali said it's hypocrisy to watch all the beer commercials where everyone is drinking, lining the NFL's considerably deep pockets.

I am more than a little shocked that Prater showed up drunk to a team function and then hit his fiance.

 

[Mondo Jay]

I hate kickers, but unfortunately, Prater is pretty damn good.

 

[Broncos6482]

OMG.... Thanks for the civics lesson. Fine keep it in the NFL justice system. Where the he!! did I ever say Prater didn't deserve to get a suspension? I never minimized what he did. I guaran-damn-tee you that knocking out your fiance is covered by the CBA's personal player conduct rule and is not "gray area".

Really? Here is a link to the CBA. Mind finding that particular bit for me? The fact is that the personal conduct policy allows for arbitrary punishment decided by the commissioner. So in that sense, it is a gray area because it's totally up to the commissioner's discretion. You think it should have been longer, I think it should have been longer, practically everyone thinks it should have been longer.

It's freaking egregious that a guy knocks out his wife, drags her face down out of an elevator, drops her like a piece of meat and gets less of a suspension than a guy who did something legal but broke an employers rule. Yes it was the second offense for Prater but the "second offense" did not break the law, it broke a rule. BIG difference.

It wasn't his second offense. It was at least his third. And again, I agree that Rice's suspension should have been longer. But again, one case is explicitly spelled out in the CBA, one is not. You're comparing apples to oranges.

Common sense would tell you which is the more egregious offense, a two time alcohol offense where no one got hurt or a guy knocking out his fiance. Are you really suggesting that knocking out your fiance is less of an offense to the NFL because it was the first time he's been in trouble?

Of course I'm not suggesting that. I'm saying that comparing the two is pointless because one is solely up the commissioner and the other is explicitly spelled out by the CBA. To the NFL, the length of one has absolutely nothing to do with the length of the other.

My sense of right and wrong tells me that you don't give a slap on the wrist to a guy that knocks out a women that you supposedly love and drag her out of an elevator and drop her to the ground. I was simply using the two suspensions for context and how it seems way out of whack, but again thanks for the lesson Stephen A Smith.

I agree. It should have been a longer suspension for Rice. Got that, Skip Bayless?

I could care less if I'm coming across as an a$$, I have no time or patience for people that minimize domestic violence using such buzz words as apologetic, screwed up, he's never been in trouble / first time offense ETC. I love the ol, we don't know what happened; correct we don't. I'm sure she got knocked out by the violence of the elevator starting to move severely pushing her face directly into his fist. And the coup de gras is, he thought the best way to revive her was dropping her limp body to the ground knocking her back into consciousness.....

How exactly am I minimizing domestic violence? The fact that he's never been in trouble and is a first time offender don't make what he did any less terrible, but they are facts that, like it or not, factor in to his punishment. It's the same in the court of law. If you're standing before a judge for the fifth time having slapped a woman around, you're going to be treated much more harshly than a guy who's standing there for the first time.

By the way, just in case there is any confusion, I'd like to reiterate that I believe Rice should have gotten a longer suspension. It was too short in my opinion. Just so we're all clear on that.

 

[BroncoInCALI]

Breaking News: NFL institutes new Domestic Violence Policy. 1st Offense.....6 games. 2nd offense.....Lifetime Ban.

I guess, in the end that sews this conversation up.

Glad they put this in.

 

[Broncos6482]

In light of the discussion here, I think this would be a pretty good policy.

http://www.sportshoopla.com/forums/nfl-football-forum-message-board-general-discussion/161117-ray-rice-rule.html

 

[Broncos6482]

Just saw that in the letter Goodell sent to owners he wrote regarding Rice suspension, "I didn't get it right." Glad to see he recognizes his mistake and is looking to correct it in the future.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Just saw that in the letter Goodell sent to owners he wrote regarding Rice suspension, "I didn't get it right." Glad to see he recognizes his mistake and is looking to correct it in the future.

Of course, the only reason he "recognizes" his mistake is due to all the public backlash. I really wonder if he realizes the TRUE mistake he made (and makes rather often).

 

[BroncoInCALI]

Of course, the only reason he "recognizes" his mistake is due to all the public backlash. I really wonder if he realizes the TRUE mistake he made (and makes rather often).

Very true. In the end, all the "wow, 4 games for weed or beer and 2 games for clobbering your wife?" comments put the light where it needed to be.

Shame it took so long to get it to this point.