Joseph Suspended!

[Jet23]

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=6339

It never ends...

[Riagogogoindanati]

Well, this is for his brush with the law back in January. Eventually it bites you in the ass........in his case, the pocketbook. His punishment had not been enforced until now.

quoted:

Joseph's penalty relates to his arrest in Kentucky last January for possession of marijuana. After accepting a diversionary arrangement, he has since complied fully with all league and law-enforcement obligations in regard to resolving the matter, and his case has now been dismissed by Kentucky authorities, the release said.

[mgi]

Maybe this will give him time for the boo-boo on his foot to heal....

(as long as he doesn't self-medicate)

[HoosierCat]

Hey, GOD-el, where's the suspension for Jerramy "DUI" Stevens?

Why is Travis Henry still playing?

How come Tank might get a break?

Oh...right. They aren't Bengals.

[damiancasey]

Great news - it's starting to get funny.

[HairOnFire]

Hey, GOD-el, where's the suspension for Jerramy "DUI" Stevens?

Why is Travis Henry still playing?

How come Tank might get a break?

Oh...right. They aren't Bengals.

By my count this is the 3rd time Goodell has set precedent using a Bengal player as an example for his new policies.

First Odell, then Rucker, now Joseph.

And you're right, the Tanker will probably get a break. After all, he plays for America's team now.

(((shrug)))

[HairOnFire]

Wow. You can pay me now AND pay me later. Roger that?

Update: 4:25 p.m.

The Bengals have been notified by the NFL that cornerback Johnathan Joseph has been suspended without pay for one game and it will be this Sunday at Kansas City.

A Bengals' press release issued Tuesday said the suspension is for violating the NFL Substance Abuse Policy. Joseph will also be fined an additional game check for the week following when they play the Jets.

[Bengals1]

This is disgusting! Maybe the Bengals should finally take off the stripes on their helmets so Goodell won't be able to find them.

[rishipatel]

At this point, it is just getting ridiculous. I understand that the Bengals were the media's poster child for law-breaking last year, but enough is enough. The team's players have been staying in line, but they are still getting targeted for stiffer punishment by God-ell.

There have been no violent crimes or crimes risking life by Bengals players, with Henry's gun waving the closest. But somehow, Odell gets not one, but TWO years of suspension. Henry gets a deserved 8 games, but no allowance for games already missed. Now Joseph gets one game and two game checks, when he never even tested positive, he only openly and honestly admitted to possession of weed to a cop when asked?

Yet, Tank Johnson may get a reprieve when he had enough guns to fuel a small army, and his friend/bodyguard got killed.

Joey Porter gets nothing abut a slap on the wrist for assault and possible theft.

As someone above stated, Jerramy Stevens gets nothing?

There was also a Chief player with at least one if not two DUI's, right?

There were multiple Chargers who violated laws last yr.

Travis Henry is still playing after a substance abuse violation.

And Rodney Harrison gets only 4 games.

And I'm sure there are a sh**load more examples of double standard!

It just pisses me off. How is the team expected to regain some respect when Goodell helps our opponents by unnecessarily suspending their players. And yes, I think it is unnecessary. Joseph has no prior track record, and has given no indication that he would ever step close to that line again in the future. These punishments should have a rationale, and should be identified, written down as policy and made uniform across the damn league. I'm sick of the Bengals getting harsher punishment just because of the media spotlight on their transgressions. Especially the transgressions that I am SURE occur on every team in the league, but most cities'(right or wrong) cops cut their pro athletes a little slack. The spotlight is only on this team because the cops in Northern Kentucky seem to be stricter than in other areas of the country. I doubt the cops in Sh**sburgh hand out DUI's to Stoolers players. They give them warnings, maybe make them get someone to pick them up, but keep everything off the books.

I realize my latter statements are pure conjecture, but I just can't imagine I am that far off the truth of the situation. Goodell is a piece of work, and someone needs to regulate him.

[BengalByTheBay]

I'm probably in the minority -- and it is somewhat of a departure for me because I totally believe Goodell is an arbitrary jackass that has targeted the Bengals -- but I'm not really surprised by a 1 game suspension for herb psn. Wasn't this just a matter of time until he was suspended? He was arrested for psn. after all.

I do think Travis Henry will ultimately get whacked and they are simply working through the ridiculous legal action he filed first. I also think that Stevens will get suspended, but his arrest happened a few months after Joseph. Obviously, if a DUI doesn't get at least a 1 game suspension, I would get all riled up again. But the same period of time has not yet passed, so he might not yet be subject to a suspension. I mean, JJ got nailed in January and he's played until now. Not trying to align with Goodell, but if there has to be a suspension for this arrest, it might not be evidence of a continuing jihad against the Bengals. If it was more than one game, I would be more suspicious.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Well if they don't get convicted for breaking the law we don't have to worry about Goodell's supposed Bengals' fetish any longer eh?

Too much to ask?

[ShulaSteakhouse]

I'm probably in the minority -- and it is somewhat of a departure for me because I totally believe Goodell is an arbitrary jackass that has targeted the Bengals -- but I'm not really surprised by a 1 game suspension for herb psn. Wasn't this just a matter of time until he was suspended? He was arrested for psn. after all.

I do think Travis Henry will ultimately get whacked and they are simply working through the ridiculous legal action he filed first. I also think that Stevens will get suspended, but his arrest happened a few months after Joseph. Obviously, if a DUI doesn't get at least a 1 game suspension, I would get all riled up again. But the same period of time has not yet passed, so he might not yet be subject to a suspension. I mean, JJ got nailed in January and he's played until now. Not trying to align with Goodell, but if there has to be a suspension for this arrest, it might not be evidence of a continuing jihad against the Bengals. If it was more than one game, I would be more suspicious.

(not responding directly to you Bay)

Did Justin Smith get suspended? (seriously can't remember) Steinbach got off with nothing also I believe, right? Deltha? Nada? (again this is all starting to run together and I could care less about law breaking millionaires who can't be dependable at this level)

The problem with pot is that it's a violation of the substance abuse policy, DUI's aren't as far as I know, and don't you have to be convicted twice to get suspended?

I just highly doubt Goodell is flagrantly targeting the Bengals' - Pacman got the same sentence right? (w/o a conviction right?) Tank also didn't have a laundry list of arrests - one maybe? And a parole or probation violation? Still got six games.

Can anyone say Vick was treated favorably to Bengals' players? He may never play in the league again at this point, and never hurt a human being technically.

I just don't get the conspiracy stuff here. Hopefully this is the last of it finally.

[BengalByTheBay]

I'm probably in the minority -- and it is somewhat of a departure for me because I totally believe Goodell is an arbitrary jackass that has targeted the Bengals -- but I'm not really surprised by a 1 game suspension for herb psn. Wasn't this just a matter of time until he was suspended? He was arrested for psn. after all.

I do think Travis Henry will ultimately get whacked and they are simply working through the ridiculous legal action he filed first. I also think that Stevens will get suspended, but his arrest happened a few months after Joseph. Obviously, if a DUI doesn't get at least a 1 game suspension, I would get all riled up again. But the same period of time has not yet passed, so he might not yet be subject to a suspension. I mean, JJ got nailed in January and he's played until now. Not trying to align with Goodell, but if there has to be a suspension for this arrest, it might not be evidence of a continuing jihad against the Bengals. If it was more than one game, I would be more suspicious.

(not responding directly to you Bay)

Did Justin Smith get suspended? (seriously can't remember) Steinbach got off with nothing also I believe, right? Deltha? Nada? (again this is all starting to run together and I could care less about law breaking millionaires who can't be dependable at this level)

The problem with pot is that it's a violation of the substance abuse policy, DUI's aren't as far as I know, and don't you have to be convicted twice to get suspended?

I just highly doubt Goodell is flagrantly targeting the Bengals' - Pacman got the same sentence right? (w/o a conviction right?) Tank also didn't have a laundry list of arrests - one maybe? And a parole or probation violation? Still got six games.

Can anyone say Vick was treated favorably to Bengals' players? He may never play in the league again at this point, and never hurt a human being technically.

I just don't get the conspiracy stuff here. Hopefully this is the last of it finally.

I think there are plenty of reasons to believe, as I do, that Goodell has targeted the Bengals for harsher penalties than other teams. Odell is likely the best example. And whether that may be the result of Mike Brown's maverick bent, or whether it just made sense to make an example of the team that brought the whole criminal element thing to this level is certainly subject to debate.

Nonetheless, leaving all that behind whether it is true or not, I simply don't find it all that shocking that JJ would get hit with a game suspension for this. I kinda expected it at some point. If nothing else, I'm sort of surprised it wasn't imposed game 1. I have no problem with a pot bust resulting in a game suspension -- as long as it's consistently administered. As of now, I have no reason to think it wouldn't be, so that's all I'm saying. I don't see this as particularly unfair.

[bengalboomer7]

Will find out about Pacman soon enough, he just filed for his suspension to be reduced to 10 games. That chiefs player I believe was Jared Allen and his suspension I think was reduced also(then Tank). What's could be holding Henry back is his multiple transgressions, but their's been no mention of a reduction, and Odell's of course was lengthened. I think it's safe to say Goodell's not a Bengals fan.

Didn't Odell file an appeall, and has their been any word on it.

[HoosierCat]

Interesting article on the subject of whether all the antics turn off sports fans...short answer: yes.

Sports Fans' Disinterest Grows With More Scandals, Poll Finds

By Mason Levinson

Oct. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Scandals throughout professional athletics this year have left U.S. fans sour and increasingly disinterested in sports, a new poll found.

More than one in five fans has less interest in sports in wake of transgressions including gambling, steroid use, cheating and dogfighting, according to a poll conducted by Seton Hall University and the Sharkey Institute.

The gambling scandal surrounding National Basketball Association referee Tim Donaghy left 40 percent of sports fans believing that wagering among officials is widespread in the league, the poll found.

``Whether it's steroids, gambling, or dogfighting, significant numbers of people are turned off by it,'' Rick Gentile, the poll's director, said in a telephone interview. ``Sports in general, and the NBA in particular, have a lot of cleaning up to do.''

Almost 900 people across the U.S. were telephoned Oct. 2-4 for the study, with 558 identifying themselves as sports fans.

Asked which has done the most harm to its sport, it was a near-even split between the scandals in the NBA, Major League Baseball and National Football League. Thirty-three percent said the scandal involving Donaghy was the worst, followed by Barry Bonds's link to steroid use (32 percent), and NFL quarterback Michael Vick's dogfighting ring (29 percent).

Donaghy, who pleaded guilty Aug. 15 to fraud and conspiracy charges for betting on basketball games, most concerned 18-to-44 year-olds, about half of whom felt that gambling was widespread among the league's officials.

E-mail messages seeking comment from NBA spokesmen Tim Frank and Mark Broussard weren't immediately returned.

Effect of Gambling Scandal

``I've been the sports industry forever and we dance around the gambling issue,'' said Gentile, a former executive producer at CBS Sports. ``There's a feeling that people believe that gambling is more impacting than we've thought.''

Demonstrating the public's low tolerance for misbehavior by athletes, 87 percent said they would rather see a star player on their favorite team get caught for using performance-enhancing drugs than win a championship with that athlete.

The NFL has been plagued by misbehavior throughout its ranks, with league Commissioner Roger Goodell handing down significant penalties to players such as Vick, who pleaded guilty to a federal charge of running an interstate dogfighting ring.

Pacman Jones was given a 16-game ban after being arrested five times in about two years, Tank Johnson was disciplined for violating probation on a weapons charge, and Chris Henry was suspended after being arrested four times in a 14-month period on charges that included drunken driving and providing alcohol to minors.

Patriots' Spying

Most recently, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 for spying on New York Jets coaches during a game with video recorders, the maximum fine under NFL bylaws.

Seton Hall's poll found that 57 percent of people feel sign-stealing in football is cheating, while only 21 percent of those who think it is ``just part of the game'' believe using videotape is permissible.

Bonds is just one of many players being investigated for possible steroid use by Major League Baseball, which hired former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell to lead an independent probe of the issue.

Participants in the Seton Hall survey supported a recent Internet vote that sent Bonds's record-breaking 756th home run ball to the National Baseball Hall of Fame with an asterisk. Forty-four percent of Seton Hall's respondents wanted the ball donated with an asterisk, while 37 percent said it should not be marked.

Forty-seven percent of the more than 10 million who participated in the on-line survey sponsored by fashion designer Mark Ecko wanted the ball branded with an asterisk, 34 percent wanted to donate the ball without an asterisk and 19 percent said it should be sent into space on a rocket.

Additionally, thirty-nine percent of people polled by Seton Hall think baseball players involved in drug scandals are treated more harshly by the fans and media, a number that climbed to 60 percent when asked of African-Americans.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...&refer=home

[Kazkal]

Wait Jporter get's 1 pay week for assaulting levi? but Jjoe gets 1 game + 1 weeks pay? this is bull crap.

[oldschooler]

Jared Allen gets 4 games, and then has it reduced to 2 games

for getting 2 DUI`s less than 6 months apart. He should have

been subjected to the Substance Abuse and Conduct Policy.

Joseph gets 1 game and 2 weeks pay for a bag of weed ?

How ironic is it that the Bengals face Mr. TwoDUI`s this week ?

Kind of like rubbing it in our faces.

[oldschooler]

What's could be holding Henry back is his multiple transgressions, but their's been no mention of a reduction,

Word on the street is that Henry has a meeting this Friday

to try and get his suspension reduced to 6 games.

[BengalszoneBilly]

What's could be holding Henry back is his multiple transgressions, but their's been no mention of a reduction,

Word on the street is that Henry has a meeting this Friday

to try and get his suspension reduced to 6 games.

God I hope it happens! The sooner he gets back, the better off the offense/team will be.

[bengalspride1219]

hmm someones gonna step it up against that bowe rookie wr then hes pretty good

[HairOnFire]

I have no problem with a pot bust resulting in a game suspension -- as long as it's consistently administered. As of now, I have no reason to think it wouldn't be, so that's all I'm saying. I don't see this as particularly unfair.

It's unfair only in the sense that a 1st time offense has never been so harshly dealt with. And it's unfair only in the sense that it follows only a month or so after Goodell's bizarre decision to suspend Frostee Rucker for a minor act that happened years before Rucker entered the NFL, a suspension that wouldn't even have been possible under normal circumstances. Remember, the police who felt there was a profound lack of evidence delayed their decision to charge Rucker until the statute of limitations was due to expire. Rucker later agrees to settle in an attempt to put the matter behind him, but Goodell decides to make an example of the case even though the circumstances that allowed him to suspend a player are likely to never be repeated. Ever.

Debate fairness all you want, but this sort of crap isn't happening elsewhere. Goodell isn't setting precedent using Charger players even though there were almost as many arrests involving that team. And he isn't setting precedent in Chicago, Jacksonville, Kansas City, or Miami. Instead, fans of those cities are likely talking amongst themselves about how much worse things could have gone for their teams.

Bottom Line? I guess it's only unfair in the sense that in the bizzaro world that is the NFL some things matter and some things don't, and an unrealistic glossy image seems to be something that matters to Roger Goodell far more than cheating scandals and ridding the game of performance enhancing drugs. Instead, he sits in an office reading a newspaper that spoon feeds him information about what an individual player was caught doing in his personal life and decides that's where the get tough policies need to be directed.

Bonus Bottom Line: Skip Bayless is no fan of the Bengals, but after the MNF matchup between the Patriots and the Bengals he admitted that he was pulling for the team that had become most closely linked to arrests and criminal behavior...."because they haven't had a head coach busted for cheating or a star player caught using HGH."

[HairOnFire]

Interesting article on the subject of whether all the antics turn off sports fans...short answer: yes.

The fans who responded to that survey seemed to get it right. The issues that mattered to them the most were by far the types of things that relate to the very integrity of the games themselves, not things that mostly relate to it's image. Blatant cheating, performance enhancing drugs, and gambling. Dog fighting seems to be the exception that proves the rule.

Kinda curious where pot smoking ranks amongst the things that turn most fans off. Probably right there with gangsta rap, tatoos, and cornrows.

[HoosierCat]

Busing is back on the 53-man roster in place of JJoe this week.

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=6341

If freakin' Kilmer can't get back soon I say we keep Busing there. He was solid on STs last season and heaven knows we can use all the ST help we can get.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

I'm suprised Busing wasn't brought up sooner.

I hope he doesn't smoke pot.

[BengalByTheBay]

It's unfair only in the sense that a 1st time offense has never been so harshly dealt with.

I am fully disposed to admitting that I may not know everything there is to know about this subject, but it is my understanding that there is a set penalty for each stage of violation of the substance abuse policy. So, I assume that whatever stage this arrest represented corresponds to a one game suspension and the monetary penalty. If I am wrong about that and the penalty is completely discretionary then (a) I agree with you and, ( I'm completely surprised because I thought the substance abuse policy was relatively defined. Educate me, oh magnanimous Hair. Is the penalty for violation of the substance abuse policy discretionary?

Signed; Confused in the Bay....