there\u2019s a precedent set<\/a> with the Boutte kid out of LSU, where he had gambling and when he got to the NFL . . . he didn\u2019t get any suspension or sit out at all,\u201d Slavin said. \u201cSo, I think the precedent\u2019s been set there. I mean, those conversations will still be had, but I don\u2019t think you can really just make up rules as you go. Once you set a precedent, that\u2019s what it is.\u201d<\/p>\nIn theory, Slavin is right. In practice, well, the NFL has a bit of a reputation for making up rules as it goes.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a difference between Boutte and Sorsby that, on the surface, is irrelevant. But it could cause the league to reach a different outcome.<\/p>\n
In Boutte\u2019s case, his gambling addiction, underage betting, and wagers placed on LSU games while playing for LSU didn\u2019t come to light until after Boutte\u2019s rookie season with the Patriots had ended. For Sorsby, it\u2019s all out in the open as he enters the league, after losing his NCAA eligibility.<\/p>\n
As to Boutte, a suspension would have put a spotlight on the NFL\u2019s failure to know about his betting before he entered pro football. As to Sorsby, everyone knows. It has become a major story. It will be harder for the NFL to look the other way.<\/p>\n
It shouldn\u2019t matter. The Boutte precedent should guide the Sorsby decision. The NFL, however, prefers to make decisions on a case-by-case basis, without past outcomes or prior reasoning tying its hands in a given situation.<\/p>\n
For now, many within the league are wondering what the NFL will do. Some believe Commissioner Roger Goodell will come up with a way to impose a sanction on Sorsby, citing his underage betting, his violation of NCAA rules, and\/or the wagers placed on his own team while at Indiana.<\/p>\n
For a suspension imposed after Sorsby is drafted, the NFLPA would file a grievance and the Boutte argument would be made. At the end of the day, however, Article 46, Section 1(a) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement gives the Commissioner final say over what likely would be an \u201cintegrity of the game\u201d suspension. <\/p>\n
Put simply, the Commissioner will be free to ignore the Boutte precedent in reaching a decision that, per the CBA, will be final and binding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With quarterback Brendan Sorsby applying for the supplemental draft, the first question is whether the NFL will grant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":710181,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[349,99],"class_list":["post-710180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=710180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710180\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/710181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=710180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=710180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=710180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}