Should Jamal Lewis be suspended by the NFL??
 

I believe Lewis violated the law before he was in the NFL. If that is the case, do you think the NFL shouldn't have a right to punish him to any greater extent than the legal system?

Tough call, IMO...I actually lean to 'no'. It wasnt until yesterday that I realized that all the stuff he's in trouble for happened 4 years ago.

If they don't punish Warfield, I'd let the Lewis' problem slide.

No. He wasn't in the NFL when it happened.

Actually, since it occurred before he was drafted I don't think they have a leg to stand on. So no, I don't think they should suspend him.


(For comments sake, no Lewis is not on any fantasy team of mine either!)

I'd probably be fired by my employer.

For something you did before you were hired?

Yes, he should be suspended....

Fathers all across the country should be able to point at Jamal Lewis on the TV and say to their sons and daughters- "that is the consequences you may face should you decide to use drugs." (Yes, I know he was busted for trafficking)

I would become a convicted felon at that point, and unemployable in my current job.

I also think the NFL should let Warfield off, I mean if you were the only guy on the D making a play, wouldn't that drive you to drink?

yep...


if you want to treat Lewis like any other person, he should be fired and not be able to find a job other than digging ditches.

Why do I have to be on his side?
 

Is that relevant?
 

I thought I heard he had been drafted, but hadn't signed, when it happened... which would obviously make it a very unique case.

I looked it up, and he was drafted when he was 20... haven't seen any specific dates on the phone calls though :shrug:

That would be even more stupid to do it then! :shake:

It would make a difference on where the NFL stands though.

There's no way he should be suspended, and my fantasy sootball team would really appericate it if the league would agree with me.

And I think they should suspend him for the rest of the season.

Of course, I had the foresight to pick up his backup before Jamal Lewis' owner did.

--Infidel Goat

Actually, they should suspend the entire Denver Broncos offensive line for the remainder of the season..... just because.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :thumb:

In the NFL a player should be suspended if he breaks the law (unless you can run a 4.3 forty or are 300 lbs and block or rush the passer) :shake:

So far, it looks like he will get 4 months in the lockup/2 months halfway house and 500 hours of community service from the courts.

It's good that he has them skills at running. Bubba might have some fun with him if he can catch him.

I don't know, Gaz. I do know that they do not have much of a sense of decency.

No. (the fact that Jamal Lewis is on my fantasy team has no bearing whatsoever on my opinion on this matter ;) )

Probably not.

It's simple -- the NFL punishes those who are proven guilty of crimes that result in hurting the NFL's image. It has nothing to do with "fair" or "right". It's a sensible policy to deter others from doing similarly stupid things.

The NFL might glorify violence, etc., but it is not helped by fans thinking that its players are thugs or crooks, so it punishes those who bring that kind of reputation to the game.

NFL suspends Ravens RB Lewis for two games


NEW YORK (Oct. 7, 2004) -- Jamal Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens has been suspended for two games without pay and fined an additional two weeks' salary for violating the NFL Substance Abuse Policy, the NFL announced.

Lewis pleaded guilty on Thursday, Oct. 7 in Atlanta to federal charges of using a telephone in June of 2000 to help facilitate the sale of cocaine to a co-defendant. Under the NFL's Substance Abuse policy, a drug-related violation of law is grounds for league discipline.

The disciplinary action imposed by Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will result in Lewis losing $761,000 in salary. Lewis has five days to appeal the decision. Under league rules, a suspension does not take effect until the appeals process has concluded. If Lewis declines to appeal, the suspension will begin on Thursday, Oct. 14. If he appeals, a hearing will be held at the NFL office in New York on Monday, Oct. 18.

Following are excerpts from Commissioner Tagliabue's letter to Lewis:

* "The telephone conversation relating to the other individual's possible purchase of drugs occurred on or about June 23, 2000. Although the underlying circumstances were known to the government almost immediately, you were not charged with any offense until February, 2004 -- nearly four years later. The conversation did, however, occur after you had been drafted, attended one or more Ravens' minicamps, and while your agent was in the process of negotiating an NFL contract for you."
* "According to the court record, your specific offense involved one phone call to introduce a prospective seller of cocaine who had recently been introduced to you by others (and, who, unbeknownst to you, was an undercover government informant) to a prospective buyer of cocaine. The proposed sale was to be to your co-defendant, who you knew to be interested in purchasing cocaine."
* "At no time did you possess, sell, attempt to possess or sell, finance, or offer to finance the distribution of cocaine or any other illegal drug. You did not request or expect to receive any money from any sale of cocaine. In fact, no drugs were ever bought or sold, whether by you or any other party to the proposed sale."
* "None of this is meant to diminish the seriousness of your guilty plea to a federal felony. You have needlessly sullied your own reputation and reinforced unfair and negative public perceptions of NFL players generally. The consequences of your poor judgment include incarceration, suspension from the NFL, and the loss of $761,000 in salary. The longer term damage to your own reputation may well be even greater."

Yeah, look at the other Lewis on the same team.....

I believe his biggest crime in all of this is that he used a cell phone to make the contact. How's that for ridiculous?

Not necessarily... The NFL has the right to take action on anything Lewis did while he is in the NFL (such as the uniform violations you have just mentioned). There is no precedent for the NFL to take action on what players did before they ever entered the league. If Lewis decides to appeal the suspension, there is a reasonable chance the suspension could get overturned...