By Scott Daniels, Esq., NFL Draft Bible
Mission Statement of the Utah Attorney General's Office
The mission of the Office of the Utah Attorney General is to uphold the constitutions of the United States and of Utah, enforce the law, provide counsel to state agencies and public officials, to work with law enforcement and protect the interests of Utah, its people, environment and resources.
With our team of highly qualified attorneys, investigators and staff members, we ensure the law is upheld and the rights of all citizens – no matter how young or old – are preserved. We especially focus on protecting children. We also make every effort to educate the public about safety, justice, liberty and equal opportunity.
As we see it, it is our duty to diligently work with integrity every day to fulfill these responsibilities as we serve the citizens of Utah. That is our entire focus. That is our mission.
____________________________________________________________________
Mark Shurtleff, Utah Attorney General, appears to have misinterpreted his own mission statement.
Apparently, Shurtleff feels that the good people of Utah were legally harmed by the evil Bowl Championship Series. Afterall, it seems perfectly legitimate to launch an investigation into alleged antitrust violations by the BCS immediately after the University of Utah defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, prompting many to argue that Utah should be considered the nation's top college football team.
Is this guy serious? Does he not value his position as Attorney General? And haven't we seen this fiasco once before with the outspoken United States Senator, Arlen Specter, and his crusade against the NFL in the wake of the SpyGate conspiracy?
Shurtleff claims in his mission statement that his office will attempt to protect the interests of Utah, its people, environment and resources. How does going after the BCS in the court of law protect anyone other than the people associated and monetarily connected to the University of Utah? Last time I checked, citizens of Utah were not entitled to any of the millions of dollars given to the University of Utah for participating in this year's Sugar Bowl.
More importantly, how is Shurtleff's pointless attack on the BCS protecting the resources of the state of Utah? We are in a recession. The national economy is in horrible shape. Unemployment numbers are staggering. State agencies are hurting for money and the mighty attorney general from Utah wants to use his scarce resources to investigate an obvious flawed format that is the BCS.
What is it with elected officials and their obsession to be recognized? There is no way this Attorney General can justify an investigation into the BCS. This is college football. The BCS is governed by several collegiate conferences. The University of Utah is not the only school that has been snubbed by the BCS. And the fact that the Utes may be at a financial disadvantage because they are virtually ignored for a National Title bid does not warrant a full scale investigation by the state's highest lawyer by stature.
I don't care how he spins it, Attorney General Shurtleff is blatantly imitating the actions of United States Senator Arlen Specter, who finally gave up his crusade against the NFL after crucial evidence turned out to be bleak at best. Shurtleff may raise valid and thought provoking issues that might influence change to our current BCS format, but he is in no way fulfilling his civil duty as an Attorney General.
Showing posts with label BCS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BCS. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
DANGER LURKS
By Scott Daniels, Esq., NFL Draft Bible
With the 2008 NFL Draft officially in the books, fans across the country are anxiously awaiting the start of college football. It's been quite an offseason in the football world and although the gridiron battles are still months away, the legal drama in football is only beginning to heat up.
An optimist would tell you that college football couldn't be in a better place right now. Ratings are up and schools are raking in millions of dollars as a direct result. But it's not all smiles at the collegiate level.
How about the NFL? The most successful professional sport in America. The NFL is in great shape, right? Think again.
A dark cloud is looming over college and professional football and only the so-called football gods can predict the future. While rumors and speculation continue to run rampant, here's an update on some of the hottest - and potentially dangerous - stories that could be highly detrimental to college and professional football.
A Broken System
The BCS is a mess. The revolution has begun to implement some kind of playoff system in college football, but due to contractual obligations and stubborn school officials, the BCS will remain in college football through 2013 (includes Bowl games in 2014).
A recent proposal from Mike Slive, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, was immediately shot down by just about every major conference commissioner. The proposal called for a "Plus One" scenario where the top four teams would play a semi-final game followed by a championship game the very next week.
LEGAL SIGNIFICANCE: It's a tragedy that college football will remain at the mercy of a flawed system for at least the next four years. What's even more disparaging is knowing that the BCS will remain because of contractual obligations with the Rose Bowl and major television networks.
Bottom line is, contracts can legally be modified. Problem is, a change in the current system will lead to a decrease in profits for those currently under contract with the BCS. It is apparent that those in opposition to a playoff system are skeptical of changing a system that breaks revenue records year after year.
The Never Ending Conspiracy
Spygate is the story that just won't go away. It began immediately following week one of last year's NFL season and Roger Goodell has been trying to dispose of this matter ever since - no pun intended.
A potential bombshell may explode on May 13th when Matt Walsh, a former video assistant for the Patriots, will meet with Roger Goodell to divulge any information he may have regarding his role in "spying" on other teams.
LEGAL SIGNIFICANCE: Matt Walsh's meeting with the NFL is now long overdue. The NFL insists Spygate is a thing of the past and the Patriots organization have vehemently denied any further wrongdoing. If Walsh has any direct evidence, such as an actual video tape, Goodell will have to take swift action against Bill Belichick and the Patriots organization. Belichick and the team's owner, Robert Kraft, will most certainly argue that Walsh acted as a rogue employee and was not directed to tape such activity. However, from a legal standpoint, if Walsh is found to have acted within the scope of his employment responsibilities, the Patriot organization should certainly be held accountable for his wrongful actions.
Regardless of what ensues, Walsh has obtained a bullet-proof indemnification agreement from the NFL. He is fully protected from a civil suit and will be able to speak freely without the worry of being named as a defendant in a lawsuit. Walsh may however be called as a witness in other lawsuits should they occur after he speaks with Roger Goodell.
If Walsh only has verbal information to provide, Spygate will quickly disappear. Walsh's credibility is already in question and without any direct evidence of taping another team in violation of league rules, he will have very little ground to stand on.
A playoff system seems to be inevitable, but not in the very near future.
The End of a Dynasty?
The National Football League has catapaulted itself as the most successful league in American professional sports. Attendence is up. Ratings are up. The Superbowl remains to be by far the most watched sporting event in America each year. While it appears that the NFL will continue it's dominance for years to come, a quiet storm is brewing.
The wealth and prosperity that players and owners have enjoyed over the last ten years may come to a screeching halt in 2011. The current collective bargaining agreement will expire then and the owners can choose to opt out of the current agreement in November of this year. If that happens, the NFL could be facing a lockout in 2011.
LEGAL SIGNIFICANCE: The last time the NFL suffered a lockout was 1987 - under former commissioner Paul Tagliabue. With Roger Goodell as the new Sheriff in town, a lockout would almost seem unthinkable. The problem is, Goodell may not have any control on the situation. If the players and owners cannot come to an accord on revenue sharing, the owners will likely opt out of the current agreement.
End result? A work-stoppage in 2011 and the very real possibility of a cancelled NFL season.
With the 2008 NFL Draft officially in the books, fans across the country are anxiously awaiting the start of college football. It's been quite an offseason in the football world and although the gridiron battles are still months away, the legal drama in football is only beginning to heat up.
An optimist would tell you that college football couldn't be in a better place right now. Ratings are up and schools are raking in millions of dollars as a direct result. But it's not all smiles at the collegiate level.
How about the NFL? The most successful professional sport in America. The NFL is in great shape, right? Think again.
A dark cloud is looming over college and professional football and only the so-called football gods can predict the future. While rumors and speculation continue to run rampant, here's an update on some of the hottest - and potentially dangerous - stories that could be highly detrimental to college and professional football.
A Broken System
The BCS is a mess. The revolution has begun to implement some kind of playoff system in college football, but due to contractual obligations and stubborn school officials, the BCS will remain in college football through 2013 (includes Bowl games in 2014).
A recent proposal from Mike Slive, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, was immediately shot down by just about every major conference commissioner. The proposal called for a "Plus One" scenario where the top four teams would play a semi-final game followed by a championship game the very next week.
LEGAL SIGNIFICANCE: It's a tragedy that college football will remain at the mercy of a flawed system for at least the next four years. What's even more disparaging is knowing that the BCS will remain because of contractual obligations with the Rose Bowl and major television networks.
Bottom line is, contracts can legally be modified. Problem is, a change in the current system will lead to a decrease in profits for those currently under contract with the BCS. It is apparent that those in opposition to a playoff system are skeptical of changing a system that breaks revenue records year after year.
The Never Ending Conspiracy
Spygate is the story that just won't go away. It began immediately following week one of last year's NFL season and Roger Goodell has been trying to dispose of this matter ever since - no pun intended.
A potential bombshell may explode on May 13th when Matt Walsh, a former video assistant for the Patriots, will meet with Roger Goodell to divulge any information he may have regarding his role in "spying" on other teams.
LEGAL SIGNIFICANCE: Matt Walsh's meeting with the NFL is now long overdue. The NFL insists Spygate is a thing of the past and the Patriots organization have vehemently denied any further wrongdoing. If Walsh has any direct evidence, such as an actual video tape, Goodell will have to take swift action against Bill Belichick and the Patriots organization. Belichick and the team's owner, Robert Kraft, will most certainly argue that Walsh acted as a rogue employee and was not directed to tape such activity. However, from a legal standpoint, if Walsh is found to have acted within the scope of his employment responsibilities, the Patriot organization should certainly be held accountable for his wrongful actions.
Regardless of what ensues, Walsh has obtained a bullet-proof indemnification agreement from the NFL. He is fully protected from a civil suit and will be able to speak freely without the worry of being named as a defendant in a lawsuit. Walsh may however be called as a witness in other lawsuits should they occur after he speaks with Roger Goodell.
If Walsh only has verbal information to provide, Spygate will quickly disappear. Walsh's credibility is already in question and without any direct evidence of taping another team in violation of league rules, he will have very little ground to stand on.
A playoff system seems to be inevitable, but not in the very near future.
The End of a Dynasty?
The National Football League has catapaulted itself as the most successful league in American professional sports. Attendence is up. Ratings are up. The Superbowl remains to be by far the most watched sporting event in America each year. While it appears that the NFL will continue it's dominance for years to come, a quiet storm is brewing.
The wealth and prosperity that players and owners have enjoyed over the last ten years may come to a screeching halt in 2011. The current collective bargaining agreement will expire then and the owners can choose to opt out of the current agreement in November of this year. If that happens, the NFL could be facing a lockout in 2011.
LEGAL SIGNIFICANCE: The last time the NFL suffered a lockout was 1987 - under former commissioner Paul Tagliabue. With Roger Goodell as the new Sheriff in town, a lockout would almost seem unthinkable. The problem is, Goodell may not have any control on the situation. If the players and owners cannot come to an accord on revenue sharing, the owners will likely opt out of the current agreement.
End result? A work-stoppage in 2011 and the very real possibility of a cancelled NFL season.
Friday, December 7, 2007
BCS ATROCITY
By Scott Daniels, Esq., NFL Draft Bible
By now we have heard every argument on the planet that rationalizes the need for a playoff in college football. The BCS doesn't work. Nothing new. But after the BCS draw was announced last week, the formula should be illegal.
I'm not going to discuss Ohio State allegedly backing into the National Championship with a weak schedule. Nor will I discuss LSU getting a National Championship bid with two losses. The major atrocity with the BCS involves Missouri.
Missouri was number two in the BCS going into their showdown with Kansas a few weeks ago. Following their victory, Missouri found themselves number one in the BCS. While Missouri was headed to the Big 12 title game against Oklahoma, Kansas's regular season ended with a disappointing loss.
Missouri entered the Big 12 Title game knowing that a win would solidify their bid to play in the BCS National Championship. What ensued was downright disastrous.
Missouri was beaten convincingly by a determined Oklahoma Sooner squad. Unfortunately for Missouri, that wasn't the disastrous part. The next day, the BCS Bowl games were announced on national television.
Kansas - the team that was beaten by Missouri and denied a shot at the Big 12 Title - received a bid to the Orange Bowl. The Missouri Tigers - the team that beat Kansas two weeks earlier - was robbed of their BCS hopes. Missouri was essentially punished by the BCS gods for beating Kansas and losing in the Big 12 Title.
Missouri was a victim of first degree robbery. They were penalized for reaching the Big 12 title game. How could Kansas, a team that is third at best in the Big 12 conference, reach a BCS Bowl game over Missouri?
WANTED FOR CRIMES IN SEVERAL STATES: BCS Formula. It has robbed several colleges and universities of bowl bid appearances, committed fraud on each school's fan base and is alleged to be armed with horrific logic. If you have any information on this highly dangerous criminal, please contact your local authorities.
By now we have heard every argument on the planet that rationalizes the need for a playoff in college football. The BCS doesn't work. Nothing new. But after the BCS draw was announced last week, the formula should be illegal.
I'm not going to discuss Ohio State allegedly backing into the National Championship with a weak schedule. Nor will I discuss LSU getting a National Championship bid with two losses. The major atrocity with the BCS involves Missouri.
Missouri was number two in the BCS going into their showdown with Kansas a few weeks ago. Following their victory, Missouri found themselves number one in the BCS. While Missouri was headed to the Big 12 title game against Oklahoma, Kansas's regular season ended with a disappointing loss.
Missouri entered the Big 12 Title game knowing that a win would solidify their bid to play in the BCS National Championship. What ensued was downright disastrous.
Missouri was beaten convincingly by a determined Oklahoma Sooner squad. Unfortunately for Missouri, that wasn't the disastrous part. The next day, the BCS Bowl games were announced on national television.
Kansas - the team that was beaten by Missouri and denied a shot at the Big 12 Title - received a bid to the Orange Bowl. The Missouri Tigers - the team that beat Kansas two weeks earlier - was robbed of their BCS hopes. Missouri was essentially punished by the BCS gods for beating Kansas and losing in the Big 12 Title.
Missouri was a victim of first degree robbery. They were penalized for reaching the Big 12 title game. How could Kansas, a team that is third at best in the Big 12 conference, reach a BCS Bowl game over Missouri?
WANTED FOR CRIMES IN SEVERAL STATES: BCS Formula. It has robbed several colleges and universities of bowl bid appearances, committed fraud on each school's fan base and is alleged to be armed with horrific logic. If you have any information on this highly dangerous criminal, please contact your local authorities.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
THE "PLUS-ONE" PHENOMENON - WHEN WILL COLLEGE FOOTBALL IMPLEMENT A PLUS-ONE SCENARIO?
By Scott Daniels, Esq., NFL Draft Bible
The BCS uses three components in figuring a team's ranking: (1) the USA Today Coaches Poll; (2) the Harris Interactive College Football Poll; and (3) an average of six computer rankings (Anderson & Hester, Richard Billingsly, Colley Matrix, Kenneth Massey, Jeff Sagarin and Peter Wolfe) - a list virtually unknown to the average college football fan.
The problem that continues to arise at the end of each season is that there are usually more than two teams that feel they deserve a shot at the National Championship. College football has been unable to truly solve this problem and the debate over whether or not a playoff system should be implemented pops up every year.
Regardless of whether or not a playoff scenario is the answer, there is a misconception that colleges and universities have too much money to lose if a playoff system replaces the current 100 year old bowl system. This is completely inaccurate.
College football would only increase revenue with a potential playoff system. In fact, following the 2004 regular season, undefeated Auburn was left out of the National Championship and the BCS was heavily criticized. Bodog.com, a sports gambling website, offered 50 million dollars to sponsor a "real" National Championship game. This offer was rejected but left many corporate giants seeing dollar signs.
The "Plus-One" scenario is much more likely to occur. Under this system, two of the four major bowl games (Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta) would operate as semi-final games where the two winners would move on to face each other in a National Championship. But before it does, there are few legal barriers preventing this type of playoff from happening.
The Rose Bowl's contract with ABC runs through 2014 and allows the Rose Bowl to retain their longstanding Big Ten Pac Ten matchup. Significantly, the Rose Bowl will host the National Championship in 2010. Therefore, the Rose Bowl committee has no interest in having a potential playoff - or "Plus-One" scenario - until after the 2010 National Championship. Additionally, the Rose Bowl would have to ease off it's preference to continuously invite only Big Ten and Pac Ten teams.
The BCS also has an exclusive four-year deal with Fox Sports. Under this contract, Fox retains all broadcasting rights to the four major bowl games through 2010 and the National Championship game through 2009.
What sounds like an extremely complicated mess, a "Plus-One" scenario would leave less controversy over who the number one team is. With over 100 Division 1-A teams in college football, a perfect system is virtually impossible. However, a team outside of the top four will have little or no argument for a chance at the title.
We've seen just about everything this season in college football and the battle to play in this year's National Championship is far from over. Following Ohio State's collapse last week, there are several teams that have a real shot at glory. Unfortunately, only two teams - as opposed to four in a "Plus-One" scenario - will get that shot.
In the end, breaking a legal binding contract of this nature would cost millions. A "Plus-One" scenario, while likely to happen at some point, cannot occur before 2010 - and may not happen until a few years after that. Until then, college football teams are at the hands of formula that may or may not be fair, but certainly not perfect.
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