An NFL Potpourri...

As we near closer to the 2015 NFL training camps, a bevy of stories came out today, so we're going to highlight all of them in brief...

From the world of Deflategate or "the big-story-that-should've-never-been-a-big-story" Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld the 4 game suspension of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady due to using deflated balls during the 2015 AFC Championship Game this past January. The straw that broke the camel's back was based on a report that Brady destroyed his cell phone which contained the text messages for the two assistants on the team to ensure that the balls were deflated. Brady plans to sue and the Players' Association will file an appeal.

Although the league has no subpoena power to obtain the phone records, the fact that he continues to deny that this occurred through what appears to be a cover-up proves an old adage: Shun the very appearance of evil. It's the equivalent of the kid who ate his mother's cookies when told not to and then tries to throw away the plate when she asks "who did it?" Guilty or not, there is no better freedom of the mind and soul than to just confess our sins. Had he just confessed when the report first came out and apologized, more than likely his preparation would be for the first Thursday night of the season against Pittsburgh, not against the NFL in a court of law.

Last week we discussed the image of women in male-dominated sports and how it is beginning to change. Today we have seen yet another barrier broken as Jen Welter, who played professional football in an indoor league, was hired to work with the Arizona Cardinals inside linebackers corps as a preseason intern coach, the first female coach in league history.

"The heart factor, the intelligent factor, being the person with the motor that will never quit factor," Welter said at a news conference earlier this afternoon, "you can overcome any limitation."

Overcoming limitations is what we should be always strive to do, history is never accomplished by those who decide comfort makes a better home. Congratulations to Welter and hopefully this is an encouragement to the next person who is told "You can't do it!"



From the "what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room" files, we have former New Orleans Saints LB Junior Galette, who was released last week among allegations of a domestic assault in 2013. He decided to air his grievances against his former teammates on Twitter, using his girlfriend's account to levy accusations such as Saints Head Coach Sean Payton is a drug addict, to former teammate Will Smith punching his wife. Multiple team sources revealed a rift between Galette and teammates, alleging that he got into fights in the locker room and was unwilling to train with them after signing his extension last year. (Visit Canal Street Chronicles if you want to see the NSFW tweets that he sent out.)

Whether these accusations are true or not, it shows the display of poor judgment that Galette has displayed. While grace should be extended and he shouldn't be blacklisted in spite of his actions, his next employer should have a serious heart-to-head talk with him and see if he is contrite. If not, buyer beware.