That Aud Smell

ha! Checks out. I won't say he is a tool. I will say that he often comes off as a tool. Especially on Twitter.

Ha. I noticed that as well. I'm not sure what he meant to imply. I inferred that he was just clowning a bit. He's a smart guy. He's a good writer -- one of the best in the local sports media business. And I agree that he can be a tool. He seemed well on his way to bigger platforms when he was with ESPN 10-15 years ago. And then he suddenly returned to Buffalo. That always struck me as odd.

🧐

This is it exactly. The Bills are fun. Will they win a title? Who knows. They're fun. I think that's McDermott's tendency as well-- bend don't break. Give up field goal tries. Which I think can work most of the time. But it will fail you in crucial situations. The Bills won no close games last season, IIRC. Hopefully, the front 4 can create the sort of pressure that we haven't seen a Bills team generate since ... since ... Super Mario days?

Here’s a truth that will imminently emerge: The Bills’ cornerbacks are the team’s biggest question mark heading into a season where a Super Bowl run is in the plans. Colour me nervous that our CB1 is Dane Jackson.

It appears you misunderstand where I’m coming from. I explained my vantage in replies to Taro. I’m not hanging onto anything here. I doubt the truth will ever emerge out of this situation; I won’t be particularly interested in it if it does.

As in:

He said/she said stuff isn't the sort of thing that could have allowed the Bills to keep him on the roster in the face of what's being alleged. The criminal defense lawyer said it was a shakedown. If they had proof showing (or just suggesting) that this was a shakedown? Then maybe he's still on the roster.

thanks for a careful review of the information that's been made public. i think we were coming at the thing from very different vantage points. there's the old saying that the truth is at the bottom of a bottomless well -- and that is never more apt than in situations involving alcohol-influenced fights, assaults, etc. i don't have much interest in getting to the truth with araiza's situation, and i doubt anything resembling "the" truth will come out of it. my focus is more on the practicalities that the team faces in such a situation. there are billions and billions of dollars at stake for the league's and the team's intangible values (the ol' goodwill -- those warm fuzzy feelings a consumer has for your product). there's no way that the bills would put that asset at stake (or that the league would happily allow the team to implicate the nfl's brand value) so that a specialist rookie can get the fairest shake possible. i also think it was a factor that the league has somewhat recently figured out that its biggest growth opportunity in its existing u.s. markets is to make real inroads with female fans. whether single or married, women are increasingly heads of household and have control over gobs of discretionary money (that the nfl very much wants).

My point there was that there's none at this time, evidently. Otherwise, we'd have heard about it - officially or as a rumour. Timing is everything here. The team (brand) had a roaring grease fire on its hands with no signs of a way to put it out, other than to release the accused player.

It’s a family birthday tonight. I’ll read this later. I am humbled by the level of engagement by a poster I respect.

The question of “should he lose his job” us not only academic at this point, it seems to ignore the peculiar, unique circumstances of being employed as an NFL player. In the NFL’s multi-billion dollar entertainment industry, the brands are paramount. Goodell talks un-ironically about “protecting the shield” (the NFL logo). Araiza’s currently implicated in an alleged gruesome sex assault, rape. Absent really compelling exculpatory evidence - of which there is apparently none here - he’s going to get cut if he can’t get put on the exempt list or some such. The Bills cannot allow the brand to suffer in order to give Araiza the most fair treatment and process possible. That’s just the nature of the business.

He said it appears to be the case. The language I bolded.

So we’re already setting aside her allegations that she was bombed when she began talking to Araiza (sp?) - and therefore potentially incapable of consent - and that she he then roofied a new drink for her - and that she was then forced face down onto a bed where she went in and out of consciousness as she was raped by several men? Gah. Okay. I took a wrong turn at Albuquerque. In my defense, I was walking the dog. Also, your OP at least allowed for that interpretation (?). My bad, though. I also stand by my takes - (1) didn’t like the use of a photo on the Tweet (otoh, I acknowledge a neutral (albeit not great) reason it appeared there), (2) didn’t like that it was hunky pic (otoh, the doofus smiley headshot could have been worse in some ways). I would have preferred a neutral team graphic if one were needed.

My son just said the same thing. Not unfair. I still don’t like the hunky heartthrob quality of the pic. To your question: There was a report last night that punter visits are being scheduled. I’ll repost spotrac’s listing of FA punters.

The ability of a heterosexual guy to say that another guy looks hunky (handsome, etc. - choose your word) in a photo is no cause for self reflection. The inability to do so, OTOH … . As my Gen Z son pointed out: They used the exact same content to announce it on Instagram, so, if they broadcast the exact same post across multiple social media platforms, then they needed to use a photo (for Instagram). So, an interest in doing it quickly probably resulted in the use of a photo on platforms where it wasn’t at all necessary. Even so. They should have used his normie team head shot.

I’m wondering whether there’s been turnover with the Bills social media team. Posting a hunky picture of the guy as part of the Tweet announcing his release is a weird (bad) choice.

It’s the CBA that governs here moreso than NY law. And NFL players get cut all the time for (alleged) acts of moral turpitude. I’m not sure what the NFLPA would be able to grieve here. Me neither. She had the scoop first on Twitter.

Not sure what the legalities are. Perhaps they’re looking to void his contract rather than just cut him.

fwiw

Odd.

I think we have differing definitions of “new” information. All of the relevant events - perhaps outside of their being framed in legal pleadings - occurred many months ago. I’m not necessarily talking about what the Bills knew; I’m talking about what they should have known. If they just learned new information a few days ago, I’m asking why they’re only learning it now when it was knowable in July.

I was speaking purely - and rather specifically- from the standpoint of not wanting a junior lawyer to get saddled with blame. That’s all. Just a side note, really.

Or they get filed when the family feels the police are dragging their feet. There’s a story out there attributing such concern from the girl’s father. He was quoted (or interpolated (?)) as saying the defendants’ status as football players was influencing the pace of the investigation … which seemed off to me. This ain’t Alabama — it’s SDSU.