Mike Florio, July 6th, 2012:
If the anonymous tipster isn’t willing to step out of the shadows, even when given assurances that the league will react swiftly and aggressively if the whistleblower-turned-witness experiences retaliation, that should be a red flag regarding the overall reliability of the information that has been provided while tucked safely behind the proverbial curtain of a third-world courtroom.
Mike Florio, October 10th, 2012:
As NFL owners prepare to gather in Chicago for their first full meeting since a string of embarrassments smacked against the shield like repeated pecan pies in the face, the gratuitous outing of a whistleblower who never became a witness can be added to the list of things for which the owners could be demanding a full and complete explanation.
It’s tempting to call Florio a hypocrite based on these articles. In one case, he’s arguing for the release of the whistleblower’s name because the accused should get a chance to call their accuser names, or something. In the second, he’s calling the league a bunch of dummy-heads for releasing the name of another whistleblower whom didn’t provide any evidence in the bounty case. But Florio’s lawyerly background shines through, as a careful reading reveals he distinguishes the two cases based on the relevance of the whistleblower to the NFL’s case.
But mainly, these show that Florio is consistent at finding ways to mock the NFL. You know, the very same NFL that was a huge success long before Florio came around, and guided by the very people Florio likes to mock. The NFL that put Mike Florio on the map, or the web?
I know, it’s churlish of me to point this out because, certainly, the NFL is not beyond criticism and just because Florio is another parasite glommed on to the NFL doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the occasional point. But having read him enough, his constant nitpicking makes me think nothing the NFL can do will ever be good enough.
The fact of the matter is this is football, not National Security, and it’s a bunch of rich guys with a hobby, albeit a very lucrative one. None the less, they’re going to make they’re fair share of screwups and even be assholes every now and again. The glee with which Florio trumpets all these mistakes is out of proportion with the offenses.
But that’s the way pissants like Florio operate.