01-04-2023, 06:39 PM
(01-04-2023, 05:53 PM)Speedy Thomas Wrote: 100% disagree. When McDermott said he needed to be with his player, Zac immediately agreed. That's a joint decision. And the right one. Making the Bills forfeit would be insensitive and inappropriate. It's the worst way for the league to handle it.
The reason Taylor was checking in in the first place was to see if the game would resume. It's also what the officials were checking on. It may be the right decision, I agree it was the right decision, to not play on, but it's clear that the decision was initiated by McDermott.
There is no other human response that Taylor or the officials could have made than to accept the answer that McDermott just wanted to be with his player. But that means by necessity that the Bills chose not continue, so the Bengals must also not play. It is commendable, by McDermott, if made solely in the interest of his injured players health, but not commendable if he later tries to shift the responsibility to the Bengals or the League, taking advantage of their sympathy, because, in effect he also gains the best chance that he could of preserving the number one seed from a game he was losing.
It can be the right thing to defy protocol, or even the law, but not when it's done out of self interest, and at other teams expense. McDermott can accept responsibility for his decision, or try to shift it, and keep his home playoff games. But if he does the latter, I'll accept it as normal practice, but I'll view it cynically, and he'll get less sympathy from me.
