24 sep 10 NFL developing workplace conduct program for teams

The league is in the process of developing a workplace conduct program in the wake of a locker room incident in which the New York Jets were recently found to have acted unprofessionally toward a female television reporter.
“It is a workplace conduct issue, so cheap nfl jerseys
that all teams understand what that means in terms of professional conduct in the workplace,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “It’s not just dealing with female reporters. We’re trying to educate the teams—not just the players, but also the staffs—on what it means to have professional conduct in the workplace, including what the legal ramifications are.”
Aiello said the program is being led by Robert Gulliver, the league’s executive vice president of human resources. The NFL hopes to implement it within the next few weeks. The program, underwritten by Jets owner Woody Johnson, could include verbal, video and online presentations.
“We’re looking at different ways to do it so we can make it as effective as possible, and simple to implement,” Aiello said. “It might not be 32 different people going to the teams. We’re looking at the most effective way to structure this and haven’t made any decisions yet.”
Aiello said the NFL will also be consulting with the Association for Women in Sports Media.
“AWSM is happy for the opportunity to work with the NFL on ensuring that the locker room is a workable environment for the media during times of access,” said Amy Moritz, the organization’s president. “Part of our mission is to advocate for women in sports media and to help ensure positive workplace environments and access to equal opportunities. We welcome the chance to help the NFL with this teachable moment.”
The Jets will also have a representative from AWSM conduct an educational and awareness session with the team aside from the NFL’s program. Moritz said both the Jets and AWSM are still working out details for that meeting.
The NFL’s program is the result of its investigation into how the Jets treated TV Azteca reporter Ines Sainz at practice and in the locker room on Sept. 11. Commissioner Roger Goodell chastised the team for unprofessional conduct, but said Johnson and his staff acted promptly to correct the situation.
The Jets rebounded in an enormous way to the tune of a 38-percent rise. Whenever you beat the predicted division leader, you are going to see a sizable 15-25 percent boost. When Mark Sanchez(notes) actually shows an NFL-caliber arm and LaDainian Tomlinson(notes) looks like he did four years ago, you get the Steelers jersey
added bump that the Jets showed.
But the big story in the AFC East is actually the Dolphins who were forecasted for a solid 8-8 season. Their high quality road win against the Vikings didn’t drastically impact their playoff chances, but they are still winning the AFC East more than the Jets and Patriots in simulations. New England lost 17.5 points because they had a division loss and its defense has major issues. Buffalo is a non-factor.
Like the Jets, the Bengals also showed a solid improvement (12.2 points) thanks to a stellar defensive effort fueling a key division win. Their improvement was not as vast as the Jets’ because the offense struggled and did not show the spark that many anticipated this season. The Steelers have taken the overall lead in the division with a 60.6 percent chance of winning the AFC North. Their defense has been spectacular and if they end up winning at least three of the four games that Ben Roethlisberger(notes) is suspended they are in a great position to make the playoffs. The Ravens dropped more than 23 percentage points. Unlike the Jets, they lost a division game and their quarterback, Joe Flacco(notes), has thrown five interceptions in two games. His poor start has had major negative impact in simulations in Weeks 3-17.

The big loser this week was the Titans. A loss at home against the undermanned Steelers hurts, but the real reason the Titans plummeted this week was the resounding victories that the Colts and Texans had. The Titans cannot improve without solid QB play from Vince Young(notes) and he has not taken major strides this year. The Titans also are getting hammered because so many wild-card competitors did well this past week. The Texans got a nice bump up this week and are now at a 59 percent chance of making the playoffs and the Colts are still leading the division. The Jaguars were hammered by the Chargers and their secondary does not seem equipped to compete with the prolific offenses in their own division.
The Chiefs had only a 15.3 percent chance of starting the season 2-0, but Bears jersey
despite the win in Cleveland, they still lost 4.3 percentage points this week. They have two wins, but their offense has not scored many points and they are not expected to finish better than 8-8. The Chargers lost to the Chiefs but are still the heavy 82 percent favorite in the AFC West. The Broncos more than doubled their playoff chances after an impressive win over the Seahawks. They are still relative long shots to make the playoffs, but they are expected to be competitive all season long.