On Wednesday New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum addressed the media. Here is the transcript courtesy of the Jets.
Opening Statement…
“I just want to update everybody (on) where we are with things and then take some questions after that. Over the last day, as we continued our investigation, we discovered some new information—that the players at the Miami game were instructed by Sal (Alosi) to stand where they were to force the gunner in the game to run around them. Based on that new information, we’ve suspended Sal indefinitely, pending further review. Once we got this new information, we actually met with the commissioner (Roger Goodell) (and) Ray Anderson this morning. They support this initial decision that we presented to them. The league is going to look into this, as well they should. Then, once we get all the information, we’ll make a final determination, but based on this information, Sal has been suspended indefinitely.”
On how they discovered the new information…
“Just to take you through what happened, once we got through the day on Monday going into Monday night, looking at those players, it looked to me that it was unusual for them to be standing that way. Then, on Tuesday, we talked to the players involved and that’s when we were told that they were asked to stand there by Sal. They were instructed by Sal throughout the game, but specifically, when Miami was punting, they were asked to stand there by him.”
On whether any disciplinary action will be taken against the players involved…
“This is just about Sal. What the league may do going forward, relative to league rule interpretation or rule enforcement, would be questions for Ray Anderson. I think they’re looking at the situation from a league-wide standpoint.”
On whether Alosi could be fired…
“All options are certainly on the table. We’re going to complete the review (and) get all the information. Mike Westhoff was not involved. Rex Ryan was not involved, but we just want to be thorough and then make the best decision.”
On whether he has talked to Alosi regarding this new information and if he acknowledged giving the orders…
“Yes, he did. I’ll keep the rest of the conversation private between Sal and I. He’s aware of the situation of the elevated suspension.”
On if he ever mentioned the specifics of ordering players where to stand when he was initially suspended…
“Like I said, we’ve discovered new information that we did not know on Monday and that’s what we’re acting upon now.”
On whether he has looked into the possibility of anyone ordering Alosi to instruct players on where to stand…
“We have and, based on the information we’ve gathered, no one did that.”
On if the league came to him with the new information…
“No, it was something we brought to their attention. On Monday, we were really focused on this situation with the trip, the player’s safety, looking at the precedent and multiple calls with the league. The focus of our attention was really on the appropriate punishment given the very unusual act of someone getting tripped and the unsportsmanlike nature of it. We didn’t really get to the next part of it until Monday night into Tuesday. If you look at the tape, it’s pretty obvious that the way they are standing, they’re standing there for a reason.”
On if he will see if the players have done this during previous games…
“We are still looking at some of that. It’s clear that it happened in the Miami game.”
On why the team hasn’t fired Alosi and what allowed him to keep his job…
“We just want to leave all the options on the table. We just want to review everything thoroughly and then we’ll make the best decision. Woody (Johnson) and I are in Dallas right now. (When we) get back, we’ll sit down with Rex (Ryan) and we’ll go from there. That’s where we are as of today and all options are on the table. We haven’t made any decisions.”
On if any rules were broken…
“That would be a better question for the league office in terms of rule enforcement (and) rule interpretation. Obviously, this is something that went on in the league. I would defer it to Ray Anderson and his group on that. I think that’s what they are looking at right now.”
On if they added to the punishment because they didn’t like the unsportsmanlike conduct…
“It was really for the totality of the situation, the unsportsmanlike act of what happened and the fact that we didn’t have all the information on Monday. Over the course of the next couple of days, more information came out and that really doesn’t sit well with us. That’s why we felt like this additional step was necessary. Again, I’m not ruling out any options moving forward. This is where we are today. Once this information was revealed, we brought it to the league and I wanted to make sure you guys knew exactly where we were. That’s where we are as of today and we’ll move on from here.”
On if Alosi did not reveal all of the information to them on Monday…
“That’s correct. There was new information that came to light and that’s a big concern to us. That’s why we felt taking the step today was necessary and appropriate. We didn’t have all the information when we initially reviewed the situation.”
On if he’s surprised that he’s had to spend the last few days dealing with this…
“I’m really disappointed. Sal has done a lot of great things as our strength and conditioning coach. He’s done good things for the organization. I’m very disappointed in what happened, but when you take these steps, it’s not without careful thought. We’re going to leave it at this stage until we can have a full and complete review of the facts. Once Rex, Woody and I get in a room, we’ll go from there. The league knows where we are as of this stage. We’ve been cooperative. They’ve been kept abreast of everything as the situation unfolded.”
On how long he anticipates the investigation taking…
“I don’t really know. I don’t think it should take long. Like I said, we’re cooperating with the league as well. We’re out of town right now in Texas, but I don’t think this should take very long.”