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MLB Clears Players after Al Jazeera Report; NFL Investigation Stalls

On Friday, MLB cleared Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman of any wrongdoing related to an Al Jazeera report about steroid use. Meanwhile, the NFL still hasn't interviewed players mentioned in that same report.
NFL players just don't trust Roger Goodell. Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Nearly eight months ago, Al Jazeera America released a report that implicated that several Major League Baseball and National Football League players in a PED ring and accused them of doping. Today, MLB cleared the two most prominent players involved—Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman—of any impropriety after their full cooperation. Eight months isn't a short time to have your name sullied if the truth is on your side, as the players said it was and MLB ultimately determined, but at least their whole affair is done.

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MLB statement regarding Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman: — MLB Communications (@MLB_PR)August 19, 2016

Meanwhile, the NFL continues to dicker around. They haven't produced squat. There's only been a ham-handed investigation, further inflaming tensions with their own players and the NFLPA, and further proof that in its attempt to be the law, Roger Goodell and Co. have acted like keystone cops imbued with too much power. The NFLPA is no saint either, as they've muddied the waters too.

Over the past week, there had been a standoff between the NFL and NFLPA about having the players accused in the report—Mike Neal, Julius Peppers, Clay Matthews, and James Harrison—consent to interviews with the league for the investigation. That standoff finally ended Thursday. Again, it had been nearly eight months into this thing and the NFL and the NFLPA were still fighting about whether the players were going to talk. Just about the only easy thing in this whole process was clearing Peyton Manning—probably because as a retired player he could just ignore all this and go on with his life.

So why is this still dragging on? Because the two sides have created an ecosystem of distrust and enmity that's been growing with every high and low-profile incident. This whole conflict played out to its full extent during the Deflategate saga, which in the end may say more about the player and league relationship than it does about under-inflated balls. Players just don't trust Goodell and the league office and are unwilling to budge in fear of losing any more rights in the process. The NFL wants clarity and to finish their investigation.

You'd think that these NFL players, like their baseball counterparts, would want to be exonerated and move on, and so would the NFL, but nothing is easy for these two anymore.

Just look at this quote from Zimmerman that he released Friday: "I understand why Major League Baseball found it necessary to explore this matter, and I appreciate that MLB, after a thorough investigation, was able to publicly affirm my innocence." That displays some level of understanding and empathy for MLB. Zimmerman has that kind of latitude.

It contrasts deeply with Harrison, who agreed to interview with the NFL but wants it to be recorded and filmed live on TV somewhere. Can you blame him? The NFL has a history of taking its players into the opaque world of its investigations, taking their answers and later utilizing their words how they see fit. The NFL and the NFLPA are in a cold war and there's no thaw coming.

That's why this investigation continues on, week by week. They've screwed up their own relationship so royally that it stains everything else. Even when it's in everyone's best interest to come to a conclusion and end this, no player has even talked to the league yet. But after today, Howard, Zimmerman, and MLB, well they've moved on.