8 Things That Took Less Time Than The NFL's Ballghazi Investigation
By Ty Duffy
The New England Patriots allegedly deflated footballs below the legal limit during the AFC Championship Game. The NFL appointed Ted Wells to investigate. After 96 days and a Patriots Super Bowl win, the closest Roger Goodell could come to declaring an official timeline for the league’s investigation on CBS This Morning is “soon.”
It’s not clear what the investigation will reveal. It is clear the 96-day duration, regardless of the result, has been absurd. For some perspective, here are eight things, of varying import, that took less than 96 days to accomplish.
Army-McCarthy Hearings [94 days] Senator Joseph McCarthy, scourge of imagined Communists, went after the U.S. Army. Irritated with his investigations, the Army charged McCarthy with trying to gain favorable treatment for an aide who had been drafted. McCarthy claimed the aide was being held “hostage” to block him from exposing communists in the Army. America watched Joseph McCarthy’s career unravel on national television. It took less time than the Wells investigation.
The 2007 College Football Regular Season [94 days] This was one of the crazier college football seasons on record. Appalachian State upset Michigan. Jim Harbaugh upset USC with Stanford as a 40-point underdog. Rich Rodriguezlost to Pittsburgh on the season’s final day, cost himself a chance at the national title, and set into motion the chain of events that led to him leaving for Michigan. Two-loss LSU won the BCS title.
Napoleon’s Coup [77 days] Napoleon returned to France from Egypt on Oct. 9, 1799. He seized power in the Coup of 18 Brumaire on Nov. 9, 1799. The Constitution of Year VIII, formalizing Napoleon’s position as First Consul and, to many, ending the French Revolution, was adopted on Dec. 24, 1799.
The Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries Marriage [72 days] Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries’ marriage cum eight-figure reality TV stunt lasted 72 days in 2011 before the couple filed for divorce.
Bill Clinton’s Impeachment Trial [57 days] President Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives on two charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. America learned what the nature of “is” is. The Senate acquitted him of both charges on Feb. 12 1999, 57 days later.
Beatles in India [56 days] The Beatles arrived to learn about Transcendental Meditation on Feb. 15 1968. John Lennon and George Harrison were the final two to depart, after becoming disillusioned with the Maharishi on Apr. 11.
First Council of Nicea [31 days] The first ecumenical council of the Christian church convened at the behest of the Emperor Constantine, resolved the dispute about the nature of the father and the son and created the Nicene Creed, beginning a process of the consolidation and standardization of Christianity. It took less than one-third the time Ted Wells has taken.
Bretton Woods Agreement [22 days] World War II necessitated haste. But, in 1944, the Allies set up the foundation of the Post-World War II economy in less than 1/4 the amount of time it has taken the NFL to assess whether footballs were deflated and whether that fact warrants significant punishment.
[Getty]