I’m not a big fan of Rodger Goodell. But I’m even less of a fan of having to walk a mile in his shoes.
Sure, at $44 million in annual salary (as was reported in 2012), he’s got some damn nice shoes for walking. But can you imagine what it must feel like to be Goodell when his alarm clock goes off on Monday morning? This, of course, assumes the man can go to sleep at all on Sunday night.
The NFL, now in its 96th season, is at a very unique place. Professional football is unquestionably America’s favorite game – five million more people watched the Broncos-Packers game last week than the deciding game of the World Series – but it’s also a game that everyone in America questions. Every. Single. Week.
The sticky notes on Goodell’s desk just keep piling up. I’m guessing this week’s additions looked something like this: Fine/Suspend Denver’s Aqib Talib. Review/Fine/Suspend Rams’ LaMarcus Joyner. Deal with Greg Hardy situation (again). Follow T.J. Ward on Instagram.
Sounds like a busy week.
Granted, many of these problems have been created by Goodell himself. In an odd kind of way, doling out discipline for the Talib “eye gouging” incident might be the easiest item on the to-do list. There’s very little grey area there; Talib did it, it was wrong and it was caught on film, plain as day.
Then again, as was often pointed out in Denver yesterday, Talib’s initial suspension of one game (and $300,000 in fines) – which, of course, is being appealed (probably because in 2008, the Patriots’ Vince Wilfork was fined $15,000 for a similar jab to Giants running back Brandon Jacobs) – is exactly half of what Ray Rice was originally handed for his domestic violence incident in 2013. As foolish and obvious as Talib’s miscue was, in the grand scheme of things, it was relatively harmless compared to the details of Rice’s case – and Goodell’s fan base (term used loosely) didn’t exactly forget that when Talib’s penalty was announced.
Of course, Goodell, “fixed” that situation when TMZ released video of what actually took place in the elevator between Rice and his future wife. When that came out, the Commish suspended Rice indefinitely.
And now that series of events has come back to haunt Goodell, as well. You see, around the same time that Goodell was dealing with Rice, he also had to address a similar situation involving Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy. In the midst of the Ray Rice heat, Goodell suspended Hardy for 10 games, which was later reduced to four games after arbitration.
Then, the NFL does what it does best – it awards second chances (mainly to guys who have a notable degree of talent). Jerry Jones, the nice man that he is, gave Hardy $13 million to rush the quarterback for his Dallas Cowboys. Hardy later expressed his gratitude by popping off about Tom Brady’s wife.
And then guess what? Pictures of Hardy’s domestic violence case surfaced. And guess what? Like the Ray Rice incident, the pictures brought everything to the surface – only worse – once again. Jones, naturally, stood by his player. And now, all those anti-domestic violence commercials produced by the NFL, along with Goodell’s “zero-tolerance policy” for incidents involving domestic violence, look even more laughable.
On the field, the lines are just as blurred. Broncos’ safety T.J. Ward beat Goodell to the punch by taking to Instagram and addressing his hit on Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton, posing the question: “When did this become a penalty?”
And that hit wasn’t even first on the docket for Goodell, who surely watched the replay of Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater getting knocked unconscious by Lamarcus Joyner midway through a feet-first slide. Seeing Bridgewater go limp instantly makes it that one a no-brainer for Goodell. Or does it? Former NFL defensive player Matt Bowen penned an excellent column on why it’s never black and white. As Bowen aptly points out, players have been trained to play like Joyner since Day 1 – how can one penalty, fine or suspension remove that from their DNA? Furthermore, if Bridgewater pops up and runs back to the huddle, we’re not even talking about it.
Don’t forget the Patriots, either. That’s an ongoing saga that Goodell gets to deal with, too. As luck would have it, they’re undefeated and maintain their status as one of the league’s elite teams, a foundation built on what many believe to be cheating.
What a mess.
The NFL reigns supreme – for now. But how much more trouble, negativity, inconsistency and discontent can the league and its players endure before the average American says “thanks, but no thanks” when asked to tune in? Sadly, I’d venture to say “a lot.”
Or maybe not. And that’s how Goodell and his owners should be thinking before it’s too late.
