It all seems so silly sometimes. In the simplest terms, football involves grown men in tight pants chasing a strangely shaped ball. That’s what I watch for nine hours every Sunday. That’s what Jay Cutler does for $18.5 million per year. That’s what produced the loudest human-generated sound in history. When you think about it, the lofty status of the NFL in our society seems pretty ridiculous.
But even if it makes no sense, the NFL’s spot in the cultural hierarchy is fairly entrenched. Football may be just a game, but the NFL is no longer just a league. Like it or not, the NFL has become a cultural platform, the reach of which extends well beyond the world of sports. At its best, it serves as a tool for positive community involvement. At its worst, well, pick up a newspaper.
It’s pretty tough to be an NFL fan right about now. The league has a lot on its plate, and each issue is worthy of its own discussion. But this is not a column about Ray Rice, Greg Hardy or Josh Gordon. Maybe it’s naive to expect model citizenship from a sport that rewards and encourages physical punishment of adversaries. But it’s not unreasonable to expect the figurehead of one of America’s most prominent and influential organizations to be forthright and consistent. It’s time for Roger Goodell to go.
Most critiques of Goodell have centered on his failure to uphold certain moral values in the mishandling of the Ray Rice domestic violence scandal but mine won’t. As Charles Barkley put it, “just because I can dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kid.” But at the very least, the league needs to send consistent messages about its tolerance of certain actions. Throughout his tenure, Goodell has publicly committed to bolstering safety protocols, yet quietly lobbied for an expanded schedule. He asserted that ignorance of the Saints’ bounty program did not absolve coach Sean Payton of blame, yet pled his own ignorance in defense of mishandling Rice’s discipline. Goodell’s hypocritical administration evidently cares far more about appearances than any guiding principles.
As was always inevitable, the chickens are finally coming home to roost. In the wake of Goodell’s twisted procedural justice in the Rice case, it has never been clearer that the commissioner is in over his head. Let’s look at the facts: First, the NFL took five months to levy an embarrassingly lenient punishment on Rice. In response to harsh criticism of the decision, the league hastily created a new domestic violence policy to demonstrate its commitment to the cause. Finally, when gruesome footage of the incident was released, Goodell hit rewind on the whole verdict and suspended Rice indefinitely. In defense, the commissioner issued a bumbling apology and admitted that he’d gotten it wrong. Does this sudden contrition fix anything? Are we okay with the NFL commissioner repeating mistakes and making up rules as he goes? Goodell’s history of inconsistency has dried up any reserve of trust he once held with the public. As Seahawks’ former wide receiver Sidney Rice (no relation) noted on Twitter, “You gain 0 yards on an (incomplete) pass.”
The Rice scandal seems to have exposed Goodell as overmatched and incompetent, but further examination paints a far more sinister picture of his administration. According to a recent ESPN “Outside the Lines” report, Goodell’s administration purposefully buried evidence it claimed to have never seen. For now, these allegations are unsubstantiated, but it’s pretty difficult to imagine that TMZ has more investigative clout than the most powerful man in sports. Whether the league suppressed the truth or simply didn’t want to uncover it, Goodell is guilty of manipulating public opinion to avoid a potentially damaging situation.
In response to public scrutiny, Goodell commissioned what he called an independent investigation into the league’s treatment of evidence in the Rice case. The probe will be led by Robert Mueller III, whose law firm recently helped negotiate a ten-figure deal between the NFL and DirecTV. Oh, and by the way, Ravens’ president Dick Cass spent 30 years working for the same firm. Come on, Roger, don’t insult us. It’s plain to see that these are the desperate actions of a man with something to hide. Is he so stubborn as to consider himself indestructible? Is he that drunk with power?
The NFL is a business, and ultimately, the job of the commissioner is to generate revenue. On this front, Roger Goodell is very good at his job — franchise values are soaring, teams are making record profits and the league has set its eyes on $25 billion in revenue by 2027. But beyond the bottom line, the commissioner’s job is also to represent the league and the values it espouses. A good commissioner should be transparent, accountable and decisive. Goodell, the man who made $44 million last year, has proven time and time again that he embodies none of these traits. The Rice debacle was far from Goodell’s first controversy in office, but it’s easily his most memorable. Is this the figurehead we want representing football? Is his legacy one that football fans are proud to be associated with?
As an NFL die-hard, I hope this scandal isn’t the beginning of the end of football’s reign atop the sports world. But Goodell’s gaffes have given me enough reason to fear. If Ray Rice is to be banished from football, so too should Goodell. If players are held to certain moral standards, so too should executives. For years, Goodell’s administration has been marked by hypocrisy and abuse of power. It’s time to hit the reset button.
Mike Firn ’16 is ready to take over as NFL commissioner. Contact him at michael_firn@brown.edu.
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