The Roger Goodell thread

[Anonymous]

It's interesting reading the posts here.

My understanding is that the role of the commissioner has been established by the owners up front, and as a result, they must sleep in that bed. The question for me is: has Goodell operated outside those parameters?

 

[volsunghawk]

Shouldn't your real beef be with the league's owners, though? Roger is just a figure-head for them and an easy scapegoat for when stuff hits the fan. Ultimately, the owners run the league. Goodell is basically a mouthpiece. If he's pushing for expansion to London, it's because the owners think that's a profitable move. If he's pushing for an 18 game season, it's because the owners see money there. Nothing more, nothing less. If they thought he was doing a poor job, then he'd be out.

Goodell is like the CEO that stretches his company to the MAX to gain revenue and stock value. The kind of CEO that achieves great results on paper in the short term, but undermines his company's long term health. The kind that leaves just before the company collapses into a pile of burning rubble with his golden parachute, while his employees are without their pensions or even their jobs. Goodell reminds me of that guy.

Everything he does is about the bottom line ($$$). He will never do anything to make the game better if it comes at financial expense, but will jump off the couch to do the opposite.

You make a solid point about Goodell making owners happy, but not every commissioner is so deeply in their pockets. IMO, the NFL Commisioner needs to be a steward of the game, rather than someone who acts completely with a CEO type of mentality.

Yes, this. This is exactly the right comparison. Goodell's only interest is in protecting and growing the league, and it doesn't matter one bit to him what his efforts to that end mean for the game, its players, or the long-time fans.

 

[Largent80]

Take a look at the Browner situation. How was that fair in comparison to what Rice received?.

 

[RolandDeschain]

It's interesting reading the posts here.

My understanding is that the role of the commissioner has been established by the owners up front, and as a result, they must sleep in that bed. The question for me is: has Goodell operated outside those parameters?

If he has operated within expected parameters, I suspect we still will see almost nobody throwing any accountability at the owners themselves.

Typical.

 

[volsunghawk]

Complaints about Goodell re: punishments are that he a) has too much unilateral power to punish players and b) that what is being punished is out of whack, which reflects changing values in society, particularly those on marijuana use and domestic violence.

The players gave him that increased power in the new CBA, and the league also said they're considering medical marijuana exemptions. They just drastically increased the penalties for domestic abuse. They are clearly listening at least to an extent.

What do you want to see? The same kind of "zero tolerance" policies that many public schools use, where a kid who eats parts away from a Pop Tart to make it look like a little pistol gets expelled? That's the kind of unilateral "fair punishment" given out you want, with never any mitigating circumstances?

I'd rather see a set of rules laid down and adhered to, and then any extenuating circumstances or judgments made by a panel voted on by the NFLPA.

 

[rideaducati]

I'm okay with Goodell making an exception for Rice. Special situation, special treatment.

What I am not okay with are all the other mistakes he's made, now compounded with him lying about the tape.

In all the years we've had Paul Tagliabue (1989-2006), I can't remember a single time he outraged me with his competency or lack of honesty. Sure, Goodell has had a more challenging tenure, but I pine for the days when the NFL could be drama free and safe from idiotic policies.

Tagliabue didn't have to deal with social media. Players back then could, and did, get away with a lot of things we never heard about. The NFL will never again be "drama free" for anyone with an internet connection. The idiotic policies have come about because public perception of the NFL takes a hit without them.

Damn technology.

 

[huskylawyer]

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

 

[Uncle Si]

This should be entertaining.

Whatever you do, don't look at how many player suspensions there have been under all prior commissioners combined compared to under Goodell.

Also, Goodell banning him from the league makes perfect sense if Rice lied to the league about what happened in the elevator and this video wasn't seen by Goodell prior to that initial two-game suspension.

If it comes out that Goodell HAD seen that video prior to handing out the suspension, however, then he needs to go. I just don't think that's the case here, he likes suspending players and the NFL cares about its image. A lot.

IF, and it's a big if, Rog saw THAT video, he needs to go yesterday!
I'd lay those odds at about 50-50. Time will tell.

IF, he knew it existed, why didnt he request it? (rumors of this video have been out there for a few months now)

Im comfortable accepting he didnt see the video (although i think he did). But at a critical time for the NFL, where it touches its toes in the water in handling players who foul up with real suspensions and real crimes (not just recreational drugs and PED's) he let something like that video go without having impact on his decision?

Also, he interviewed both Rice and his fiancee together. Does that seem right?

In his handling of this incident, he has been bungling and culpable at best, manipulative and even corrupt at worst.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

Oberman has it right. A whole bunch of people should be fired from Goodell to Ozzie Newsome. This was a coverup that got found out pure and simple.

 

[sc85sis]

Goodell at times reminds me of a one-man NCAA. He is technically empowered by the owners (school presidents in the NCAA's case), yet he rules over the teams (school's sports programs). There's an inherent conflict of interest in both cases.

 

[RolandDeschain]

Oberman has it right. A whole bunch of people should be fired from Goodell to Ozzie Newsome. This was a coverup that got found out pure and simple.

This mat's for you.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Goodell at times reminds me of a one-man NCAA. He is technically empowered by the owners (school presidents in the NCAA's case), yet he rules over the teams (school's sports programs). There's an inherent conflict of interest in both cases.

This is why nothing will come of this whole facade.

The owners love Goodell because he's making them money hand over fist, and they're the governing body that would have to call for an internal investigation......or worse, his resignation. So they'll all do public interviews throwing Rice under the bus for the next couple of weeks, and it'll be back to business as usual.

 

[SalishHawkFan]

Roger has never done anything towards bringing an investigation into the corrupt officiating of SB XL and for THAT Goodell needs to go.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

Oberman has it right. A whole bunch of people should be fired from Goodell to Ozzie Newsome. This was a coverup that got found out pure and simple.

This mat's for you.

Bite me. It's your right to be ignorant but don't expect others to agree with or follow your path. Not asking for ALL the security footage was willfully turning a blind eye.

 

[RolandDeschain]

Bite me. It's your right to be ignorant but don't expect others to agree with or follow your path. Not asking for ALL the security footage was willfully turning a blind eye.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Waiting for all evidence and facts to come out makes me ignorant? Did the majority of us not wait for facts regarding Marshawn's DUI? Aldon's incidents even, despite him being a member of a hated rival?

Come on now, Mizzou.

 

[homerun1970]

I personally think he messed up either way. If you are going to punish someone shouldn't you know what for? If he was trying to cover it up he's incompetent.

 

[kearly]

Pretty good article on this topic at Grantland. It touches on something I've been attempting to express. Goodell's perceptively lax stance on domestic violence is partially seen as such because he so emphatically over legislates things that don't matter at all, like smoking weed or dunking footballs over goal posts.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/what- ... l-fired-2/

When people compare the 2 game suspension for domestic abuse to a 16 game suspension for weed, it makes the domestic abuse punishment look very weak in comparison. Granted, the domestic abuse suspension SHOULD be higher than two games, but it's the over-the-top punishments for far lesser offenses that has given this issue so much life because it exaggerates how little of a shit the NFL gives about issues that matter vs. ones that don't.

 

[Seahawk Sailor]

Roger has never done anything towards bringing an investigation into the corrupt officiating of SB XL and for THAT Goodell needs to go.

BOOM!

 

[kearly]

I'm okay with Goodell making an exception for Rice. Special situation, special treatment.

What I am not okay with are all the other mistakes he's made, now compounded with him lying about the tape.

In all the years we've had Paul Tagliabue (1989-2006), I can't remember a single time he outraged me with his competency or lack of honesty. Sure, Goodell has had a more challenging tenure, but I pine for the days when the NFL could be drama free and safe from idiotic policies.

Tagliabue didn't have to deal with social media. Players back then could, and did, get away with a lot of things we never heard about. The NFL will never again be "drama free" for anyone with an internet connection. The idiotic policies have come about because public perception of the NFL takes a hit without them.

Damn technology.

Fair points. My counter-argument would be that Goodell dug his own grave with 16 game bans for weed and similar over-reactions to stuff that doesn't matter. By coming down way too hard on petty shit, the unintended consequence was that he came off looking relatively callous on issues that do matter. To Tagliabue's credit, he didn't wake sleeping dogs. I'm sure he'd be having a tough time in this over-sensitive, reactionary era too, though at least he wouldn't have doused himself in gasoline the way Goodell has.

 

[RolandDeschain]

Roger has never done anything towards bringing an investigation into the corrupt officiating of SB XL and for THAT Goodell needs to go.

BOOM!

Goodell didn't become commissioner until after Super Bowl XL. Just sayin'.