Roger Goodell

It continues to become harder to support the NFL

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL, Social Issues ,

Roger_GoodellI love PTI. Tony Kornhesier and Michael Wilbon may be the best duo in recent sports broadcasting history. I was shocked yesterday to hear Wilbon bring up the idea of Roger Goodell losing his post as commissioner of the NFL. Well that isn’t the shocking part, I’ve been saying Goodell needs to go for a while now. What caught me off guard was the reason why Goodell would be let go. For punishing the Patriots. Not for the botched Ray Rice case or the on-going Adrian Peterson saga, but for Deflategate.

Ironically, out of all of the massive controversies involving the NFL this season, I thought Goodell did his best work in handling the deflated ball scandal. He left himself out of the investigation and then made a ruling that clearly sent a message that this sort of conduct would not be tolerated. He might have been a little harsh, but with all the leniency Goodell provided in regards to Rice and Peterson, he might have felt a little bit pressured. To me, Goodell did his job, and did it well.

Robert_KraftApparently, Patriots owner Robert Kraft does not share the same sentiment. His long-time friend is now openly criticizing Goodell. Kraft felt that the punishments were undue and not formulated in concrete evidence. Wilbon’s point was that through all of the other adversity the league faced this year, Goodell always had the backing of the owners. Now, he might have lost that, because the ruling directly affected one of them. Wilbon pointed out that Kraft could push for Goodell’s tenure to end the next time he is up for election, which is in 2018. Wilbon noted that is unlikely that anything would happen before then, but he would not be surprised if the end for Goodell was in the near future.

All this really shows is how callous, corrupt and greedy the NFL has become. They are willing to back the commissioner through domestic abuse issues and bounty scandals so long as he continues to deliver profits. The NFL made a ridiculous 9.5 billion dollars in revenue in 2013, which breaks down to about 261.5 million dollars per team. The owners get to stay rich as long as the money keeps flowing in. The league compensates Goodell pretty handsomely as well, more than 44 million dollars last year to be exact. Goodell has proven to be a strong business partner for the NFL. As long as he kept generating revenue, the owners would be more than willing to weather whatever storm Goodell brought with it.

Now though, faced with a situation where a team, and to a further extent an owner, took the brunt of the penalty from Goodell’s actions, the owners are ready to run him out. It shows on one level that the owners value the brand of the team and the money made way more than they value the players. The Ravens were in full compliance with suspending Rice and the Vikings openly supported Goodell with his plans for Peterson. The Patriots are furious about losing Tom Brady for four games but seem to be more enraged by the docking of draft picks and heavy fine. At least that’s my perception.

Goodell, in doing his job how he saw fit, might actually find himself looking for a new employer. He has made many a mistake in his handling of so many different cases. He has bordered on corrupt at times, with his mostly unchecked use of power to hand out suspensions and fines. And the owners have supported him through all of it. The league is willing to be corrupt as long as corrupt pays. The NFL is all about making money. I as a fan find this disheartening because I can see it in more places than just this. The steady rise in ticket prices, the removal of blackouts, the increased number of sponsors and the continual blind eye turned to player safety. The bottom line is all in the profit. The league makes its moves based on how much it can stand to gain from them.

It makes it hard to support a league that has so many major flaws. That is run by a system that continually fails its players and fans. That allows for inhumane behavior and repeatedly breeds violations of the law. That is more focused on the bottom line than the product. Greed runs the NFL. This is a league that is out to make as much money as possible, despite inexplicably being listed as a non-profit. There needs to be a change in the NFL and how it is run. It pushes me to the point where I do not know how much longer I can support the league. I simply do not want to get behind an organization that continues to disappoint and deteriorate. On the bright side, I would probably have a lot more time to watch PTI.

The NFL versus Marshawn Lynch

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL, Social Issues ,

The NFL has a reputation for being overly serious and unnecessarily strict about very peculiar things. Chad Johnson (or Ochocinco depending on the year) was constantly being fined by the NFL for his antics after scoring touchdowns. They viewed it as unsportsmanlike conduct, something that usually just results in a penalty. However, they fined Johnson over and over again. It got to the point where no one took the league seriously and fans began looking forward to Johnson scoring because they knew he would do something to incense the NFL.

The situation with Marshawn Lynch though, is not that. The NFL is repeatedly targeting a player for one of the most innocent objects to the league’s rules. The Seahawks’ running back has been fined repeatedly by the league for not talking to the media. Lynch is not doing it to prove a point or be defiant at all. He simply does not enjoy meeting with the press. The NFL has not consented to accept that Lynch is opposed to being interviewed. Instead, they continually threaten to fine him with exorbitant amounts of money, unprecedented fines as well, until he finally agrees to talk. It is not far from extortion at this point. The NFL is delivering an ultimatum where it cannot lose. Either the league shows its power in levying a massive fine against a player, or it demonstrates that it always gets what it wants, one way or another.

The amounts of money are starting to get out of hand as well. The league apparently held a half million dollar fine over Lynch’s head if he did speak to reporters at the annual NFL Media Day. That is a lot of money in general, but just how does it compare to some of the other fines levied by the NFL. According to a New York Daily News article, it would not have been the most but it would’ve been tied for the fourth most. Those joining him at fourth? Bill Belichick for his role his the Spygate scandal, the San Francisco 49ers organization for violating the salary cap and Jim Irsay for violating the code of conduct policy when he landed a DWI. Granted Irsay was also suspended for six games but he did receive the same fine. Lynch’s refusal to talk to the media apparently was more severe though than Shaun Rodgers carrying a semiautomatic handgun in a carry-on bag at a Cleveland airport or Ray Lewis being charged with obstruction of justice in a murder trial. They were fined $400,000 and $250,000 respectively. Apparently, bringing a semiautomatic weapon and helping cover up a murder results in a lesser penalty than telling a couple of reporters you are not interested in answering their questions.

Maybe that is a little extreme to make that comparison and obviously the NFL would never say that, but that is how it appears. If you fine a player more for avoiding the media than a gun issue or the obstruction of justice charge, it seems like avoiding the media is the bigger problem. The one upside for Lynch is that he showed up and did what he had to so he could leave as quickly as possible. However, he did taunt the media a bit with his resistance to answer questions, repeating, “I’m just here so I don’t get fined,” to every reporter who asked him something. So what did the NFL do in response? They announced that they were mulling fining Lynch anyway, for wearing a hat provided by a brand that the NFL had not approved. Seriously? This is just getting to be a little pathetic. It was not offensive in anyway. It was a “Beast Mode” hat, Lynch’s nickname. It was a harmless gesture and fans I have talked to found it interesting because it was the former Cal player expressing himself a little.

The one thing that the league clearly has not realized is that it is alienating fans with its treatment of Lynch. The fans are absolutely siding with the introverted 28-year old. We all know that he has not done anything wrong and the NFL is making itself look foolish for continuing to pretend that he has. It seems like the league is intent on having a certain type of player whose personality is outlined and determined by NFL executives. Simply stated: just leave the guy alone. He clearly does not have any interest in complying with the media’s questioning. You are antagonizing a man who is one of your employees, and likely one of the more profitable ones as well. The league needs to stop trying to act as if it controls every aspect of player’s lives. The NFL has managed to overlook issues of domestic violence and sexism this year but cannot seem to accept one of its players is uncomfortable in front of the press. I sincerely hope Lynch continues to stay strong in the coming days as his publicity reaches an all-time high. It might just be enough to get the NFL to change its ways.

Taking the first step

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL, Social Issues , ,

I know I have been talking about this a lot recently but the story continues to develop. Yesterday afternoon the 31 NFL owners (the Green Bay Packers do not have an owner because they are owned by their fans) unanimously agreed to begin implementing a new player conduct policy. It mainly deals with disciplinary actions in cases mostly related to family violence. These are obviously in response to the chaos that ensued with the cases surrounding Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson. The policy sets the protocol for how the NFL should respond if another case similar to either of theirs arises in the future. Implementing this policy doesn’t solve everything but it is certainly a start.

The biggest accomplishment of the new policy is weakening NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. It allows for the use of independent investigations and a special counsel who will “oversee the initial discipline” according to ESPN.com. The issue is that the commissioner still plays a role in the appeals process and now permitted to appoint private experts who help with the decision. That is a lot of power for the commissioner to have. It also keeps Goodell involved in the process in general which is not something I am particularly keen on seeing continue after Rice and Peterson were treated with so much leniency.
I say get Goodell out of the question entirely. The NFL commissioner is meant to work for the goal of improving the league as a whole, not playing judge in situations where he does not have the background to handle to problem properly. It seems as though he is desperately clinging on to power that he really should not have been entitled to in the first place. If Goodell really wants to continue serving as commissioner then he needs to have a better understanding of what that means. He cannot be controlling all from his office and slowly making himself untouchable. He is becoming corrupt with this power and seems reluctant to relinquish any of it.

So like I said, this is a good first step. The next step now is getting Goodell out of the equation when it comes to player discipline and moving those issues to an independent third party who can make an informed decision without any influence from anywhere else. Goodell has proven that he can be influenced. After discovering the public and his precious sponsor’s reactions to his light punishment for Rice, Goodell reversed course and went to the other extreme suspending him indefinitely. This is no longer a question of can whether Goodell can handle this responsibility. He can’t and he needs to be replaced in this capacity. If that day does not come in the near future, then it is time for the league to move in a different direction and hire a new commissioner to run the NFL.

Goodell nominated for Time’s Person of the Year and I hope he wins

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL, Social Issues

Tuesday brought to the world the news that Time magazine had released its list of candidates for their annual “Person of the Year” distinction. On this 8 person (well not exactly because there are two groups on it) list included NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. I read the headline NBC Sports headline at first and I actually laughed out loud. I figured “Goodell a finalist for Time’s Person of the Year” was just a mock article that someone had written to poke fun at the often-criticized commissioner. But it turns out that it was a legitimate article announcing Goodell’s inclusion. It is definitely time for a second look at this one.

It is not as bad as it sounds believe it or not. Even though the title has a very positive distinction, the award actually goes to the person Time feels has had the most influence on the news over the past year, whether positive or negative. The NBC article goes on to point out that this could be a perfect opportunity for Time to bring up all of the issues surrounding Goodell that have made headlines over the past year.

Now, I have been calling for Goodell’s dismissal or resignation for some time now. This is the same man who botched the handling of Ray Rice’s suspension after a domestic violence scandal, eventually allowing for Rice’s early reinstatement. He failed to act when Adrian Peterson was indicted for beating his son with a switch. He has been wholly ineffective in improving the game of football for the NFL. His so called “major accomplishments” this season regarding rule changes that outline consequences for domestic violence came as a result of lack of protocol when issues arose, not any sort of forward thinking. I would love for Time to pick Goodell and take another shot at shaming the maligned commissioner into stepping down from his position he obviously no longer deserves.

I have some confidence that Goodell could win too. The only way he definitely chalk up a loss is if he was running against FIFA President Sepp Blatter (if you want some context for who he is, watch this video. Some of the language is not appropriate for children but the message is thorough and comprehensive). Goodell is really in consideration with “Apple CEO Tim Cook, Alibaba founder Jack Ma, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani, singer Taylor Swift, Ebola caregivers, and protestors in Ferguson, Missouri” according to NBC Sports. It is a very odd mix of candidates but all of them have made the news in some way or another.

Goodell was certainly in a tough situation that was for the most part new to any commissioner of a major sports league but that does not mean we should pardon Goodell for his shortcomings. I sincerely hope Time puts Goodell in his place and uses this as a means to spark enough controversy to finally enact the change that should have happened months ago.

Who is really at fault?

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL, Social Issues , ,

This was initially written as an essay but I have decided to post it anyways because I think it helps people understand the model the media is meant to follow and it places some long overdue blame on Nike for failing to act.

Media outlets have enormous power in American society. They have the ability to influence the thinking of a democratic people and change its perspective on any given topic. The media is meant to set the public’s agenda as well as transmit values. Each medium, ranging from newspapers to social media, is responsible for filling this role for news consumers. A recent situation involving the NFL and domestic violence presented the perfect opportunity for journalism to showcase its abilities. It could have pressed for new values and readjusted the American agenda to enact a leadership change in the NFL while engaging its readership about a major social issue in child abuse. The mishandling of a child abuse scandal involving NFL superstar Adrian Peterson brought reporters, publishers and bloggers alike up to bat. It would have been so easy for them to get it right but they struck out. The media should have promoted the idea that a major league sponsor Nike pull its sponsorship of the NFL for the league’s poor handling of domestic violence discipline and then rebuked Nike when it failed to properly sever ties.

First off, the relationship between these two mega corporations holds the potential to be a make or break one in the fate of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell received intense pressure to step down for his leniency with Peterson but retained his position. The reason that Nike represents the perfect company to war with the NFL is two-fold. To start, it is the premier, multinational sports apparel company and holds a lot of sway in the general sporting community. The second aspect is Nike is the provider and sponsor of every NFL jersey made and worn by players and fans. In most news stories published about the scandal, Nike has been framed as neutral and taking the appropriate steps to react to the events of Peterson as they came to light.

Unfortunately, Nike did only what was predictable. On September 16, Nike suspended its endorsement contract with Adrian Peterson following his suspension from the NFL. ESPN first reported the news via Twitter[1] and Nike stated that the company “‘in no way condones child abuse or domestic violence of any kind and has shared [its] concerns with the NFL.’”[2] This was a simplistic step and did not take any guts for the company to distance itself from the messy situation claiming it made its displeasure clear to the league. Nike should have taken more progressive actions to send the NFL a powerful message. The largest sports apparel company in the world should have terminated its sponsorship of the league. The Globe and Mail reported Manish Tripathi, a professor at Emory University, went on record saying, “‘It’s such a no-risk thing [for corporations] to come out against domestic violence, waving their finger but not pulling any money.’”[3] Tripathi makes a compelling argument essentially undermining everything Nike had done. Looking closer, Nike’s motivation might have stemmed from somewhere else.

Now, Nike certainly took the proper precautions in suspending Peterson. Even after Peterson’s suspended, it is hard for Nike to completely disassociate itself from him. TMZ reported that Peterson, the day after being accused, emerged from his house decked out in Nike gear. [4] This was before Nike had officially suspended his endorsement but this still connected Nike to Peterson in consumers’ minds. So logically, it made sense in regard to Nike’s public image to leave Peterson in the dust. That still does not justify continuing to sponsor NFL however, the answer can be found in the numbers. According to The Wall Street Journal, when Nike took over as the official jersey provider for the league, the company it replaced, Reebok, lost an estimated $250 – $275 million in revenue.[5] Nike would likely lose that amount in cutting the NFL loose. It is unfortunate these are the correct economical steps because it allows Nike to be conceded. Yet, there should have been an upside because the media could have exploited Nike’s selfish nature to force the company to take further steps.

However, this is exactly where news outlets fell down on the job. Nike did not pressure the NFL enough, which is where the media should have picked up the slack. After missing the first chance to drive Roger Goodell out, Nike gave publications another opportunity. All they had to do was emphasize the self-centered actions Nike had taken while appearing as though it was disapproving of domestic violence when in reality it was only protecting itself. Yet, mass media dropped the ball a second time, failing to identify a pressure point that could have started a movement. The United States’ media missed fulfilling its niche in a socially responsible model of journalism. Instead, the media suffers some serious blame. While this does not absolve Roger Goodell or Nike from the mistakes they have made, it does continue the cycle of unfulfilled responsibilities. Goodell should have put a stop to all of this taking the appropriate approach in punishing Peterson. Once Goodell did not act, the duty shifted to Nike, who should have shamed the NFL and created an impact by yanking their financial support. When Nike missed the opportunity, the responsibility landed with the media to spark controversy and enact change. Yet the media did not frame its articles as needed and thus, the burden then fell to the usual news consumers. Thankfully, the American people picked up some of the slack utilizing social media as a method for spreading the message.

To elaborate, Twitter exploded with demands for Goodell’s resignation and featured calls for sponsors to take the lead. A tweet from @shall1432 on September 16 said, “We need more #NFLsponsors to stand up and challenge the #NFL on their stance with #DomesticViolence. #ChildAbuse.”[6] This is a clear call for NFL sponsors to quit taking the easy way out and find a way to use their leverage against the NFL in a beneficial way. Then a tweet from September 17 by @tedotte read, “The sad truth is that brands pulling sponsorship $$ will be the reason @nfl @nflcommish are forced to address issues.”[7] Another tweet from the following day by @RamfusBrock had some harsh words for sponsors, “Tell #NFLsponsors that until they drop the @NFL,they’re part of its #DomesticViolence problem! #GoodellMustGo.”[8] This perpetuates the idea that these sponsors need to be held accountable and now they are being linked to the problem of domestic violence.

In summation, the media, across all platforms, insufficiently served its most important role. It inadequately addressed the reactions to a child abuse investigation from Roger Goodell and Nike respectively. The facts were continually presented that Peterson had abused his son yet few in the media could seem to make an impactful statement; they just kept repeating the mantra that domestic violence was wrong and Peterson should be punished. The opportunity laid out in front of media outlets all over the nation and the majority disappointed in their coverage. There are only so many times where a social issue explodes into a nationwide drama where the media has the opportunity to shift the public’s attention in a way that makes a significant difference. They could have used the power they so knowingly wield to punish Goodell for his offenses and blatant disregard for basic civic rights. Instead the media missed their cue and still no one seems to have discovered that they blew a huge chance to solidify their spot in a true socially responsible journalistic system.
[1] The Associated Press. (2014, September 18). PepsiCo CEO voices concern about NFL, but gives support to Goodell. The Globe and Mail, Sports. Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/pepsico-ceo-voices-concern-about-nfl-but-gives-support-to-goodell/article20660513/
[2] Rovell, D. (2014, September 17). Nike suspends Adrian Peterson deal. Retrieved October 7, 2014, from ESPN.com website: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11542737/nike-suspends-adrian-peterson-endorsement-contract
[3] The Associated Press. (2014, September 18). PepsiCo CEO voices concern about NFL, but gives support to Goodell. The Globe and Mail, Sports. Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/pepsico-ceo-voices-concern-about-nfl-but-gives-support-to-goodell/article20660513/
[4] TMZ Staff. (2014, September 16). Adrian Peterson…hey Nike…we’re still cool, right? Retrieved October 7, 2014, from http://www.tmz.com/2014/09/16/adrian-peterson-nike-swoosh-sponsor/
[5] Kell, J. (2012, April 4). Nike show NFL gear. The Wall Street Journal, Business. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303816504577321743295501220 [6] @shall1432. (2014, September 16). @shall1432: We need more #NFLsponsors to stand up and challenge the #NFL on their stance with #DomesticViolence. #ChildAbuse [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/shall1432/status/511993607596036097
[7] @tedotte. (n.d.). https://twitter.com/tedotte/status/512322842176667648 [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/tedotte/status/512322842176667648
[8] @RamfusBrock. (2014, September 18). @RamfusBrock: Tell #NFLsponsors that until they drop the @NFL,they’re part of its #DomesticViolence problem! #GoodellMustGo [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/ramfusbrock/status/512746280032800770