Since taking over the already highly successful NFL from retiring Commissioner Paul Tagliabue in 2006, Roger Goodell has led the league to unprecedented levels of popularity and profits. Franchises are now changing hands for billions of dollars and the NFL brings in annual revenues approaching ten billion bucks per year.
A good part of the continuing success of the NFL is due to the excellent leadership provided by Roger Goodell. However, as that graphic cover featuring Goodell in a ‘Game of Thrones’ setting by Sports Illustrated pointed out so well, not everyone is happy with the extent to which the commissioner has taken on all disciplinary issues concerning NFL players as a personal crusade.
In fact, many are bemoaning the way in which Goodell has become the sole judge, jury and executioner for the National Football League ever since taking office. While everything was going well, no one thought to point out that this practice was decidedly ‘un-American’.
Then came Bounty Gate and Roger Goodell single handedly decided to impose disciplines so harsh that even the non-sporting public began to sit up and take notice. Suspending an NFL Head Coach for an entire season is not a decision to be left to only one man. That became abundantly clear when we saw Sean Payton watching from afar as his Saints team had one of the worst seasons in their recent history without their coach.
The 32 NFL team owners met recently for their fall get together in New York and the principal topic of discussion was player conduct and discipline. When questioned on the situation several owners expressed high praise for Mr. Goodell while at the same time letting it be known that there were changes in the wind.
Other owners, simpatico to Goodell’s plight, stated that he simply had too much on his plate to handle the disciplinary aspects of the league as well as his other duties.
The team owners are now actively engaged in making a transition from Goodell’s ‘court of one’ policy to a more acceptable form of adjudicating these difficult cases.
At this point they are simply making suggestions. However, if Goodell does not give in, a much more volatile situation may well develop.
With the NFL now under international scrutiny over the recent high profile cases of Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, among others, the league franchise owners must now act quickly and decisively to put a stop to this non-sense once and for all.
