By Matt Anderson
The penalties for the Redskins and Cowboys are just the latest in the string of heads I win, tails you lose mandates that have come to characterize the Goodell administration.
On May 22, an arbitrator upheld the NFL’s penalties on the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys for overspending in 2010. The crazy thing is that 2010 was an uncapped year. So how can a team spend too much when there’s no limit on how much they can spend?
This is just the latest instance of Roger Goodell/the NFL running roughshod over its players to get what it wants. It started with the new collective bargaining agreement. It included making the New Orleans Saints the whipping boy for a bounty system that, judging by the reaction of many players, exists in some form throughout the league. Now, teams are getting hit with cap penalties for violating a non-existent cap.
When Roger Goodell took over as commissioner in 2006, he brought a hard-nosed approach to a hard-nosed game. His predecessor had believed there was value in working with the players who gave so much to the sport. But whether it was a conscious choice, or prompted by owners who saw the opportunity to grab more power, Goodell took a decidedly different approach: one of pro-management inflexibility. The overarching theme was that Goodell knows best and you will get no say in the matter.
Early on, this attitude worked. Fans were tired of characters like Pacman Jones and Plaxico Burress. Facing the potential for an “NBA problem”* he instituted an authoritarian regime that suppressed individual expression and clamped down on players' off-field conduct. His punishments were as harsh as they were arbitrary, and all were final. The concept of due process had no place in the NFL.
*By NBA Problem, I mean the challenge of selling a sport dominated by minorities to white America. It’s harsh and unfortunate, but a reality. There's still a healthy contingent who won't watch the NBA because it's populated by "a bunch of thugs.”
Where the waters became choppy for this all-powerful administration was when concussions moved to the forefront. Two seasons ago, Goodell had unilaterally changed the rules of football in response to the public’s growing concern about head injuries. It was the right thing to do, even if the abrupt way he did it rubbed some the wrong way.
But then, Goodell continued his push for an 18-game season, or what would amount to two more full-speed opportunities for players to suffer concussions. At the same time that he expanded the league’s power under the guise of protecting players, Goodell was also trying to expand the league’s power by playing the other side of the issue. It became clear that Goodell’s decisions weren’t made for the public good, but for the good of the NFL, at the expense of everyone else.
The events of the last 10 months have confirmed that one side of the table still holds all of the control. The League locked the players out. The League dictated the terms of the owner-friendly CBA, and then it made an example out of the Saints. The League is now punishing the Redskins and Cowboys “in the name of competitive fairness.”**
** By the way, the Redskins and Cowboys are really tearing up the NFL these days. Three combined playoff wins in the last 15 years. Good thing Goodell stepped in to punish them.
But then, Goodell continued his push for an 18-game season, or what would amount to two more full-speed opportunities for players to suffer concussions. At the same time that he expanded the league’s power under the guise of protecting players, Goodell was also trying to expand the league’s power by playing the other side of the issue. It became clear that Goodell’s decisions weren’t made for the public good, but for the good of the NFL, at the expense of everyone else.
The events of the last 10 months have confirmed that one side of the table still holds all of the control. The League locked the players out. The League dictated the terms of the owner-friendly CBA, and then it made an example out of the Saints. The League is now punishing the Redskins and Cowboys “in the name of competitive fairness.”**
** By the way, the Redskins and Cowboys are really tearing up the NFL these days. Three combined playoff wins in the last 15 years. Good thing Goodell stepped in to punish them.
Right now, the NFL can afford to operate this way. Football is the most popular sport in the U.S., and the professional game has become ingrained in our culture. But nobody likes a bully, and the NFL is moving toward becoming the biggest bully in sports. Whether it’s a slow, headline-driven erosion of public support or one drastic miscalculation, Goodell’s heavy hand will eventually spark a backlash. Sports are built on the concept of competition within the framework of fairness, equality and justice. A league that operates contrary to that can only survive for so long.
Matt Anderson is Began in '96's Richmond correspondent.
4 comments:
It is nuts how much power this guy wields. My favorite part is that when Goodell decides the punishment then if the player or coach decides to appeal Then it goes in front of non other than Roger Goodell. No second opinions, no other voices.
Agreed. It's a great appeals system...if the commissioner has a split personality disorder instead of an ego problem
to play devils advocate: how else would you want the system to work? Like the US justice system? There would be stalemates, delayed decisions and realistically punishment could vary widely for similar violations. At least it is one singular voice/command that is fairly consistent. If it were a democratic process, it would be tough to maintain organized control of day-to-day operations. A CEO makes decisions based on what is best for the company and it is isn't a democratic process. A CEO only answers to his BOD and investors and so long as the company performs, his methods are embraced by the BOD and investors. Goodell answers to the owners via his contract with them I believe and I don't hear of any owners calling for his departure (despite media's best efforts to villify Goodell and make him out to be a bad guy like any other company leader not running Facebook, Google or Apple). Players may not like the fact that they are employees under Goodell, but such is life, they are always free to pursue another profession. And they'll find their plight no different. The Saints should be punished - they were caught violating the rules under Goodell (regardless if bounties have been around since the turn of the 20th century). The cowboys and redskins violated dumping salaries in an uncapped year (it wasn't documented due to the CBA, but they were warned of potential future punishment). It's like telling your kid not to throw a party while you're out of town or there will be consequences if you find out otherwise. I'm a cowboys fan and it's not Goodell's fault Jerry has no idea how to maintain a prudent payroll in his endless pursuit to prove that he had some hand in helping Jimmy Johnson put together a dynasty in the early 90s. The League does and should always have complete control. If the inmates start running the asylum, then the league will only survive for so long.
Thanks for your comment, you make excellent points. As a law student I still believe in the US Justice system. That being said, I don't have a problem with the structure, as a private entity the it's the NFL's prerogative to have whatever system they want. I just think that the lack of a true appeal/ another voice can be dangerous because he could one day make what he thinks is a good decision that could seriously hurt the league. The Redskins/ Cowboys situation is certainly going to cost the NFL a ton of money because the league did something wrong: it either colluded by making an undocumented cap (which is illegal per laws regarding unions), or it fined teams (both of which have large fan bases) for no real reason, which is going to be bad PR. The players certainly should not have control over punishments any more than they do through the CBA, but we've seen time and time again, when one man has the first, last, and only word it can lead to real trouble.
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