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Sex, Lies, and Videotape: Goodell's NFL
Observer columnist talks about what's on the commissioner's plate
Leon Mukkadan
Issue date: 10/22/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
Does the name Koren Robinson ring a bell? How about Tank Johnson or Chris Henry or Adam 'Pacman' Jones?
I'd mention Michael Vick, but then it would be all too obvious what I'm driving at.
These are all players that have been suspended from the National Football League within the last year or so, because of the player conduct policy.
Some were suspended before Roger Goodell (NFL Commissioner) took over, and others after but the fact remains that the NFL recently has had an increasing problem with its player's extra-curricular activities.
Goodell has set his precedent of zero-tolerance and hopes to fix this issue running the league more in the style of what David Stern has done with the National Basketball Association, regardless of the fact that the NBA has been setting records for lower ratings since.
Goodell has made his point; this is not your father's NFL. But wait, will he be just as harsh to players for on-field infractions or is it just the off-field activities he plans on rectifying?
Travis Henry, running back of the Denver Broncos (and a member of the 'Father of Nine from Nine Club' as in nine children from nine different women), recently failed yet another substance abuse policy test.
However, he continues to play because he has appealed the case and wants his own expert present at the next testing and he will most likely get his way.
Meanwhile, Adam 'Pacman' Jones went to a strip club and whipped out wads of hundred dollar bills, that he then proceeded to pour over the strippers to live the moment described in the song 'Make it Rain.'
Sadly, he didn't mean for the strippers or their pimps to keep the cash.
When he reclaimed the money, there was a fight leading to his suspension from the NFL for sixteen games.
This was not his first infraction of the sort, neither was it in the case of Henry's but only one of them continues to play and it seems it is the culprit whose acts actually are hurting the purity of the game (and not necessarily his personal character).
This is not the only example of the unequal and discretionary sort of punishment that Goodell partakes in.
The other example that jumps into mind is when a certain team video taped the play calling of the teams it played and had several hours of archived footage of the sort.
This archive along with 'alleged' interference in visiting team's headsets that gave this team considerable advantage was brought to the forefront with the New England Patriots' CameraGate fiasco.
Goodell's solution, a monetary fine for the coach and the organization along with a possibility of one first or both second and third round picks in the next draft. No suspensions and all the evidence were destroyed.
Apparently under Goodell's new NFL it is worse to do something off the field than it is on the field. If Belichick gets busted with a sex tape of Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen, expect harsher punishment.
Records : Leon 9-3, MS Excel 4-8
I'd mention Michael Vick, but then it would be all too obvious what I'm driving at.
These are all players that have been suspended from the National Football League within the last year or so, because of the player conduct policy.
Some were suspended before Roger Goodell (NFL Commissioner) took over, and others after but the fact remains that the NFL recently has had an increasing problem with its player's extra-curricular activities.
Goodell has set his precedent of zero-tolerance and hopes to fix this issue running the league more in the style of what David Stern has done with the National Basketball Association, regardless of the fact that the NBA has been setting records for lower ratings since.
Goodell has made his point; this is not your father's NFL. But wait, will he be just as harsh to players for on-field infractions or is it just the off-field activities he plans on rectifying?
Travis Henry, running back of the Denver Broncos (and a member of the 'Father of Nine from Nine Club' as in nine children from nine different women), recently failed yet another substance abuse policy test.
However, he continues to play because he has appealed the case and wants his own expert present at the next testing and he will most likely get his way.
Meanwhile, Adam 'Pacman' Jones went to a strip club and whipped out wads of hundred dollar bills, that he then proceeded to pour over the strippers to live the moment described in the song 'Make it Rain.'
Sadly, he didn't mean for the strippers or their pimps to keep the cash.
When he reclaimed the money, there was a fight leading to his suspension from the NFL for sixteen games.
This was not his first infraction of the sort, neither was it in the case of Henry's but only one of them continues to play and it seems it is the culprit whose acts actually are hurting the purity of the game (and not necessarily his personal character).
This is not the only example of the unequal and discretionary sort of punishment that Goodell partakes in.
The other example that jumps into mind is when a certain team video taped the play calling of the teams it played and had several hours of archived footage of the sort.
This archive along with 'alleged' interference in visiting team's headsets that gave this team considerable advantage was brought to the forefront with the New England Patriots' CameraGate fiasco.
Goodell's solution, a monetary fine for the coach and the organization along with a possibility of one first or both second and third round picks in the next draft. No suspensions and all the evidence were destroyed.
Apparently under Goodell's new NFL it is worse to do something off the field than it is on the field. If Belichick gets busted with a sex tape of Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen, expect harsher punishment.
Records : Leon 9-3, MS Excel 4-8
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