Roger Goodell Makes Millions Just To Embarrass The NFL

Just a die hard Ravens and NFL fan speaking the truth about Roger Goodell…

My feelings towards Roger Goodell are not exactly a secret. I wrote an article titled 3 Reasons Baltimore Ravens Fans Should Hate Roger Goodell. My stance towards the professional foot in mouth leader of the NFL is out there. I have talked about this before, but always have felt there is more to say. After today, everything will be off my chest. You can call it a bias if you want to. Here’s the deal though: the NFL needs a new commissioner.

Roger Goodell makes an ungodly amount of money. According to an article from Mina Kimes for ESPN, the NFL commissioner made $34.1 million in 2014. And while Kimes explains that it makes sense considering the NFL is a multi-billion dollar business and he just works for the 32 owners, it still makes you want to vomit. Kimes article is very good and what she said makes sense. I get why his job gets him a high salary. I just see that Goodell is filthy rich and he has done so little right.

Being the NFL commissioner is a big deal. The NFL is not only one of the biggest businesses in sports world, but the entire world. The NFL does some good things. They give to charity, the NFL Play 60 initiative is a great movement. Not everything Goodell touches is ruined or instantly spoiled. But he is the biggest reason for the NFL’s public relations nightmares.

Name a situation that has happened that Goodell has not embarrassed the NFL? With Ray Rice for example he gave an extremely light suspension for knocking a woman unconscious. Rice became a pariah, but Goodell became the boss who is light on Domestic Violence.

Considering Goodell’s proverbial hammer had terrified any NFL player caught with marijuana, you’d think that Rice would have gotten the same hammer. Rice got a laughable two game suspension initially. Rice has not worked since the second video was released. That is not because of Goodell, that’s because of the media. Rice would never be worth the trouble signing him would cause.

It should be noted that the NFL Players Union has a lot to do with all of this. Goodell is forced to use precedent in his rulings. Many would argue though that Goodell is blind to any sense of morality when he let’s domestic violence go barely punished. The fact that Gregg Hardy played a snap of football after what he did to a woman is frankly a badge of the NFL’s shame.

Feb 8, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during a “Handoff to Houston” press conference at the Super Bowl Media Center at Moscone Center-West. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Goodell is wrong even when he tries to do the right thing. The Patriots should be punished for cheating. Deflate Gate was a big deal. Yet Goodell has dragged Tom Brady into the courts over and over again. It’s the never ending battle that just makes the league look childish and petty. Goodell’s temper tantrum should have been over long ago. The only reason he is doing this is because the NFL owners were angered the first time he took it easy on the Patriots.

The NFL and concussions is a crazy relationship. Goodell has taken some legitimate steps in making the game safer. But while doing so he has been dishonestly self-preserving. The NFL has just recently acknowledged the link towards CTE and football; as if getting caught red handed was easier than more denial. Goodell’s go to argument is that there is risk in anything. While this is true it’s better than the truth: Playing in the NFL can cost players severe physical and mental punishments.

The game is going to be a dangerous one no matter what happens. Quite frankly, unless the NFL runs out of talented players they will be fine. This country loves football, and there will always be players who play for the love of the game. This is especially true when these players can make more money on the football field than they could in any other job. Player safety is important but the game can only be changed so much. Some of the revisions Goodell has seen go into the NFL rule book have hurt the game.

If you’re keeping score at home, Goodell is doing pretty poorly right now. He has mishandled just about every media firestorm pointed at the NFL. On many occasions his actions or words only added fuel to the rampaging frenzies. He has become the judge, jury and executioner in terms of NFL handed down discipline. He has done poorly in all three roles that he hordes. Now we are getting to how he is not good for the game of football. Buckle your chin straps, I’m about to really get into it now.

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The NFL has gone to far in changing the game. The only thing fines do is punish the players after the fact. It does not prevent the hit that is over the line. Some players have so much money that fines don’t hinder their willingness to jack up an opponent. Penalties that are subjective at best only frustrate the fans. The NFL has tried to regulate safety into the game. The only thing the NFL has done is frustrate people.

Moving the kickoff up was a good decision. The kickoff is a dangerous play. Less returns mean less injuries. Things like that are an example of things that can make a difference without impacting the fans experience and the players ability to play football. Over regulating the game makes it really hard for the defense. What is a safety supposed to do, let the receiver catch the football and get benched. Or should he hope for the best as he takes him down without intent to hurt the receiver?

Football is a physical sport. The NFL under Goodell is concerned more about liability than anything else. Helmet to helmet plays should be avoided. Deliberate helmet to helmet hits, ones that are obvious with intent, should be punished. There is no place for dirty football. But why punish players for unavoidable moments in football, even if they can cause injuries. The term defenseless receiver is a foolish one. You subject yourself to hits when you sprint on to the football field.

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As long as the NFL owners are richer than we could ever dream to be, Goodell has a job. But imagine if he actually did a good job. Remember Pete Rozelle managed to be almost universally beloved by the football world. The NFL commissioner does not need to be a righteously egotistical man with poor judgement and foot in mouth syndrome. The NFL commissioner needs to be a football person who works for the fans as much as he does the owners. The least we can ask is that if somebody makes over $30 million in one year, they should have to be amazing at their job.

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