By Mark Wilson
September 19, 2014

Most anyone can lead anything when times are good. It’s really not that difficult to be at the forefront of a multi-billion dollar business that is sailing along smoothly with a consumer base that thoroughly enjoys your product.

The measure of a leader has ALWAYS come in bad times and the National Football League has hit some very bad times. Its commissioner has failed miserably.

Goodbye… Goodell.

In the past few months, since the initial video of the Ray Rice incident surfaced, I’ve kept an open mind to the handling of it by “the league.” It came on the heels of the entire Aaron Hernandez case and, quite frankly, in conjunction with other cases of its kind.

While many were quick to point a finger at the NFL, I defended it. Playing that game where we compare sports organizations to other businesses, I decided to use that as a model for my arguments.

“Well, how many employees at (enter name here) company have ALSO had these problems? How does the NFL stack up to criminal/bad behavior in “real life” situations?”

On and on.

There is some merit to those questions but the National Football League doesn’t deserve defending.

No business on planet earth has embraced television, media and newer technologies MORE than the business that brought us the Super Bowl, slow motion replay and the $4 million dollar per 30 second advertising spot. They’ve thrived because of it.

As we like to say on our radio show… you can’t have it both ways.

Goodell WANTED IT… both ways.

Sorry Roger. Adios, amigo.

The man who replaced Paul Tagliabue who replaced Pete Rozelle is simply not equipped to handle the new age NFL. He has not shown the skill set.

Let’s face it. Friday’s “press conference” sounded and looked like something that would have taken place in, oh I don’t know, 1982?

Hearing Goodell drone on about committees, task forces, FBI directors, meetings and other such bunk was nothing more than an exercise in futility as was his apology.

It was embarrassing.

Those things should have been in place LONG ago. There are no parades given for doing the right thing and certainly not when it comes to domestic violence and child abuse.

Hell, the NFL STILL can’t clean up their problems with drugs, steroids and performance enhancers.

The list seems endless at the start of each football season when it comes to suspended players for PED’s and other such commonalities. Baseball was ripped a royal one for the way things had gotten out of control in THEIR game. But, the NFL doesn’t get the same lashing.

Reason for that? The NFL knows its players can’t play without “help” so they’ve turned a blind eye for the most part.

Domestic violence and child abuse… are totally different.

There are NO groups that PROMOTE those two items. There is no opposite viewpoint when it comes to how women and children should be treated in the USA. It feels weird to even be typing about this in 2014.

2014!

We’re having press conferences about forming committees to look into practices on those issues?? Really?

Here’s an idea. If you do stupid crap like beating women or kids… you’re out! So long! Arrivederci!

It’s called ZERO tolerance.

There. THAT press conference could have lasted 10 seconds.

I’m all for due process. People lie. Nothing in life is simple when it comes to personal relationships. Complex stuff to be sure.

But it didn’t take a genius in the Rice case to see the video, and then the subsequent vids of the elevator punching, and realize the dude needed to be drummed out of the NFL. And if Rice had worked at a sandwich shop, he should have been drummed out of that too.

At that point, FOOTBALL was the least of his worries.

Following the Rice fiasco came the Adrian Peterson case along with the acknowledgement of the Greg Hardy incident. The individual TEAMS finally got with the program and removed those two from all team activities indefinitely. No waiting around or suspension of games, etc.

They ain’t even a part of their franchises right now.

It should have been standard operating procedure in the first place. SOP!

Of course the NFL is scared stiff. They should be.

When a player gets a hangnail, it makes news. It’s on TV, radio, internet and social media. God forbid a player has to be off limits on fantasy teams around the nation.

Ah yes, “fantasy football.”

I’ve never played it.

I don’t diss it or have any problem at all with people who play. It keeps them connected and adds some spice to the season. No question about it. At AM 1090, I even put a fantasy football show on the air Sunday mornings. I just don’t participate because I never wanted it to cloud MY judgment while doing sports talk radio shows.

Some look at me like I have nine heads when I say I don’t partake. When I explain my reasons, they only look at me like I have three heads.

Do I believe it’s a conflict of interest when it comes to media members playing fantasy sports? You bet I do.

Still, I am not adamant about it. I simply choose not to go that route.

It is big business to be sure. The NFL lives on its players as all sports leagues do. To have those players, even non-stars, miss time due to suspensions and the like is not PROFITABLE.

The line of people in Baltimore willing to trade out their Ray Rice jerseys was amazing. The Ravens had a promotion allowing their fans to make the exchange. Busy humans taking time to do THAT showed how much it mattered. It was surreal.

Goodell works for the owners. His charge, as it was for Tagliabue and Rozelle, is to protect those interests. The players have an association that protects THEM. Goodell walks a fine line with everything he does and he is paid very well in that position.

Paid to the tune of about $44-million in 2012 and similarly in 2013.

He’s not compensated like that just to shake incoming players’ hands at an NFL Draft.

His job is to protect whatever integrity the NFL has left.

Once again I repeat; he’s failed miserably.

The recent developments make topics like “spygate” and “bountygate” and any other “gate” look positively absurd. Those are on-field football related things and are a mere shrug of the shoulders when it comes to domestic violence, murder and child abuse.

Standing at a podium on a Friday afternoon outlining this, that and the other was just more rhetoric. The kind of rhetoric Goodell can no longer afford to offer his American fan base.

The BETTER announcement on Friday would have been that he is stepping down as commissioner and allowing someone more qualified than HIM to lead the NFL into the 21st century.

Yes, 14 years after it began… the league needs to enter the 21st century.

Alas, no resignation took place.

Goodell leaves it to every twitter, facebook post and blog to rail on him and his so-called “leadership.”

Hey, Rog? You would have been great before electricity.

It’s not just me who comments every time I hear that uncomfortable dude speak that he’s coming from a different simpler time in history. Like maybe, the Dark Ages. Albeit, I’m not sure that was simpler.

I have given him eight strong years to get his act together and become the kind of commissioner the NFL needs. The kind that uses a Washington & Jefferson College economics degree for something other than selling soda pop, jerseys and tickets.

He’s 55 years old. Not too old to be irrelevant but certainly old enough to know better.
Days, weeks and months have gone by since Rice was handed a slap on the wrist for doing more than just “slapping on the wrist” of his soon-to-be wife. He shouldn’t slap her at all.

We’re a society now where it seems EVERYTHING is on a cell phone camera; it’s all recorded.

Then again, we should always live life like its being recorded. Maybe that way we’d ALL be more accountable for our actions; good or bad.

It’ll never be perfect but we can strive for that.

Moving forward, I am sure the findings of all these committees will come out and show the imperfections of the National Football League’s more than 300 performers. And sure, MOST of those performers come and go in daily life without hitting women or children or… worse.

This is no different than when you were in school and the actions of even ONE would affect the entire class.

Sometimes it is in fact meant to punish but other times it is meant to educate.

More than education, I believe what the NFL is really trying do with this gibberish is hopefully scare its employee base… straight. The drug policy hasn’t worked but if future actions and penalties scare them straight and away from violence against women and kids, then so be it.

Bad things will always happen. It’s partly human nature and is riddled in societies as long as there have been societies. I’m not qualified enough to get into the psychology of where violent behavior comes from; family life, childhood, evil demons, environment, culture, etc. so I’d be wasting my time to pontificate on such.

Like ANY business, the NFL has to deal with it and react to it.

Swiftly!

They need to make sure its players and other employees understand what they would be LOSING should they commit these heinous crimes. Otherwise, this is all for not.

Is Goodell the guy for the job?

No.

I’m not so sure anyone IS good enough for the parameters of a job that has now gone past shaking draft pick’s hands and controlling the bottom line.

For the first time since he took the gig back on September 1, 2006, I’d be willing to give it a whirl to find a person.

Defended you long enough, commissioner. Have a nice day. See ya ‘round.

Goodbye Goodell.