Has anyone had a more trying first few years on the job than Roger Goodell? In a seemingly unending cycle of player incidents, it is once again decision-time for the NFL's head honcho.
Georgia authorities said on Monday that they would not pursue sexual assault charges against Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, but that doesn't mean he's off the hook with the league. In the past (most notably with Pacman Jones), Goodell has handed out suspensions to players regardless of whether they were charged with a crime.
No one is going to argue that Roethlisberger hasn't sullied the image of the NFL, along with his own. Though he isn't going to be charged, should this 2nd scrape with the law cost him some game time?
A suspension for Roethlisberger is warranted for two major reasons:
1) To send a message to Ben that he needs to stop putting himself in these kind of situations.
2) To dispell the belief among NFL fans that there is a double-standard when it comes to race.
I don't think Goodell has unfairly punished minority players, but there's no question there's a perception out there that he has. Throwing Michael Vick into the fire while letting Roethlisberger walk would make plenty of people question Goodell's integrity. I don't think Goodell is racist, nor do I think he was unfair with his punishments of players like Vick and Jones. However, perception is what matters - and Goodell has to do everything he can to guard against a negative labeling from NFL fans and players.
No comments:
Post a Comment