It’s bad enough that the product on the field continues to erode, but the leadership of the NFL is dissipating at a faster rate. The most recent debacle is the ongoing Ray Rice saga where we have now learned that there was a security tape of Rice actually delivering the knockout blow to his then-fiancée Janay Palmer on a casino elevator. This is sad on so many fronts, as the domestic violence issue has never received more exposure. In this ordeal, the time for the conversation should be in play, but there is some housekeeping needs to be done first.
Let’s start with the National Football League and its leadership. Has there ever been a commissioner of a major sports league in this country that has endured more negative publicity for the acts of owners, athletes and the decisions he has made surrounding them? The credibility and integrity of the game has never been in question more than what we have seen with Roger Goodell at the helm.
Mind you, Bud Selig’ s steroid legacy in MLB will follow him, as will Gary Bettman’s penchant for locking out NHL players in a concerted effort to break the players’ union will follow him to his grave, but never has a commissioner had both feet planted in a fresh pile on a constant basis as much as Roger Goodell.
His only savior here is the support of some powerful owners, like New England’s Robert Kraft, and the league’s ability to extract large sums of money from those who want the association with the game. Goodell has made this league billions since his watch started, and that is the sole reason he has a job today and why he will probably have one tomorrow.
Goodell has fumbled his opportunity to make things close to right in the NFL on too many occasions. You can go back to the New England Patriot “spygate” moment where they were caught red-handed cheating on more than one occasion, only to get let off the hook by Goodell with a minor slap on the wrist. The most recent episode involving Ray Rice has brought things to the forefront unlike blunders of the past. Goodell has been silent on the Rice suspension since it was handed down on Monday following the termination of Rice’s contract by the Baltimore Ravens earlier that day.
By the way, you don’t think Goodell and the Ravens had a chat on who was going to do what first, do you? The Ravens sent head coach John Harbaugh out to face the music in addressing the issue of Rice’ termination. Harbaugh was quick to point out that Monday was the first time anyone from the Ravens had seen the tape released by TMZ showing Rice’s knockout blow. It was a game-changer for the team, as they had seen enough.
My question is: Did anyone in the Ravens organization know about this tape floating around? The NFL claim they had no idea the tape existed before TMZ released it. Funny how a league that spends millions on security and investigators did not know about this tape. The prosecutors knew about it, and by some accounts elected not to share it with the NFL. I find that hard to believe, as the NFL can reach out and touch just about anyone when they need to.
If the league claimed they had not seen it, they should have. They know everything else. They have gone out of their way in the past to cajole, discredit and intimidate others when they need to get their way Why this situation is no different is a mystery. Then again, if they really had the tape they would have possibly destroyed the evidence like they did when they caught the Patriots red-handed.
Too many of my readers come back with the classic line “yeah, man, I know, but it’s the NFL, it’s football. What can you do?” We continue to turn a blind eye to a league that looks the other way to domestic violence, blatant racism (see the name of the Washington team), the concussion issue and rampant drug use, for starters. Did I mention bad overall play? That would be reserved for another column.
From this point on, I will no longer give this league any play when it comes to what happens on the field. I have no intention of attending a game or supporting the league and their efforts to promote it until changes take place at the top. Roger Goodell has proven he can make money for billionaires, but he has lost touch with reality and what is right with the world from the position he holds: commissioner of the most powerful sports league in the world.
For too long we have been made stooges for a league that has recently given us inferior football, been on the wrong side of major issues and gives less than a damn about doing the right thing without public pressure. The NFL has plenty of people who carry their water, and they do not even have to pay them. Just look at the free loaders who show up on Sunday with no real reason to cover the game.
As for those who make a living covering the games, I have great respect for what they have to endure, as the NFL is not what it used to be. There are a lot of good people who work for teams that I have come to know over the years and in most cases they are honest, hard-working people who deserve better when it comes to leadership at the highest level. I hardly expect any of the media types who have a connection with the league to speak out on this, as they have careers to maintain and families to feed. I can only hope they have the ability to shake their heads in disbelief and not be punished for it to severely.
So what is next as the NFL has been downgraded? Plenty. While college football has its demons, that house has started to undergo renovations. How much better will it be will be in question for a few years, but at least a change is coming.
RIP, Marvin Barnes
The greatest pro basketball player ever to play in St. Louis passed earlier this week. Movin’ Marvin Barnes, aka “Bad News” Barnes, was a story in his own right before he hit the basketball court. Clearly the most talented player we saw here in St. Louis, there was nothing Barnes could not do.
While some would scoff at the notion that his numbers came in the ABA, I will remind you that he was handing out bad news to the best of the best of that league including guys who would also play in the NBA. To compare him to someone today in the NBA, a smaller version of Kevin Garnett in his heyday would be a good start.
Barnes battled bad advice, bad crowds to hang with, drug and alcohol abuse, not to mention stints in prison. He truly was that guy who wasted his talent, but he had a good time doing it, by some accounts.
When Barnes was right, few were better. Had he stayed cleaned, he would have been a Hall of Famer, as he had that kind of talent. He was the life of any party even up to the day he died. He left us too soon, but for those who had a chance to watch him play for the short-lived Spirits of St. Louis, you got your money’s worth and the stories that came with it. Rest well, Marvin, and thank you for the memories.
