This is the public perception of course, and as with most perceptions, there is a degree of truth to it. Mr. Goodell’s incompetence during his eight year tenure as NFL Commissioner is both gross and well-documented. His mishandling of the Ray Rice domestic violence incident in a way that became hurtful and deceitful will likely be the final chapter in his dubious legacy.
But to view Roger Goodell as being solely responsible, or the leader of an organization independent of its membership that shoulders the burden of responsibility, is a departure from the reality of his position. Mr. Goodell’s job is to be held responsible for the decisions and actions of the NFL owners. “The NFL” is the 321 men and women who own its franchises. Mr. Goodell is their public face when they don’t want to show face themselves. His job is to absorb the public backlash when the league acts in a way that is unpopular with its fans, and he’s good at it, despite how bad he is at actually being the NFL Commissioner.
1. 31 men and women, and the Packers shareholders.
Of course, the NFL Commissioner is more than a spokesperson. Mr. Goodell is more akin to a 33rd owner in the league, the chairman of the board of NFL ownership. The point is that Mr. Goodell does not act independent of the rest of the NFL ownership.
"Roger Goodell doesn't set the culture of the NFL, he only reflects it. Getting rid of him will not fix the problem." - @katefagan3 on SC
— David Scott (@ESPNprDScott) September 10, 2014
The policies and decisions that Roger Goodell announces to the public are carefully sourced from and counseled by the NFL’s owners. When Ray Rice is suspended for two games, or the NFL decides to obfuscate the truth regarding how much it knew or saw of Rice and Janay Palmer’s casino elevator ride, no one person or organization is acting alone. No team’s fans have the luxury of righteousness. Every team is part of a league that has shamed itself, and every owner and organization are part of that shame.
The saddest part of all of this is that I love football! I grew up in Central Pennsylvania, where Friday nights are synonymous with football the same way they are in Texas. I loved going to those games as a child and an adolescent, and I love watching football as an adult. No sport is more engrossing and fascinating. It’s one of my biggest regrets in life that I never played organized football. I don’t even think I would have been good - I just wish I played! Because that's the emotion I experience every Sunday, September through early February.
Last week, I felt embarrassed to be a football fan. Programs on ESPN and the NFL network I typically enjoy watching, podcasts and sports radio I typically enjoy listening to, made me feel uncomfortable. I felt like I was perpetrating something wrong. There’s danger in being a passionate supporter of anything in that passion can easily become blind devotion.
I don’t expect NFL players, or NFL coaches, owners and league officials, to be perfect. But being an NFL player, coach, owner or league official marks a significant level of success in life. And with that success comes a heightened level of responsibility. Far too often, talent and money prevail over ethics and humanity. The NFL has been reactive in its approach to personal conduct. It sets penalties rather than set standards. Owners worry about one thing and one thing only - money. I get that - their teams are their businesses, and as a league the profitability of one franchise helps the other 31. But I don't get the total willingness to compromise what is right for what will make the most money, or cause the least backlash.
If Robert Kraft, Art Rooney, John Mara and the rest of the NFL owners remove Mr. Goodell from his post, they’ll likely be viewed as the heroes, as the good guys. But they’re not the heroes. They’re not the good guys. They’re just guys. And they’re as responsible for the mess the NFL finds itself in as much and probably more than Roger Goodell.
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