Tag Archives: bounty

Over the next few days the NFL will hand down punishment on the New Orleans Saints players for what they are alleging was a bounty program ran by their former defensive coordinator Greg Williams against opposing players. Forget that the NFL, led by Roger Goodell, has led a revolution to try and make the game safer for its current players it’s been such a sensitive topic for the NFL since former players began coming forward and speaking out against the NFL’s post playing days benefits.

The NFL’s surge against protecting its players is more about what it hasn’t done in years past than making the game safer. One aspect of the collective bargaining agreement was how to improve its benefits to retired players; many of whom were suffering from an assortment of ailments as a result of their playing days.

The cautionary tale here should have been: improve the quality of life for retired players who helped make the NFL the huge corporation it is today. But of course, like any good large company, the idea is to keep a large portion of its profits in the pockets of the suits. And so Goodell stuck between a rock and a hard place made an unfortunate compromise: he decides to be stricter over the play of its current crop of players and water down the sport which made it harder for defenses to do its job: stop the offense.

Is it that the NFL is now suddenly more sensitive to its stereotypical image of being a violent sport played by behemoths? No. If so, then explain the reason that the Commissioner is clamoring for more games and hiding behind the notion that it’s the fans who want it. Well how does player safety get trumped by fans, the same fan who complains against the sissification of the sport? This is the pickle that the Commissioner faces. Or rather the contradiction he faces because he has to make the game safer while trying to create higher profits for a game that makes billions without any of the added pyrotechnics. For instance, put the rights to NFL games on a year to year basis and watch in utter shock how much networks are willing to spend each year to secure the rights.

So what choice does Goodell have in this Saints bounty other than to come down extremely hard on them? Suspensions? Fines? Both? This is almost half the team, a reported 22-27 players including a defensive coordinator who ran it. Then there’s an owner, GM, and coach who all knew and did nothing to stop it. Goodell has to keep up appearances as steward of this safety program he is trying to make his landmark achievement over his era. He has to lay the lumber and nobody will complain.

But ask yourself this: will the NFL fan believe that things like this will go away? Judging from statements by many former and current NFL players in the aftermath of this controversy this kind of thing is commonplace among teammates. Goodell won’t be changing culture as much as sending a message that we don’t like stories like this getting out. This is the darker side of the game that Goodell had hoped wouldn’t come out and part of a culture that the commissioner can’t hope to change.

You can’t change ugly as they would say: the NFL is what it is. It doesn’t matter how many rules and safety nets the NFL creates to make it a safer game, the reality of the situation is this: the NFL has to make a decision. It can either live with the fact that this game is a dangerous one ripe with danger. Or it can continue to run this sham of an idea which is to make the NFL safer while not sacrificing the violence that makes the NFL so much fun.

I’m not condoning this action at all. I’m just saying please stop acting like all this is being done with the genuine interest of making it safer when you aren’t interested in that when you make decisions like increasing regular season games and not taking a higher percentage of profits to help former players with their healthcare. It’s time for the NFL to get real and stop living a contradiction.