The Lack of Integrity of Roger Goodell

Regulars to this NY Giants blog know that we are not fans of Roger Goodell.

And then there was Ray Rice.

Roger Goodell is a two-faced liar who has been filled with hypocrisy many times in the past. One of the best examples of this is how Goodell tried to promote a healthier NFL that cared about the physical welfare of its players.  It was plastic.  It was a lawyer’s public relations spin campaign. The NFL is trying to manufacture caring actions in a decades-belated response to the horrible coverup of player concussions.  And then, with the ink barely dry on their pro-health platform, the very next moment Roger Dodger is pushing for an 18 game season!  As if this is going to advance player health?! What a freaking joke.

Goodell is filled with two-faced duplicity.  He talks about expanding the playoffs, bringing the NFL to Europe, and other hollow initiatives that are designed to do one thing- bring more money to the NFL owners and do absolutely nothing for the fans he is pitching this to. He does not respect the fan. Expansion of the playoffs dilutes the importance of the regular season.  Expansion of the regular season dilutes the regular season.  Goodell simply wants to suck every last dollar out of the fan’s wallet.

When he passed judgment on Ray Rice, he gave the Ravens RB a 2 game suspension.  It was a slap on the wrist that caused the NFL Commissioner so much embarrassment that he actually did a mea culpa and admitted he was wrong.  You can fool some of the people some of the time, but apparently Roger was going for more than a few and missed.  He was caught with the snooze button on.  12% of NFL player arrests (/criminal activity) are domestic violence.  It didn’t register with Goodell that slapping a player on the wrist who dragged his unconscious girlfriend by the hair was not doing the plight of abused women any good.  But since abused women don’t watch football games, who cares?!  Goodell only cares about money. NFL owner money.

Kim Gandy, a former prosecutor who is an expert on women’s advocacy in domestic violence, explains that the woman who sides with her boyfriend/fiance/spouse to get leniency for him is doing so to find the most safety.  If they fight their abuser in the legal system, they put themselves in even greater danger.  Roger Goodell meekly ducked the investigation on all accounts.  He followed the prosecutor’s lenient dismissal of charges.  He said he never had the “opportunity” to obtain the video from the elevator.  He said the NFL never saw the video of the elevator.  And he said that Rice did not make it clear in interviews what took place in the elevator, despite Rice’s clear account of what took place.

The truth has refuted Goodell and his minions at every turn.  At this point it is almost laughable that the NFL, upon “first viewing” the video of the elevator on Monday, suspended Rice indefinitely.  A portrait of the NFL has emerged, known by many over the years: The NFL’s army of ex-police officers, investigators, lawyers and others unearth the evidence, and then they bury whatever inconvenient facts that they don’t want to come out.  This time they got burned and feebly tried to play dumb when the elevator video came out.

The pattern of Goodell is not to do what is right, but rather to do what generates the most money.  The lack of integrity of the Commissioner and the NFL in this affair is symptomatic of self-interest at the expense of the welfare of everyone else in their sphere.  Player health does not matter.  Fan value does not matter.  Domestic violence does not matter.  The truth does not matter.  Integrity does not matter.  The success of the NFL has bred a culture of depravity.  It is time for Goodell to resign so that NFL owners can reassess their priorities and select a new leader who can realign the NFL with not just economics but with respect for the community.