I have been critical of how National Football League commissioner Roger
Goodell has used his power since he took over in 2006. I didn’t agree
with Goodell suspending Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick for
two games in 2009 following his release from prison. I also did not
agree with Goodell giving Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger a four-game suspension in 2010 for alleged sexual
assault. To me Goodell gave Roethlisberger a slap on the wrist. Most
recently Goodell got it right in his punishment of The New Orleans
Saints for “Bounty Gate”.
Goodell suspended Saints head coach Sean Payton for the entire 2012
season. Former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams who currently
holds the same position with The St. Louis Rams has been suspended
indefinitely. Saints assistant coach Joe Vitt is suspended for six games
while general manager Mickey Loomis will not be available for the first
eight games of the season. The Saints franchise was fined $500,000
dollars and will forfeit second round picks in the next two NFL Drafts.
I am sure that Goodell did not want to do this, but he must protect his
billion dollar NFL shield. The only way to ensure that a situation like
this never occurs again is to punish those involved to the point that
the other 31 NFL teams get the message on the severity of the situation.
Goodell and The NFL are facing multiple lawsuits from former players who
suffered debilitating injuries during their playing careers. Goodell
knows that he must clean up the game by insuring its safety and
popularity going forward.
The Saints were warned by league officials to stop the practice of
putting out bounties on opposing players during the team’s Super Bowl
run in 2009. One game that stands out from that season was The NFC
Championship Game against The Minnesota Vikings. The Saints defense did
not record a sack on Vikings quarterback Brett Favre during the game,
but I had never seen Favre get hit in that manner during his career.
Saints defenders appeared to be out for blood during that game and
Favre’s ankle wasn’t the same after that game.
This scheme was orchestrated by Williams as he created the weekly lotto
jackpot for his players. Payton appeared to turn a deaf ear to the
situation which is unacceptable. As a head coach you must control every
facet of your team. Now this may tarnish what The Saints have
accomplished in the last several years in The Bayou. The Saints went
from laughing stocks of the league to perennial Super Bowl contenders
every season. Now Saints quarterback Drew Brees won’t have his
counterpart on the sideline in Payton for 2012. The Saints must now get
creative during the draft process. New Orleans had already traded their
first-round selection to The New England Patriots and won’t be on the
clock until the end of the second day of the draft. The Saints are not
the only team to suffer from Goodell’s ruling.
The Rams had hired Williams as the team’s defensive coordinator and will
now be without his services. Rams head coach Jeff Fisher would not have
hired Williams if he knew that would have been suspended and now you
are left to wonder if the Rams will look outside their organization or
internally for a defensive coordinator.
The one thing that is clear in this entire process is that these actions
will not be tolerated in Roger Goodell’s NFL. Some fans may not like
what they feel is a “watered down” NFL where big hits are being
eliminated. This new league won’t have players like Chuck Cecil, Jack
Tatum, or Rodney Harrison. Quarterbacks will continue to put up big
numbers because they will not be hit. Williams was out to put a bounty
on opposing teams, but Goodell laid down his own bounty by making an
example out of The Saints.
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