The Commish

The NFL has benefited greatly from excellent leadership at the top throughout it's history. Joe Carr was the right man during the ragtag early days. Bert Bell was the right man as the league moved from the chaos of post World War II, the "war" with the All America Football Conference and into the increasingly prosperous 1950s. Pete Rozelle led the NFL to unimaginable success. If there was a Mount Rushmore of NFL commissioners (technically Carr's title was President) those would be the three. It would be difficult to add a fourth. That is not to diminish the accomplishments of Paul Tagliabue. His time was highlighted by the kind of labor peace that would bring Rozelle to tears. Roger Goodell has only been on the clock for a few years, but he is the target of the Flea Flicker today.

The Commissioner's office has been filled by a suit for decades. It is refreshing to see Goodell's comparatively laid back nature. He comes across as the guy sitting next to you at the stadium. He could be. He realizes that the success of the NFL now and in the future rests with the fans. That may seem obvious, but it often seems to be taken for granted. Goodell strikes me as a fan. So, he tries to see the big picture from both sides. For the most part, I agree with his vision, but I question the path he has taken.

One of the major responsibilities of the Commissioner has always been to insure the integrity of the game. The fans must always know that the games and the league are legitimate. Gamblers were a huge concern in the early years, but will always worry the league. Performance enhancing drugs are the big threat in sports today. I understand and absolutely agree with the league's stand on the issue. There can be no doubt in the enforcement. Unfortunately, I feel that mistakes were and continue to be made in the case of Vikings defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams. The big guys had taken the dietary supplement, Star Caps, in order to drop some pounds to meet weight clauses in their contracts. Despite not being listed as an ingredient, Star Caps contained the diuretic bumetanide. This is a banned substance often used to mask the presence of steroids. The league knew that Star Caps contained bumetanide yet never informed the players or banned the use of the supplement. The league's drug hot line was useless. The league has admitted that neither Williams has ever been suspected of steroid use. It has never been questioned whether either player was taking Star Caps for anything other than weight loss. I understand the league's need for an unquestioned drug policy, but they failed to inform the players that there were issues with Star Caps. There is nothing wrong with admitting a mistake. If there is a crack in the policy, fill that crack and do your best to make the policy as sound as possible. This ordeal started over 2 years ago, and it is still being fought. This impacts Kevin Williams, in particular, in ways beyond a suspension and fine. He is in the middle of a potential Hall of Fame career. This could keep him out of Canton forever. In an effort to support the case of Kevin and Pat Williams, I tried to meet with Goodell in 2009. I was thrown out of the NFL offices. I could let this tarnish my opinion of Goodell as the fan's commissioner, but I don't. This is all on NFL security. Goodell didn't even know I was there.

I realize that Goodell and the league want to grow the international fan base. I just don't see an international regular season as the proper route. This takes away a home game from one of the teams. This takes away a home game from the fans of one of the teams. There are only 8 games on the schedule. Expanding at the expense of the fans is a mistake.

My last issue, with Goodell, is the fines that he started to issue this year for unnecessary hits. Again, I understand Goodell's intention. He is trying to improve the safety of the players. Player safety is paramount, as the players are the ones that keep the fans coming back. Goodell has decided that fines are the way to limit unnecessary violence in contact. Personally, I think that better technique in tackling will cure the issue. The problem that I have with the fines is that they are wildly inconsistent. This leads the players to question what is right and what is wrong on the field. The moment a player hesitates on the field is often the moment that something bad happens.

Despite these issues, I like what Goodell is trying to do. Even with the things that I question, I can see the good in what he is trying to achieve. There can be no gray area in the drug policy. The NFL has a solid fan base here, so let's grow it overseas. Improving the safety of the players is a no-brainer. All of these make so much sense. I just question some of the aspects of the path that he has taken. Previous commissioners have truly put the league in a fantastic position. Some people would rest on that. Goodell clearly hasn't. He'll get there. However, if his actions keep Kevin Williams out of his deserving spot in Canton, NFL security will not keep me out his office.