It's Not Just A Mistake
Football Commissioner Roger Goodall (who reportedly earns $44M annually) stated in a press conference that "we all make mistakes". This was in reference to his initial limited penalization for Falcon tight end, Ray Rice's arrest for punching his now-wife in a hotel elevator and rendering her unconscious.
The Football industry is a big deal to our country, taking in a whopping $9 billion each year. Goodall wants to make that $25 billion in the next dozen years.
No Mr. Goodall, your improper response to an act of violence was not simply a "mistake". It was gross negligence. With your income and the billions of fan dollars at your fingertips, you fall far short of your pay grade.
Now that at least 3 other players have either come forward or been exposed for child and domestic abuse, the Commissioner is more than alarmed. He says that every walk of life is exposed to such violence regardless of status or income level. Is that news to you? He proceeded to outline multitudes of safeguards and studies that will go into play. Research and experts in various fields are being recruited to assist in the development of a better plan. Just last the other week he made sure that each team received information about crisis hotlines in their regions.
The Pentagon has now stuck its nose into this crisis, big name sponsors have either backed out or are seriously considering it. Fans are standing in a long line to return their Rice jerseys. The public is correctly outraged. And now the Commissioner has invited the FBI to examine his organization to see how things have been handled so that they can do better going forward.
All because of the exposed punch in the elevator that has not only happened in football.
The very fact that nothing was in place prior to the exposure of these incidents is shocking. Organizations with far less cash flow and unrecognizable scope know precisely what to do if an employee is involved in domestic violence. This organization wasn't even prepared in how to respond and now that this is a trending news story, Goodall stands in front of microphones amidst cameras flashing and announces his big plan to do more. He reminds us that this is a national problem.
Does he really think he is bringing us new information? Has he really averted his eyes his entire life in order to be so utterly stupefied? Or is it simply that since it has occured within his sphere of influence, he is being forced to look? (And why isn't every venue outraged when this happens there?)
The Commissioner sttaes that it is an honor to play for a team and be a role model for the country. Team members should be held to higher standards. What year does he live in? Long ago there were athletes worthy of admiration that lived exemplary lives - behind and in front of the camera. Now we largely have a bunch of overpaid, undereducated and arrogant tattooed players who do and say whatever pleases them. They believe in their own press and are uninteresting to even pay attention to, much less pay to see play.
Oh yes, there are indeed still some great players out there (DC3, Michael Ohr, the Mannings... ) but the loud and angry players have absorbed the press. When Brett Farve went to the Vikings, we scraped our ncickels together to get our son his very first jersey. He got to wear that $75 thing only once before Farves's infidelities and unscrupulous behavior off the field came to light. He lost all respect for the player and so did we. Mr. Farve, you owe my family and all others for the jerseys we bought and cannot bring ourselves to wear.
Mistakes are things you did not intend to do and have no intended malice. Like tapping the wrong number, taking a wrong turn or adding incorrectly. Assault is no mistake. Screaming at, hitting or pounding another human is an act of violence. Call it what it is and stop trying to water down or excuse such reprehensible and illegal behavior.
PS
The Football industry is a big deal to our country, taking in a whopping $9 billion each year. Goodall wants to make that $25 billion in the next dozen years.
No Mr. Goodall, your improper response to an act of violence was not simply a "mistake". It was gross negligence. With your income and the billions of fan dollars at your fingertips, you fall far short of your pay grade.
Now that at least 3 other players have either come forward or been exposed for child and domestic abuse, the Commissioner is more than alarmed. He says that every walk of life is exposed to such violence regardless of status or income level. Is that news to you? He proceeded to outline multitudes of safeguards and studies that will go into play. Research and experts in various fields are being recruited to assist in the development of a better plan. Just last the other week he made sure that each team received information about crisis hotlines in their regions.
The Pentagon has now stuck its nose into this crisis, big name sponsors have either backed out or are seriously considering it. Fans are standing in a long line to return their Rice jerseys. The public is correctly outraged. And now the Commissioner has invited the FBI to examine his organization to see how things have been handled so that they can do better going forward.
All because of the exposed punch in the elevator that has not only happened in football.
The very fact that nothing was in place prior to the exposure of these incidents is shocking. Organizations with far less cash flow and unrecognizable scope know precisely what to do if an employee is involved in domestic violence. This organization wasn't even prepared in how to respond and now that this is a trending news story, Goodall stands in front of microphones amidst cameras flashing and announces his big plan to do more. He reminds us that this is a national problem.
Does he really think he is bringing us new information? Has he really averted his eyes his entire life in order to be so utterly stupefied? Or is it simply that since it has occured within his sphere of influence, he is being forced to look? (And why isn't every venue outraged when this happens there?)
The Commissioner sttaes that it is an honor to play for a team and be a role model for the country. Team members should be held to higher standards. What year does he live in? Long ago there were athletes worthy of admiration that lived exemplary lives - behind and in front of the camera. Now we largely have a bunch of overpaid, undereducated and arrogant tattooed players who do and say whatever pleases them. They believe in their own press and are uninteresting to even pay attention to, much less pay to see play.
Oh yes, there are indeed still some great players out there (DC3, Michael Ohr, the Mannings... ) but the loud and angry players have absorbed the press. When Brett Farve went to the Vikings, we scraped our ncickels together to get our son his very first jersey. He got to wear that $75 thing only once before Farves's infidelities and unscrupulous behavior off the field came to light. He lost all respect for the player and so did we. Mr. Farve, you owe my family and all others for the jerseys we bought and cannot bring ourselves to wear.
Mistakes are things you did not intend to do and have no intended malice. Like tapping the wrong number, taking a wrong turn or adding incorrectly. Assault is no mistake. Screaming at, hitting or pounding another human is an act of violence. Call it what it is and stop trying to water down or excuse such reprehensible and illegal behavior.
PS
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