As many of us who love the game of football found out on Monday, there is apparently one very large conspiracy going on within the NFL. A cover up about what they, Commissioner Goodell, the judicial system of Atlantic City and the Ravens Nations knew way back in February about the unrelentingly brutal attack that RB Ray Rice perpetrated on his then-fiancee, now wife Janay. For the last two days, along with millions of others, I’ve listened to a great many analysts, read too many columns and heard a lot of mealy-mouthed owners and senior executives who sound precisely like the Nixon regime back in the Watergate days. The coverup is always worse than the incident, although in this case the incident is pretty awful indeed.
No one who loves the game as much as I do is foolish enough to believe that the supremely talented young men taken off the streets are untainted. As the League continues to recruit from often questionable sources for pure raw talent, it also ends up with what is also a collection of gang members and people of questionable character, a point raised today on the NFL Channel. Well, right now it’s not just the players who are on display. It’s John Harbaugh making a spineless and wholly unbelievable statement to the press, it’s Commissioner Goodell speaking carefully coached statements about when he saw the original video which everyone else but he saw, apparently, before Monday. No one believes him, including me.
Long time beloved and trusted owners are being quoted as trying to hold up Goodell’s choices. In a world of the kind of transparency and access we live in today, the words of all these so called leaders and heroes are so much sawdust. Those of us who did our best to enjoy Monday Night Football double header were overwhelmed by the Ray Rice story, and we still are, because we care about the game, the players and domestic violence. We care about character and honesty and stand up guys.
Unfortunately, nothing the NFL says right now, or going forward, is trustworthy. Nothing that Commissioner Goodell is worth the air it’s taking up. And Harbaugh, who has a teenaged daughter, who said that Rice was such a great guy, should be deeply ashamed.
These people and their worthless WordFood to their legions of fans have let us all down. Now we have to question all our heroes and wonder what happens behind closed doors- what else has the NFL lied about besides concussions and spousal abuse? If the NFL wants us to love them again, they have to regain our trust. Women fans like me, who are as rabid as any beer swilling, tailgate grilling guy in a Broncos parking lot Sunday at noon, we care, we want answers. Or you can keep your $100 jerseys.