Opinions on Deflategate have run the gamut, but if there’s one clear takeaway, it’s this: in Roger Goodell’s NFL, the most serious crime is disobeying Roger Goodell. That is why Tom Brady has been sentenced to a harsher punishment than Ray Rice and the same punishment as PED users - whose cheating actually impacts the game- because he “failed to cooperate” with Goodell’s investigation. Brady’s “more probable than not” cheating is secondary to this original sin.
But the Deflategate controversy isn’t really about Brady or the air pressure of a football. Once again, it’s about Goodell who, since assuming the commissionership in 2006, believes his primary role is to protect the integrity of the league. And while the league has experienced rapid revenue growth (the NFL’s annual income is now around $12bn) under his stewardship, the perception of its integrity has hit rock bottom.
This crisis of confidence is largely due to Goodell.
From playing eeenie-meenie-miney-mo with crimes and punishments to a plethora of misguided ideas, including some rather dangerous ones like adding two more games to an already physically brutalizing schedule, Goodell seems to be manically chasing his legacy. As his baggage has grown, his credibility has shrunk to the size of a deflated balloon. But to his 32 bosses (well, 31 at this point), none of this matters. As long as the league is making money, his commissionership is a lifetime appointment.
But what if it wasn’t? What if we lived in a utopian world where the NFL Commissioner role came with an election and term limit, say two terms for six years a piece?
Having a viable excuse to replace Goodell wouldn’t be the only reason for the shift.
Since 1960, the NFL has had just three commissioners – Pete Rozelle from 1960 to 1989, Paul Tagliabue from 1989 to 2006 and now Goodell. That’s not a lot of room for variance of thought, yet it provides eons of time for the commissioner to cement layered personal relationships with owners that clearly affect their professional dealings. Goodell and Robert Kraft are the prevalent golden example. During Super Bowl week, Richard Sherman was asked if Defategate would lead to any punishment. Sherman said what most were thinking.
“Probably not,” Sherman said. “Not as long as Robert Kraft and Roger Goodell are still taking pictures at their respective homes.”
Sherman was referring to a widely circulated photo of the two celebrating in Kraft’s home after the AFC Championship.
That same week, Kraft publicly insisted the league office owed him and the Patriots an apology if the Wells investigation turned up empty.
When the report was released and Goodell delivered the punishment (through his underling Troy Vincent), it felt more like a glimpse into a messy divorce hearing than a leader exhibiting his hammer of integrity.
An election and term limits would help reduce these personal entanglements and claims of cronyism. No one likes an autocracy and the oligarchy it brings (well, except the Russians). With the parameters of the job more clearly defined, future commissioners can focus on the paramount purpose of the league: feeding as much football to an insatiable audience with maximum entertainment value (and revenue).
Term limits would also likely lead to more decisive action from the commissioner’s office. Like any high-profile leader, commissioners want to leave a legacy. Goodell has been the consummate tinkerer; floating a million ideas but few that he actually follows through with, including an 18-game season, expanded playoffs, a Super Bowl in London, or even eliminating the extra point. With an untethered leash and limitless pot of gold, Goodell has been wasting time with these unrealistic ideas while letting deeper underlying issues, which the public actual cares about, lie. A limited term could instil urgency into a commissioner.
Even if you agree up until this point, you may be thinking about the obvious snag. The NFL is a private entity – now officially so – and can do with its commissionership what it pleases. While this is true, a regular commissioner election provides a unique opportunity for another mega-NFL event. Another tentacle of revenue.
Think about it. Televised debates. Endless discussion. The league can even have a host city for Election Week complete with fancy parties, a radio row and one of those Super Bowl-esque sponsorship-laden experience cornucopias for fans. It would all culminate with the 32 predominately old white owner guys announcing their pick for commissioner live on an oversized stage, followed by the new (or old) commissioner joining them in a sea of confetti.
With the election occurring every six years, it would be like World Cup, American Idol, and Papal appointment all wrapped into one.
One absolute under Goodell is that the league has grown beyond pop culture – it’s embedded into all American culture. The commissioner of the NFL is too important a role not to be deeply examined on a regular basis. An examination of various platforms could only be healthy. Truthfully, Goodell would probably be re-elected tomorrow because of the revenue growth under his watch. But wouldn’t it be nice for owners to have a real opportunity to fine-tune the league’s priorities while restoring its integrity?
