When does a contact sport become a crime? That is the question that every National Football League (NFL) fan has asked themselves in light of the former Saints defensive coordinator (DC) Gregg Williams’ “bounty program.” No one person has wrestled with this question more than the NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell. Goodell was faced with an ethical decision that will shape his tenure as the NFL’s commissioner; his decision will become precedence for many commissioners after him. Using the RESOLVEDD strategy of decision-making developed by Raymond Pfeiffer and Ralph Forsberg (2005), this paper will examine the scandal, scrutinize the decisions made, and determine if the NLF commissioner took the correct action for the league.
The first step of the RESOLVEDD process, represented by “R,” is “review the case” (Pfeiffer & Forsberg, 2005). The NFL began investigating the New Orleans Saints after their Super Bowl win in 2009, when accusations arose that the organization had organized a cash payout bonus program for injuring players. The extra payouts are against league rules, prohibiting non-contract bonuses. Additionally, these bonuses did not pay for performance; but, specifically cart-offs, concussions, and knock-outs. The sums of these payouts reached up to $50,000 during the 2009 playoffs. Early investigations died out when security personnel interviewed players and coaches; they all denied that such a program ever existed (National Football League, 2012). The league at that time could not prove the allegations, but Goodell wanted to ensure that the league understood this type of program would not be tolerated. The league would send out bi-annual letters to all teams, reminding them that out-of-contract bonuses are illegal...
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National Football League. (2012). Full NFL statement into 'bounty' program run by New Orleans Saints. nola.com. Retrieved May 1, 2012, from www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2012/03/full_nfl_statement_into_bounty.html
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Pfeiffer, R., & Forsberg, R. (2005). Ethics on the job: cases and strategies (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.
The NFL has been trying to discourage this type of activity around the league. The NFL has strongly banned paying bonuses based on performance, as well as misconduct on the field. They have been sending memos to every team about this ban before training camp begins every year. However, many former NFL players say there is some sort of bounty system in which teams are doing these types of practices. some say Bounties have been around the league for decades.
For this assignment, we learned that Maurice Clarett filed a case against the NFL where he argued that the NFL’s three-year rule acted as an unreasonable restraint in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Clayton Act. On the other hand, the NFL argued that its three-year rule was covered from the antitrust laws by the nonstatutory labor exemption. First, the case was reviewed by the district court which concluded that the NFL's eligibility rules violated antitrust laws by requiring the player to wait at least three years before entering the NFL draft and that the eligibility criteria was not immune from those antitrust laws. The court favored Clarett making him eligible for the 2004 NFL Draft.
The NFL position in this article makes them look very greedy and indifferent about the overall health of their football players. One of the ethical perspectives that can be used to analyze the NFL's position in this article is deontology. Deontology is the perspective where rules is the defining factor for ethical decisions. From the deontology perspective it makes it seem that the NFL has decided not to follow the rules and even blurred the lines as to what potential injuries their players can get. They wanted their injured players to play without having to follow through the with proper procedure in verifying that the players are in conditions healthy enough to play. It looks as if the NFL cares only about bringing in money and not care about
People ask all the time, “Why does the NCAA put sanctions on football programs?” When I was young, my favorite football player was Eric Dickerson. I never understood why people criticized him about his college playing days, so I asked my dad about it. He said that Dickerson’s college was given the “Death Penalty”. The Original “Death Penalty” was put into effect at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
ESPN writer Jeffri Chadiha claims the NFL is getting too “soft.” He also compares the NFL to the “pansy league”. Jeffri expresses his frustration with the NFL innovating the
Business deals happen every day; Contracts expire, renew, and are negotiated without the public knowing for many large corporations and even sporting leagues. However, some contract changes cannot escape the media’s attention. The National Football League (NFL) is facing an expiration of its Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) (NFL Lockout Now One Month Old). Currently, the agreement has expired and NFL team owners have selfishly chosen to “lock” the players out. The term lockout means that the players are essentially not allowed to participate in any team activities or duties until the owner’s rescind this lockout. While many believe this is simply a battle between team owners and a player union, it can only appear to most as a selfish act of the NFL owners trying to rich, greedy men in expensive suits, and the only people they are hurting, are the fans of football.
Abstract: Collegiate athletes participating in the two revenue sports (football, men's basketball) sacrifice their time, education, and risk physical harm for their respected programs. The players are controlled by a governing body (NCAA) that dictates when they can show up to work, and when they cannot show up for work. They are restricted from making any substantial financial gains outside of their sports arena. These athletes receive no compensation for their efforts, while others prosper from their abilities. The athletes participating in the two revenue sports of college athletics, football and men's basketball should be compensated for their time, dedication, and work put forth in their respected sports.
In recent years the idea of student-athletes getting paid for playing in college has become more and more popular. There have been many instances where questions have been raised surrounding some of the finest athletes participating in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Some of the biggest names in athletics have been involved, including Cam Newton, Reggie Bush, Johnny Manziel, along with many more athletes who have been exposed by the media for supposedly accepting cash benefits while in college. Most recently Johnny Manziel has been brought up in an autograph scandal. Apparently he was paid ten-thousand dollars for more than over one thousand and one hundred autographs. Ultimately Manziel was only suspended one half of a full collegiate football game, but is it really fair that he was forced to sit a half of football game because he simply gave some people his John Hancock? Reggie Bush and Cam Newton have both been involved in scandals involving mone...
For most NFL players, their salary is their biggest form of compensation. As part of the collective bargaining agreement, the NFLPA implements something called a salary cap. A salary cap is a limit on how much a team can spend on a particular player’s salary or on a team’s entire salary. Salary, according to the agreement, is money, property, investments, loans, and anything else of value to an NFL player (both rookies, veterans, and players with terminated contracts) but not including benefits (CBA). It also can cover any payments made by third parties or club affiliates even if the money is for non-football services
The NFL has implemented a lot of new rule changes that have tremendously helped with player safety. Like head to head contact isn't allowed as much anymore. If players commit the "crime" either they can be fined money, penalized during the game, or suspended if they are reoccurring offenders.the NFL is trying to get away from a lot of the head to head contact and stop being known. Some could say the NFL is almost a circus these players do so much and don’t always get a lot in return the NFL is concerned with the revenue and not always the player safety.
The National Football League is made up of 32 teams that were once founded in 1920 by a group of people who helped form the league. In the beginning the league wasn’t really structured to what it is now. Teams will just play and no playoff games, seeding’s, or the game itself matter because not only was the game was overshadow by America’s past time baseball, but it was difficult because the college game was established as well. Owning a team was extremely hard because owner’s will spent large amounts of cash and participate in bidding wars for players. Fast-forward to today’s day and age it is safe to say the NFL may be the most brutal and exciting game to play. Rule’s and norms are intact for teams to do things more ethical. Money is what really drives this business and of course constant advertisement to promote its brand. With some of that revenue, the NFL has opened a program called NFL: Play 60. The purpose of this program is to encourage kids to be physically active for 60 minutes in a day to reduce America’s child obesity. The NFL has been successful because in 2010 the first lady Michelle Obama announced it would be teaming up with NFL PLAY 60 as a health imitative for children. This was a great move for the brand because The First Lady’s office and...
There are thirty-two American football teams in the U.S., and the New Orleans Saints is one of them. A National Football League (NFL) team that originate from New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans Saints is a team that fans point at when it comes to unethical decisions. The press and investigators believe that the disputes have been going on a three year span, 2009-2012 (“New Orleans”, n.d.). The title of this uproar that lasted for almost three years is called the ‘Bounty Gate Scandal’. This scandal is known for the New Orleans Saints paying out bonuses to players for taking out opposing players of the game by injuring them (“New Orleans”, n.d.).
Walker, Jim. "Paying College Athletes Debate Continues." McClatchy - Tribune Business NewsJun 08 2011. ProQuest. Web. 26 Nov. 2013 .
Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2013). Business ethics: Ethical decision making and cases: 2011 custom edition (9th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
This case study will be discussing the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal and the Canterbury Bulldogs breach of the salary cap. With specific reference to relevant journal articles, websites and statistics, this case study will provide relevant examples identifying possible causes and solutions towards these areas of crisis in relation to the NRL.