Roger Goodell Argumentative Essay

Most sports people see Roger Goodell as a foul, unfair man, who is in over his head running the National Football league. Seriously he’s hated for the way he runs this multi-billion dollar league. Come on, he even looks like one of those people you just want to hate, go ahead look him up… truthful right? Even still Roger Goodell makes a base salary of $3.5 million but gets an average bonus of $26.5 million based on revenue. Roger Goodell was hired by the former commissioner Paul Tagliabue and the owners of the NFL teams in 2006. His job is to uphold the dignity of the league on and off the field. The clown commissioner of NFL named Roger Goodell should be fired for being unable to uphold the league's dignity.

Everyone knows that domestic

violence is unacceptable and will probably get you fired from your job, right? Well, not in the NFL. Roger Goodell gives you at least two chances even though it’s a public relations nightmare for the league. Plus, the NFL already doesn’t have the reputation because the majority of players having criminal records. though one of the most well-known cases of domestic violence in the NFL was in 2014 Ravens running back Ray Rice was shown on camera dragging his fiancé by the hair into an elevator. Almost four months after this incident was on the headlines of ESPN and the Washington Post. For the incident, Rice was given a two-game suspension originally. After Rice was suspended, TMZ released a second video showing Rice knocking out fiancé before dragging her into the elevator. Needless to say this caused "PR" disaster for the league. This forced Goodell and other league officials rewrite the domestic violence that states; a six-game suspension without pay for the first offense and a lifetime ban for a second offense. After the new rule was introduced, Goodell took full responsibility for the mishandling of the Ray Rice case stating "Didn’t get it right" (SBNation). Though the following season in 2015 Dallas Cowboys player Greg Hardy was given a ten-game suspension which was later overturned by on NFL appeal auditor to four games who was acting under commissioner Goodell's authority, proving that he can't impose rules he made a year ago.

The NFL has become a literal no fun zone. Fans, players, and the media are starting to call it the “no fun league” because of the increase in excessive celebration fines. It's not the on-field penalty for the celebrations that are the problem, it's the unfair fines handed out by Roger Goodell for a touchdown and defensive celebrations. This past 2016 season in the month of September there was a total of 15 excessive celebration penalties. The most well know fine this season was week one when Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, "After scoring a 26-yard touchdown pass against Bashaud Breeland, Brown assumed the position and began twerking. The ensuing fine of $12,154"(sports Illustrated). Brown and others are starting to call it the “three pump rule” from comedy sketch show Key and Peele which in a sketch they had a player dry hump the air three times. These happen all across the NFL such as NY Giant Odell Beckham Jr and former Giant Victor Cruz was both fine $12,154 for dancing in the end zone. Goodell and some NFL franchise said the fines were for unsportsmanlike behavior.

The fines didn’t appear week 15. In week 15 rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys, jumped into the salvation army donation pot after scoring a touchdown. He was given the flag for unsportsmanlike behavior though he wasn't fine any money-making other players erupt over twitter about how he didn't get fined, while Antonio Brown and Levon Bell were fined for a handshake. Goodell's reason behind not giving Elliot the fine, because his actions created a $182,000 surge in donations after he jumped in the pot (sports illustrated). Sure that great that Elliot generated that amount of money but he should still be fined just so Roger Goodell shows that he is not being even with his fines and not making a special exception. It could’ve been crowd funded for anyone's care. That action would of stop him from creating a greater distrust between him and the players that there is now.

One of the biggest issues in the past years in the National Football league has been concussions.

In just the 2013 season, 228 were diagnosed that season. There have also been major issues with concussions and effects on past players. As of 2014, seven former NFL player have committed suicide due to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). A disease that causes memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and, eventually, progressive dementia. The development of CTE has been connected to past multiple concussions in people (Boston University). This issue is calling for action in creating football a more safe sport without taking the integrity of the sport away. This is the one call Roger Goodell has done a wonderful job

with.

Concussions have been a problem since before Goodell became commissioner. With concussions, Goodell has increased rules and outcomes for helmet to helmet and defenseless player hits. What this means he is giving large fine and large in-game penalties to a player that commit these fouls. A helmet to helmet tackle is penalized as a personal foul, which causes a 15 yard against a player and a fine at minimal $9,115 and maybe a suspension. In his time as commissioner, former players and families of deceased players have unified and sued the National Football League. The NFL was sued by former player and families, and Roger Goodell publicly denied any relation between CTE and concussion. This denial continued until 2015 and but he still wanted the courts to decide how much these families and players get from these head injuries they got from the NFL.

What made so he so distrusted as he is now was the epic of Delegate. If you've been in a cave for the past two years, the delegate was the discussion that the New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in the 2015 AFC championship deflated the footballs below regulation psi. All this came when after the game when ESPN correspondent Chris Mortensen tweeted that "11 of New England’s 12 footballs were under-inflated by 2 pounds each"(twitter). then came the media and conspiracy theories. ESPN continued to expand this issues till it was the only thing talked about besides Marshawn Lynch saying “I’m just here so I don’t get fined.” during media day” leading up to the super bowl and even after the Patriots win with Malcolm Butler's interception.

Roger used this issue as a way to show his power.

The NFL official report, known as the Wells report said that 11 out of the 12 football averaged a psi of 11.48 (business insider). Then the report stated that it was probably that Brady had the balls deflated. So, Goodell after the Super Bowl handed Brady a Four game suspension and fine the patriots two picks a 2016 first round picks and a 2017 fourth-round pick and $1 million. Even though the rules state that the fine for tampering with equipment is a $25,000 fine. The Wells report didn't take in Gay-Lussac’s Law of gas. The law states that; If the temperature of a container increase, the pressure increases. Also if the temperature of a container decreases, the pressure decreases. Test by University of New Hampshire Deflategate course stated that the temperatures stadium at the high forties and rain did have an effect on footballs filled up inside at a room temperature of 71°f deflating them.

Originally Brady appealed and won and did not have to serve the four games. In the investigation, the most suspicious thing Brady did was destroy his phone, after the NFL already had all of his text and call logs. Though this past 2016 season Goodell appealed Brady's appeal and won to give Brady the Four game suspension. This was Goodell trying to show that he is still the almighty. He gave Brady and the Patriots these fines to show that he had all the power. He gave Brady the fine thinking that he was going to retire soon though that

didn't since he just won Super Bowl LI for his fifth Super Bowl ring.

Deflategate also gave Goodell and ESPN a very poor approval rating with one of the NFL's biggest fan groups. With an average social media following of 2.4 million is the largest fan base in the NFL. These fans see Brady as their messiah, the God of sports. He brought what was the Cleveland Browns into what is now one of the greatest franchises of all time. since the original installment of deflate-gate Goodell has not been to Gillette stadium even in the 2015 season opener that was held there. One of the highest sold shirt in the past year has been Barstool Sports’ clown Roger shirt. Also, the New England fans have just been trolling ESPN in the start of deflate gate and boycotting the network or not allowing them to use their media of the Patriots. One of the highest trending hashtags in sports was #FreeBrady and #FireGoodell.

These issues do not go unseen. Part of the blame with Goodell's availability as Judge Jury and executioner comes from agreements with the National Football Leagues Player Association (NFLPA). Still there no excuse to have a dictatorship in this American company, because that's all the NFL is a company. What do you do when someone in a company giving it a bad reputation and creating mistrust within the company? You fire that person! This dictatorship type way of running the NFL and this Commission are out of date for today's way of play. To fire Goodell is to get rid of the old and bring in the new.