A lot of you who regularly follow this blog and know us on Facebook and Twitter know that we are always calling out Roger Goodell and his inconsistencies. This blog has covered a lot of them on occasion. Well, loyal readers, get ready to fall off your chairs, because If It Ain't Steel is actually going to defend the Furor...well, somewhat. I haven’t completely lost my mind yet.
I am sure by now all of you have seen or heard Drew Brees' comments regarding commissioner Goodell. He has been very vocal about his feelings for the commissioner and the penalties that he levied against the Saints coaches and players. This time it really didn’t have to do with the punishments, but more about Goodell himself. Brees recently did an interview with Peter King of Sports Illustrated and made it very clear he is not happy with the Furor.
Brees, speaking to Peter King of Sports Illustrated, certainly makes it sound like the latter -- King asked Brees about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and how NFL players feel about him, and Brees said that "nobody trusts him."
"Nobody trusts him. Nobody trusts him. I'm not talking about a DUI, or using a gun in a strip club, which are pretty clear violations," Brees said. "I think there're too many times where the league has come to its decision in a case before calling a guy in, and the interview is just a façade. I think now if a guy has to come in to talk to Roger, he'll be very hesitant because he'll think the conclusion has already been reached."
Peter King made it clear that Brees is very angry with the commissioner, you can find the Brees interview on the second page of the article. -http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/peter_king/07/29/mmqb/index.html
But you know what? GET OVER IT!!! I am so sick of hearing about how upset Drew Brees is with the commissioner. You know what, Drew? You should have thought about that before you pushed the CBA getting passed. Yes, Drew Brees was amongst the players who helped negotiate the current CBA. So, Drew, you and the representatives for the NFLPA are the last people who need to be griping about anything that Goodell does, because you allowed him to keep that power.
They had a chance to strip Goodell of some of his power and they chose to go for more money. So, I look at it as you get what you asked for. Even the NFLPA has been very vocal about Goodell and his punishments against the Saints, even trying to use the HGH testing against them to get Goodell’s power taken away. They have been very vocal on how Goodell has overstepped his power. Well, guess what, you allowed him to keep that power. That is no one’s fault but your own.
So, therefore, Goodell is actually doing his job, the job which you the players gave him. Only one team voted against the CBA and that was the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hmm, now they aren't looking so foolish, are they? There is no proof of that being the reason, but I bet it played a big factor into why they voted against it. Considering at the time the Steelers were the most fined players in the NFL. Where was all this negativity and speaking out when that was going on? Oh, that’s right, it didn’t affect you at the time.
I will be the first to admit that Goodell has been inconsistent on who gets punished and who doesn’t. This blog has written on several occasions about that very fact. It was very evident when Ben Roethlisberger was suspended over allegations, yet was never charged. A few months later a player was arrested in an airport for carrying a firearm, and then the list goes on from there, with no punishment. Those are examples of the inconsistencies to which I am referring. I am a firm believer in, if you want to send a message, you need to punish them all. Maybe he will one of these days, but I doubt it.
But, Goodell got his one right. He sent the message that it is not alright to target or put bounties out on opposing teams or players. The punishments sent a message to other teams that have or may have been thinking about doing it. Brees can get on his soapbox and preach all he wants, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter. Goodell still got it right and you had a hand in allowing him to have the authority to do just that.
So, my suggestion is, take you lumps like Sean Payton and Greg Williams have. Stop whining to the media about it and move on. I know this hurt your team, but you know what, they should have realized they were not above being punished. The fact of the matter still remains that you allowed Goodell to bring down the hammer swiftly when you agreed to the current CBA. So, you have no one to blame but yourself and the NFLPA for agreeing to it.
I always had a lot of respect for Brees, at least until all this happened. He was always was someone to be respected because of the way he carried himself. With all this happening of late, though, it has caused me to have a different view of him. I still respect him as a player on the field, but that is where it ends.
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