The Numbered Days of Roger Goodell

On my radio show, I recently stated that Roger Goodell is in his final few days of serving as the commissioner of the National Football League.

Goodell’s “state of the league” press conference on the Friday before the Super Bowl gave every indication that that man knows his time runs short. It would not surprise me if the NFL has a new commissioner in place by the time the draft commences in Chicago on April 30.

Goodell’s body language during the Super Bowl press conference screamed of a man who knows his days are few and that his tenure ultimately ends in disgrace as the NFL careens toward more problems during an offseason in which major damage-control and the restoration of public trust must be central objectives.

From the Ray Rice fiasco that Goodell completely mishandled, along with other examples of poor decision-making, such as his much-criticized punishments on the New Orleans Saints for Bounty-gate, to his administering of a league under seemingly constant investigation, to his inconsistent sliding scale of penalties for players, to his overall arrogance in defending his position, Goodell has eroded his name to such a degree that the NFL simply cannot go forward with him.

Roger Goodell is not the person to lead the NFL out of the dark clouds that encircle the league. How could he be? His name prompts disgust in casual fans.

Goodell has only three problems facing him at this moment (otherwise his world is just perfect).

The first is that his credibility is completely and totally shot. Anyone who believes that Goodell can be rehabilitated from a public relations point of view is simply foolish. Goodell’s Q-Rating has plummeted beyond the depths of what anyone in his kind of a position can come back from. The average NFL fan holds the commissioner in contempt–and for good reason.

His second problem pertains to the utter disdain in which players hold Goodell. They see him as a phony and a hypocrite. How can Goodell objectively sit in judgment of malefactors regarding fines, suspensions, and other sanctions when the commissioner himself crosses lines and damages the game without suffering the same consequences that the players suffer when Goodell reviews their cases?

Goodell finds his most insurmountable hurdle in his inability to faithfully and honorably serve his employers (the NFL owners) as the face of their league. With so many fires burning, including the fires that circle around Goodell himself, the man simply can’t effectively run the league and diffuse its problems when he has lost credibility in too many important areas.

The NFL needs a re-direct in the worst way.

Its horrendous public relations problems began too many times with Roger Goodell. The league desperately needs a new face, a new voice, and a new direction. Roger Goodell knows this. The NFL owners know this.

Expect the NFL to find a new leader in the very near future. If they don’t, the owners show themselves as clueless and directionless as their commissioner.

Dino Costa is a talk show host who may be found at: www.dinocostalive.com.