Congressman Jim Jordan blistered NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for the league allowing the Washington Commanders to fine coach Jack Del Rio for $100,000 just for revealing his conservative-leaning political opinions.
Early this month, Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio got himself in a spot after wondering on social media why everyone was so upset over a few hours of rioting on Jan. 6 when Black Lives Matter-inspired rioters were destroying cities for the better part of a year. And when he later called the riot on Capitol Hill a “dust-up,” his team’s head coach fined him $100,000 and forced him to apologize for daring to have his own political opinions.
On Wednesday, during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing, Ohio’s Republican Congressman Jim Jordan slammed the NFL for the absurd fine and asked Commissioner Goodell why there is no freedom of speech for conservatives in the NFL.
The exchange began when Jordan asked Goodell, “Commissioner, you believe in the First Amendment, don’t you?”
Jim Jordan's questions for Roger Goodell
"Why do you ban Dave Portnoy from NFL games?"
"Do you agree with the Washington Redskins decision to fine Jack Del Rio 100,000?" (it's not the "Redskins" any longer) pic.twitter.com/jyRG1ITih6
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 22, 2022
“I mean all parts of it, all the rights we have, the right to practice your faith, your right to petition the government, freedom of press, freedom of speech, you believe in all of that?” Jordan added, to which Goodell said, “I do. Yes.”
Just getting warmed up, Jordan went on, asking, “Do you agree with the Washington Redskins decision to fine Jack Del Rio $100,000?”
“That was a decision that was made by coach [Ron] Rivera,” Goodell said trying to evade the question. “Again, as I stated earlier, they are responsible for monitoring and managing their own workplace. He made that decision on his own. I did not speak to him. I have great respect for coach Rivera. He made his decision for reasons I’m sure he thought were…” Goodell said before being interrupted.
“I asked you if you agree with the Washington Redskins decision to fine Jack Del Rio $100,000?” Jordan reiterated.
“I don’t think it’s my position to be able to state whether it was the correct decision or not,” Goodell replied.
“Coach Rivera, in his statement when he fined the assistant coach $100,000, he said, Del Rio ‘does have the right to voice his opinion as a citizen of the United States and it’s most certainly his right to do so.’ I don’t think if that’s actually accurate anymore because if you do voice that you end up getting fined and have to write a check for $100,000. Does that concern you?” Jordan explained.
Goodell tried to wriggle out of the question by repeating his claim that he has no role in addressing the matter.
“I, again, I have great respect for coach Rivera. I presume he had reasons for doing what he did and I’m sure he took a lot of factors into consideration there,” Goodell exclaimed.
Notice that Goodell still never answered if he agrees with the fine.
Jordan was ready, though, and read back to Goodell his proclamation that the NFL encourages leaguers to peacefully protest and to speak out all they want on societal issues.
Jordan asked Goodell if he stood behind that message. Goodell replied that he did, but once again got to wriggling by claiming, “There are consequences for what you do and say in life.”
While that is true enough, Jordan noted that the only time anyone suffers any “consequences” in NFL is when conservative employees speak out on politics.
“The NFL encourages all to speak out unless you’re Dave Portnoy and not allowed to a game, unless you’re Jack Del Rio, you get fined. That is, I think, a concern not only I have but a lot of your fans across this country have, this standard. Does that concern you at all?” Jordan noted.
Jordan read out Del Rio’s tweet and asked Goodell to point out what makes the rhetoric deserving of a $100,000 fine.
Goodell stuck with his “speech has consequences” dodge, but Jordan had the last word, saying, “No one supports that but we do support the first amendment. And I understand this is a private organization but the chilling impact when speech is curtailed like this and you get fined for a tweet you put out, I think that is a concern to all of us. That’s why I raise it in the committee meeting today.”
Jordan is 100 percent right. “free speech” and the freedom to speak out on social issues only goes one way in the NFL. You can be as anti-American, anti-social, and hateful as you want if you do it spouting lefty rhetoric. But if you say anything remotely leaning rightward, you get fined, or banned, or fired.
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