NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will have no problem throwing the book at Michael Vick, if he's tied to the dogfighting business which was operating out of a house Vick owned in Virginia. But if were Vick leading the Falcons into the Super Bowl, would Goodell still be as bold.
That's the question which will be answered in the near future. It's easy for a Commissioner to play tough guy when he's got nothing to lose. But what if a suspension threatens to hurt the quality of the product he's putting on the field for a game which will be viewed by the worl, then it's step up time for the Commish.
Unlike many in the sports media, I thought NBA Commissioner David Stern stepped up to the plate and passed a test when he suspended a couple of key Suns players because they went onto the court during an altercation during in a recent playoff game. Everybody knew that his decision would play a huge role in deciding which team woutl win the series, but Stern didn't flinch and went ahead with the suspensions. The Spurs went on to win that key game 5 and the series, and as expected, Stern faced a storm of criticism. Again I think he did the right thing, because If he hadn't suspended those players, he would have been opening the door for a melee in future playoff games. If he failed to suspend the two Suns, NBA players would know in the future, that they could come on the court during key playoff games.
Once players get on the court during a heated altercation, anything can happen, as we saw when the Pacers lost their minds in that much publicized melee. After the fact sports media members have said that the Suns players meant no harm. It's easy to say that after the fact, but players approaching other players on the court during a heated situation, is very troublesome. It's not a stretch to imagine a punch being thrown as an act of defense. Do you remember how Kermit Washington almost ended Rudy T's career and life, when Rudy T approached him during an on court confrontaion? The NBA can't afford to risk having melee's. How many NBA fans would be willing to pay $1500 for courtside seats and run the risk of being hit by a haymaker thrown by a seven footer?
Now let's get back to the NFL and Goodell. How would you feel if Goodell suspended one of the Eagles best players just before they were getting ready to head to Arizona for next year's Super Bowl? Eagles fans would go crazy and that's what the new Commish would be confronted with. Can he be forceful and principled during that type of situation? Could he pull the trigger on a ratings grabber like Terrell Owens or Brett Favre with pressure from a network who's giving the league billions of dollars and urging him to cut the guy some slack? That's what we're going to find out about Roger Goodell, probably sooner than later.
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