With the NFL and the NFL Players Association working diligently toward extending the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed eight years ago, Roger Goodell has been handing out suspensions at a feverish pace the last ten days. However, for the stars of the game — especially Chiefs wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, who will not be suspended this season — the Commissioner might be looking at the league’s bigger picture.
The final verdict from Commissioner Roger Goodell on Hill has been rendered. The league determined there is enough evidence suggesting any time away from the NFL for Kansas City’s top receiver wasn’t warranted. The fact that the NFL spent four months to determine Hill’s innocence, and that this announcement comes at a time when talks with the NFLPA are on hold, it’s easy to assume that Goodell has become softer on player discipline.
Over the last two weeks, two high profile NFL stars, Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and Raiders offensive lineman Richie Incognito, faced disciplinary action.
For Elliott, he was involved in an altercation in Las Vegas when he shoved a 19-year-old security guard. It was the second time he’s been in front of Goodell. The first time, even though he was never charged with a crime, the NFL determined he violated the league’s personal conduct policy. He was suspended for six games.
This time around, despite video evidence (from TMZ) in which he put his hands on the young security guard, Elliott will not miss any games this season. Unlike in 2017, Elliott chose to be humble and issued a statement stating he needs to stay away from those type of situations. Was it sincere? Well, Elliott is currently in a contract dispute with the Cowboys, and likely will not report to the team later this month until he gets a new deal.
To be fair, I think it was a shoddy move by the NFL to suspend Elliott in 2017 without being charged with a crime. Still, Goodell had far more evidence, considering this was Elliott’s second offense, to slam him with an eight-game suspension this time around. Instead, knowing that he is knee-deep in contract talks with the NFLPA, Goodell decided to give Elliott a free pass. It appears that Nevada authorities are currently taking a look at the incident. If they decide to press charges against Elliott, he likely will be meeting in Goodell’s office once again, regardless of his contract situation with the Cowboys.
Oakland recently signed Richie Incognito to a one-year deal, which is a curious move by the Raiders, considering the mass amount of egos they already have on that team. It was announced he would serve a two-game suspension for comments he made about his deceased father shortly after the signing. After punching a wall at a family home owned by his mother, he made comments stating that he wanted to decapitate his deceased father’s head. For those actions, the troubled (yet very talented) offensive guard will begin his Raiders career on the suspended list.
When putting both incidents into context and considering the political nature of the NFL at the moment, both actions by Goodell are perplexing. Elliott physically pushed a security guard and Incognito made vile comments. These comments by Incognito not only question his stability as a person but as a player who represents one of the largest sports leagues in the world.
This leads us back to the decision that Goodell made Friday morning regarding Tyreek Hill.
Though Hill was cleared of every item on the list, involved in this bizarre series of events with his former fiancé, Crystal Espinal, Goodell found no evidence Hill was guilty of any of the crimes, innuendos or smear tactics — in some cases viciously thrown at the Chiefs wide receiver. He was confident in his review of the facts. More importantly, the NFL determined through its investigation that the child in question at the heart of this mater is not in danger from Hill.
Knowing Goodell’s past treatment with violent incidents by NFL players, he has generally sided on the harsher side of punishment. Thus, one can only conclude, despite the break in talks, that with Goodell and the NFLPA close to a new accord and the fans not wanting to see their stars missing games, the commissioner opted for no punishment on this occasion.
However, my theory will be put to test when it comes to the discipline Goodell may lay down upon New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, after this arrest earlier this year.
One Response
The writer must be a raider or bronco fan