by Max Carter
After several years of controversial rule changes and a tight grasp on the reigns of the league, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is scrambling in the pocket.
With Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon suing the NFL for a yearlong suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy by using marijuana, the NFL was already taking heat for the two-game suspension of Ray Rice for domestic violence. The conversation was brought to a climax on Monday when the video of Rice punching his wife, Janay Rice surfaced on the Internet.
As if that weren’t enough, word has gotten out in the media realm that the NFL was sent the footage in April, although the claim has been denied by Goodell and the League. The NFL is off to a terrible start this season and something has to change.
Roger Goodell will go down as one of the worst commissioners in the history of the NFL. With all of the rule changes and attention that Goodell has put on penalties during his time as the commissioner; he is drunk with power. Regardless of whether or not the League had the footage, I am confident that a general consensus would agree with me in saying that striking a woman is a much greater crime than smoking the ol’ reefer. Would anybody care to disagree? According to his decision, Roger Goodell would.
Now, to talk about Ray Rice… Where should I start? Should I go on a long, fiery rant for the feminists? Should I use some kind of big language to describe a disturbing and almost haunting video clip? I don’t need to do any of that. Ray Rice punched his wife multiple times in an elevator, and knocked her out cold with a left hook. She fell, hit her head on the elevator rail and lay limp on the floor. It is a horrifying crime no matter how you describe it. Ray Rice, just like anyone else who has done something like this, should be in jail.
As the NFL tries to gather themselves from a reality check that has sent the League jolting into the 21st century, Goodell, for the first time, has seen that he is not invincible. At a certain point, common sense and reason will prevail, and the outrage at this situation manifests that clearly. Here at Whitworth, our community does an excellent job of avoiding situations like this with programs like Green Dot and the emergency call systems around campus. But unfortunately, it is still an issue in our world, no matter what you do for a living or how much money you make prt year. With all of that being said, I will conclude with this. If you play fantasy football, my opinion is that you should pick up the CURRENTLY suspended Josh Gordon. Just saying…
Contact Max Carter at mcarter16@my.whitworth.edu