FanPost

Goodell Betrayed by His Key Allies

Guys:

The national media can't wrap their head around why the NFL botched the Ray Rice investigation... where the explanation is simple. Since Goodell started his tenure, he's been overly influenced and reliant on the owners and coaches of certain teams. it's not a stretch to say that Goodell has "favored nations" in the NFL, and as Bengals fans, it's abundantly clear to us - as two of those favored nations are the Ravens and Steelers. (To go along with the Giants, Patriots, and maybe the Eagles, Bears, and Colts).

This has played out in multiple cases, many of which we're familiar with: Ben Roethlisberger, for instance. He's likely raped at least 2 college co-eds, and the Steelers bought off the witnesses. I think as reprehensible as we all find Ray Rice's actions, we can probably agree... Roethlisberger's are likely worse. (I have two daughters, and I'd probably want to see both of them chemically castrated if they did this to either of them!).

But, Ben plays for the Steelers and the Rooneys. Punishment? Well, he's still playing isn't he?

The Steelers have played this really well over the years. When one of them makes a nasty, "helmet to helmet" hit, they all get together, trot out Mike Tomlin and Troy Polamalu and say, "That's just tough football." Magically, no suspension occurs. (Ryan Clark tried that during the pre-season in Washington for his teammate.. .and learned that playing for Dan Snyder doesn't get you the same result!). I'm still trying to figure out how Hines Ward broke Keith River's jaw without leading with his helmet. Reverse that situation -- think TJ Houshmandzadeh gets off that easily if he lays out Troy Polamalu with a broken jaw? (Answer, no.)

Think about it. Steelers destroy Carson's knee in the playoffs. No ramifications. Tom Brady goes down in a regular season game from a more legitimate hit-- Rule Change!! Patriots cheat their way to Super Bowl wins... well, you lose a draft pick and let's destroy the tapes. New Orleans cheats their way to a Super Bowl with bounties... suspend the coach for a year, and indefinitely suspend the coordinator. I get the punishment for Sean Payton -- but why was Billichik let off so easily? It's simple -- he works for Robert Kraft. I think PacMan Jones got off a bit light because in those days, Jerry Jones was in cahoots with Goodell... that relationship seems to have soured though.

Net, the Ravens all got behind Ray Rice, and said, "He's a great guy, this had to be a one-time deal." This, and the testimony of the victim, led the NFL to conduct a slip-shod investigation. Net, Goodell is negligent here because he's been trusting the wrong people. (Ideally, he should view all of the clubs with equal suspicion.). Then, when the truth comes out, he's caught looking like a fool. Net, Steve Biscotti and Ozzie Newsome basically whitewashed this, and Goodell made the mistake of trusting their evaluation of the situation.

If he keeps his job -- he needs to learn that he has no friends in the ownership group. His job is to lead and to lead fairly. Ask yourself one question: If Ray Rice had been a Bengal -- or a Raider -- or a Jet -- would this have played out the same way? I sincerely doubt it. There need to be no favored nations when it comes to this type of thing... and personally, I think they should re-open the Roethlisberger case... even though we know that won't happen. Goodell needs to be less trusting of his "friends" in ownership.. .and maybe he'll make more rational decisions. Net, the Ravens have hung him out to dry here, but you're not about to see them rush to his defense -- except maybe behind closed doors....

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan, which is as important as the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors.