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Is Roger Goodell doing this for show?

By Josh Kirkendall

What exactly is Roger Goodell's angle?

We keep hearing change. Stricter conduct policies. Roger Goodell is taking charge of the embarrassing conduct issues that's exponentially affecting the league's image problem. The problem is that the young NFL commissioner is trying to be tough, but he appears to be doing it for the sake of "doing something." Regardless of the reason or motivation, he's right. Things need to change or the common blue collar class will tire of conduct issues -- even Bengals fans. But...

Gene Upshaw, the NFLPA’s executive director who said after that meeting he was surprised at the hard stance adopted by the players, told The Washington Post for Thursday’s editions that the new agreement would put players at risk for one-year suspensions for "repeated criminal behavior." Like the NFL’s drug policy, it would require an application for reinstatement.

I'm very curious on what's considered criminal behavior. I know it's a laughable objection for detailed information. But is a DUI criminal behavior? Would it be any accumulation of arrests? Only serious Pacman Jones types?

Mike Brown isn't so convinced of the league's position. He says that it was bad that they took the team's out of the discipline equation. And it's worse now that the NFL would sanction teams for repeated conduct issues.

Bengals owner Mike Brown is already on record saying he doesn’t agree with team sanctions if a club has a number of players with criminal charges.

Brown has said teams should have more say in meting out punishment rather than the broad powers given to the league on legal matters in the collective bargaining agreement. Since teams don’t have much of a say in discipline, Brown has said, it’s unfair to sanction them for misconduct.

My question is, will Roger Goodell over-react? Will he do something for the sake of doing something? If so, then the blind leading the blind could prove disastrous. In time, players could demand more protection from the Union creating a division in player/ownership harmony. So far, Gene Upshaw is on board and the harmony will continue -- hopefully for a long time.

What does that mean for the Bengals?

There's still a possibility that Chris Henry will be suspended to start the season. It could be as few as two games.

Henry has been arrested four times since December 2005. After his first two cases were settled, the NFL suspended him for two games for violating its conduct and substance abuse policies.

He settled the final case in January, pleading guilty to letting minors drink in a hotel room he rented. He could be suspended again by the league for that conviction.

In Hobson's latest:

  • Jones will be ready for training camp following arthroscopic surgery earlier this month.
  • Chris and Tab Perry are slow to recover and both could be held out for upcoming offseason workouts.
  • David Pollack is lifting weights with an unsure future.
  • Odell Thurman is still "not on the team".

A little charity

Chris Henry, Ahmad Brooks, Johnathan Joseph, Rhonnie Ghent, Caleb Miller, Herana-Daze Jones and Eric Ball will be at Eaton High School on Sunday at 7 p.m. to raise money for a new baseball field.

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