Jones, Cuban right to take King, NFL down a notch
King Goodell wants the lifetime use of a private jet.
Anational pizza company tossed itself into the middle of a no-win national anthem debate.
Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban have been right.
And you thought the Texans have had it roughin 2017.
The NFL has been aweekly disaster this season. Nowonder Roger Goo dell wants to take the money and run. I’ll just saywhat somany of youhave emailed and tweeted to me since Week 1: Pro football is losing you.
Granted, we’d be all over the Texans if Deshaun Watson was still running in circles and throwing 50-yard darts. But during a season in which Aaron Rodgers, Odell Beckham Jr., J.J. Watt and so many more stars have gone down, we’re just waiting for the
playoffs to begin anda depressing regular season to end.
Last Thursday, Seattle’s Richard Sherman joined the MASH unit. The same Sherman who penned an eloquently and perfectly titled “Why I Hate Thursday Night Football” piece last season, and once referred to the abomination otherwise known as TN F as a “poopfest.”
Ex-Texan Arian Foster also was ahead of the curve by ripping theweekly insult to player safety. Andas muchas it pains me to say this, the Dallas duo of Jones and Cuban have been deadon as they’ve gone after the league in recent years.
First up, the owner of a 2-13 NBA team playing Nostradamus in 2014.
“I think the NFL is 10 years away from an implosion,” Cuban said then. “I’m just telling you: Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. And they’re getting hoggy.… When you try to take it too far, people turn the otherway. I’m just tell- ing you, when you’ve got a good thing and you get greedy, it always, always, always, always, always turns on you. That’s rule No. 1 of business.”
Cuban’s well-aged statement— initially view ed as jealous nonsense— now sounds presidential. Bad business. Falling TV ratings. Jones suddenly turns into the national voice of reason, as he mounts a one-man stand against the NFL’s king.
Whether it’s politics, Hollywood or good ol’ American football, I normally side with anyone who opposes a $49.5 million annual paycheck and lifetime private jet for a single human being. (Most of us work for a living.) And while Jones is obviously ticked because his running back wasn’t allowed to stay onthe field in 2017, the Cowboys’ owner has been doing what every other billionaire should have been since Goodell started waving his scepter and having everyone else polish his crown.
You’re really asking for a private jet and almost $50million a year during a season when protests have divided, the President went on a Twitter attack andthe NFL again can’t figure out howto protect the players it constantly promotes?
Those are fighting words.
Kudos to Jones for having the personal fire to go after Goodell.
What’s the commish going to do? Take his new gold jacket away?
Thursday Night Football should bere moved from theweekly calendar. But the league (andits owners) love the extra cash. And itwould make too much sense to limit all the televised violence to once aweek.
“Thursday Night Football is pretty annoying for players,” Foster said in 2014. “I don’t knowone player that likes it. I really don’t knowa fan that likes it, either. I think it’s just the league’s way to try to generate more revenue, but that’s what they are here for.”
It’s always been easy to pick a part the rich, famous and powerful. So let’s be fair.
Case Keenum is one heckof a story. Carson Wentz’s Eagles are 8-1. Drew Brees’ Saints have wonseven straight andare exactly whywe are normally glued to the tube (or at a game) every Sunday.
But the 2017 season has felt off since it began. Heck, it took us until Week 11 to have a resolution in the Ezekiel Elliott case, which changed sides somany times it felt like wewere watching so me cheesy cable-TV drama, instead of, youknow, pro football.
The lingering problems that have dragged down the NFL for years— concussions, player discipline, Goodell’s God-like power — have peaked this year. The actual on-field product has been average, at best, andit’s going to take the annual built-in drama of the playoffs to redeem this season.
BrockOs weiler is a starting quarter back again, which tells you all youneed to knowabout 2017.
But themounting frustration directed at themost powerful sports league in America— from paying fans, current athletes and past players — is the real truth.
Are we on an Astros high in this city? Obviously. But what would you rather pay for in 2017: An MLB, NBA or NFL game?
I ranked those in order of personal preference. I know many of you would do the same, even in this football city.
Goodell better get his lifetime plane while he can. He might want to fly away from this stinking mess one day.