Is Goodell a bargain at $128M?
Jaw-dropping as it is to see that Roger Goodell raked in almost $128 million over the past two seasons, NFL owners are actually getting off easy.
With 32 teams in the league, that works out to about $4 million each. Spread it out over two seasons, and every team is on the hook for $2 million a year for Goodell’s services. Heck, the throw pillows on Jerry Jones’ yacht probably put a bigger dent in his pocketbook.
And just look at what the owners get in return. Media contracts announced earlier this year will bring in more than $100 billion over the next decade. A new collective bargaining agreement ensures labor peace — no threats of missed games, no public squabbling — at least through 2030, and added a 17th game to the season. Cha-ching, cha-ching!
Then there is Goodell’s character and integrity.
Whatever shred Goodell had of either he gave up long ago in service to the owners, acting as their lightning rod so they won’t be. That can mean not saying anything even when decency demands it or defending the indefensible. Even telling bald-faced lies if it gives his bosses cover.
By paying him a not-so-small fortune, the owners ensure Goodell won’t get any wild ideas about developing a conscience at the tail end of his career.
That the owners absolutely cannot afford.
This week alone, Goodell has twisted himself into a pretzel to explain why Deshaun Watson would be allowed to play if he’s traded, despite being the subject of 22 lawsuits by women who accuse the quarterback of sexual misconduct or sexual assault. He also outright lied about why the NFL won’t provide more information on its investigation into the toxic and misogynistic atmosphere at the Washington Football Team.
“Yesterday, during your press conference at the NFL owners meeting, you made a number of misstatements about the NFL’S actions, or inaction, related to
the Washington Football Team (`WFT’) investigation and those who participated in that investigation, including our clients,” Lisa Banks and Debra Katz, attorneys who represent 40 former WFT employees, said in a Wednesday letter to Goodell.
Looked foolish while doing so, too, given the Chicago Blackhawks that very same day managed to release the results of an investigation into the cover-up of sexual misconduct allegations while protecting sensitive information, including the identity of the former player who made the complaint.
“You have chosen to hide behind the `incredibly brave’ women and men who came forward to try to justify your decision to protect the WFT and (owner) Dan Snyder from whatever is contained in those findings,” Banks and Katz wrote.
“You have misrepresented the wishes of our clients, and likely those of the other women and men who came forward, to justify your decision to bury what we know would be a damning report, having sat through dozens of interviews.”
And don’t forget about Houston Texans owner Cal Mcnair.
On Tuesday, it was reported that he’d used an anti-asian slur at his team’s charity golf event in May. Cal Mcnair, by the way, is not to be confused with his late father Bob, who said the NFL couldn’t have “inmates running the prison” when talking about players protesting police killings of Black and brown people.
What is already public knowledge about the racism, bigotry, misogyny and homophobia of NFL owners and executives is infuriating enough, and you
know that’s only scratching the surface. Just imagine how uncomfortable life could get for owners if Goodell displayed even half the moral courage of his father, who spoke out against the Vietnam War even though it, ultimately, cost him his Senate seat.
Or NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who forced then-los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling to sell the team after recordings surfaced of him making racist statements.
I can think of a few owners — one in Washington, say — who would probably gladly pay Goodell’s entire salary themselves if it guaranteed the commissioner’s continued silence and moral compromise. Goodell is a bargain for NFL owners, even at $128 million. The real cost is to Goodell, who’s traded his principles for his lucrative salary.