The anti-American anthem protests have wrecked the league.
The only man who could stop it, Commissioner Roger Goodell, not only did nothing, he gave into the players’ strong-arm demands.
Now Goodell has the greenlight to do even more damage, and you won’t believe why.
The NFL under Roger Goodell has been marred with one black eye after another. Each new season brings a new scandal that tarnishes the league’s brand.
Despite overseeing a catastrophic decline in TV ratings and stadium attendance, Goodell has been rewarded with a contract extension worth $200 million over five years.
From GQ:
When you’re bad at your job, a few things usually happen. For a little while you begin to sense that people aren’t happy with your work. You wonder if you’re being paranoid.
Then, eventually, your boss pulls you aside and gives you some constructive criticism. You pledge to do a better job and then do your best to live up to that promise. At that point, one of two things happens.
Either your work improves and you get to keep your job, or your work fails to get better and you get fired.
This is the way of the world. Or at least, it usually is. But yesterday we learned that the rules are different for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who despite being a terrible commissioner just signed a five year deal worth upwards of $200 million.
Let me say that again for those in the back, Roger Goodell’s new deal is worth $200 million, or $40 million a year. To put that in context, by the time David Stern retired he was making about $20 million a year, and when Bud Selig retired he was making about $18 million or so. Adam Silver and Rob Manfred’s salaries aren’t public, but it’s thought that they’re both making significantly less than their football counterpart.
Now, this all raises a huge question. Namely, why the hell would the NFL’s owners do this? What kind of a deal would they give to a good commissioner? $100 million a year? Or do they not know Goodell is bad at his job? What do they think a bad commissioner looks like? Would he have to streak across the field during the Super Bowl? Or pick a fight with the biggest and most beloved star in the league for no reason? Oh wait… That’s right, Goodell did exactly that.
Under his stewardship, the league has made a lot of money, but it’s found itself in countless scandals that have one thing in common: Roger Goodell’s incompetence. Player discipline has been a flurry of conflicting precedents and kangaroo courts that have Goodell delivering whatever punishment he feels is appropriate.
Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones did his best to stop the extension, but ultimately didn’t have enough votes among the 32 NFL owners to put the brakes on such a precarious contract.
Goodell has proven to be a train wreck as a commissioner. Now there’s no telling where he could take the league.