NFL Needs to Be Transparent and Not Insult the Intelligence of Its Fan Base

Sep 21, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints fan Larry Rolling holds up a sign in reference to NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell following a win over the Minnesota Vikings at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Vikings 20-9. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

We’ll likely see more signs and sentiments like the one above in this coming season. Rodger Goodell and the NFL have had one of the worst season’s in recent history. The league has been hit with scandal after scandal, and the handling of the incidents has been less than ideal.

The league has suffered a number of major setbacks in the PR department. We had the domestic violence issues, child abuse, as well as spousal abuse allegations, the PED scandal, the deflate gate, text gate and your normal prostitution, drug, and gun problems. The league is a mess, I can’t help but imagine the League Office as a bunch of nuts screaming their heads off while they ran around in circles trying to put the fires out.

Initially I felt for bad for Goodell and the front line officials. They didn’t ask for all of this nonsense, and as professionals they really shouldn’t have to tolerate some of the garbage they are forced to deal with. Players just keep heaping it on, and the NFL just keeps shoveling!

The AFC Championship game is now a month in the past. It was played on Jan 18, 2014. The Super Bowl, it might surprise you to know, is two weeks in the past having been played on February 2, 2015. Goodell ordered an investigation into alleged cheating on Jan 23, and he chose attorney Ted Wells to lead the investigation.

As of this writing, we as fans have heard every explanation imaginable for the deflation issue. We’ve heard ex-QB’s weigh in, along with scientists and even from Wilson football! We’ve sorted through tons of rumors and theories! If this wasn’t such a serious matter, it might all seem funny.

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Next: The Investigation

Jan 30, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a press conference for Super Bowl XLIX at the Phoenix Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Leading up to the Super Bowl there were the “daily leaks” coming out of the investigation. The “ball boy” was seen with the balls prior to the game, etc, etc. All sorts of stuff. They were reported by beat writers at every turn. They spread like a blazing grass fire on a dry prairie. Readers and journalists alike seemingly couldn’t get enough, and strangely the investigators seemed to be more than happy to supply the tidbits.

Oddly enough, the day after the “Super Bowl” was played, all those “leaks” seemed to dry up. The league and its investigators fell silent. As a result, beat writers moved away from the story, the headlines ceased to sell copy or bring views on social media. The talk about cheating in the NFL seemingly went away.

While all this was going on, we also had the issues of the possibility that an owner himself may have been cheating in the now infamous “Textgate”. That investigation has been going on since early January as well, the unofficial “leaks” led fans to believe that the cell phone involved in the accusations was in league possession early on into the probe. Again, the “leaks” have dried up and fans are left to wait.

The headlines have all disappeared. The outrage among fans that teams in the league have been cheating seemingly is waning as the Combine begins, and free agency approaches. The league has gone silent as the lawyers “work hard” behind the scenes.