NFL: The Time Has Come For Regulation

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

A judge overturned the NFL’s punishment of Adrian Peterson yesterday. It is time for me to get on my “soap box” again. The latest embarrassment for the NFL has hit the fan, and there seems to be no end in sight. My readers have heard me rant before, so I’ll apologize in advance.

The endless stream of scandals that has besieged the NFL has reached a critical point in my opinion. The league itself has lost all integrity in my eyes. I’ve said it before, but I’ll restate it for anyone who might have missed it; “The NFL is no longer a sporting league.” Sports are played on an even playing field, with equal punishments for those that would break the rules. That is no longer the case in the NFL, thus football as it’s played in the league is no longer a sport!

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Strong words, I know. In my opinion, the NFL has reached the point that they deserve those strong words. The Adrian Peterson case is only the latest scandal to be dealt with, and there is a long list of ones that have not even begun to be dealt with yet.

The long list of indiscretions brought on by players, coaches, teams and even owners has risen dramatically over the past decade. Cheating scandals abound, player arrests are on the rise, and yet the NFL has little or no answers to its woes. It’s time for the league to be regulated, and I’ll tell you why!

Next: The Scandals

<img class="size-full wp-image-36580" src="https://thejetpress.com/files/2014/11/ray-rice-janay-rice-nfl-ray-rice-appeal.jpg" alt="Nov 5, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Suspended NFL running back

Ray Rice

arrives with his wife, Janay

Rice

for his appeal hearing on his indefinite suspension from the NFL. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY” width=”850″ height=”566″ /> Nov 5, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Suspended NFL running back Ray Rice arrives with his wife, Janay Rice for his appeal hearing on his indefinite suspension from the NFL. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY

The list of scandals seems to increase with every passing month. Just in recent years we’ve experienced, the Ray Rice ordeal, The Adrian Peterson disgrace, TextGate, SpyGate, TripGate, and DeflateGate, not to mention the ongoing Greg Hardy situation. Besides those, we have a plethora of players being arrested for gun possessions, drugs, driving while intoxicated, and even rape and murder charges!! I ask, when will it all end?

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The league has endured its share of other embarrassments as well. We had the case of “homophobia” surrounding the Miami locker room. The league has had its players in the news for race comments as well. Let’s not forget the Warren Sapp prostitution charges either, though he’s a former player he was an employee of the NFL’s TV network. In a league where integrity translates into billions of dollars in advertising and contracts, these things must stop!

Next: The NFL's Failure To Act Accordingly

Sep 7, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) looks on during the second half against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. The Vikings defeated the Rams 34-6. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The League’s Front office has been running around trying to put out the fires, yet the building keeps burning! The NFL brought in “experts” to form a cohesive process to deal with domestic violence this past year. They have also reviewed and upgraded its “drug policy.” Commissioner Roger Goodell has hired lawyers and investigators to look into DeflateGate and TextGate this season.

Goodell and the front office have said all the right things. They have taken steps to quell the embarrassments. Goodell and the owners have spoken out publicly, condemning the rise of troubles around the league. Though their efforts are commendable, the fact remains they’ve had little effect.

The NFL reactions to these cases has been inconsistent at best. The league has yet to come up with a standardized punishment for anything to date. For discipline to be effective, punishments must be effective enough to insure the problem doesn’t repeat itself, and it must be administered evenly.

The NFL and Rodger Goodell have failed miserably to deliver punishments in a timely, effective, and consistent manner. It has come time for the sport to be regulated from an outside source. The commissioner’s office has shown its ineptitude, now its time to restore the league to some form of respectability.

Next: Why Regulation Is Needed

Jan 24, 2015; Mobile, AL, USA; An official “The Duke” game football made by Wilson used as the official ball of the NFL seen photographed on the field following the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The reason I’m calling for an outside regulator is that the NFL, the NFLPA, and the surplus of lawyers surrounding the league have failed to make any progress at all over the course of the past several years.

It’s become apparent that the NFL and the NFLPA are at a stand-off. Every move to discipline a player is met with lawyers and court procedures. No sooner had the league announced its new Domestic Violence policy, and the NFLPA announced it opposition to it. It’s clear this pattern will continue, cutting down on the effectiveness of any policy the league seeks to implement. The Commissioner and the NFLPA have reached an impasse, the relationship has degraded to an adversarial one. Outside help is needed to break the impasse.

The Commissioner’s office can no longer discipline its own players. Both Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice were both handed penalties for their transgressions, only to have them appealed in the courts. The ruling in the Adrian Peterson case is likely to set a precedent for other players to use to reverse their own punishments. The league appears helpless to discipline anyone without bringing in more lawyers to defend themselves in court.

The league’s failure to respond in a timely manner in many of these cases has only deepened its troubles. Both TextGate and DeflateGate have been under investigation since prior to the playing of the Super Bowl, yet no decision has come down yet. The Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice cases turned into a nightmare, due to the league’s stumbling and delays in taking appropriate action. Questions are now surfacing on whether or not the league will be able to discipline Greg Hardy as well.

Uneven punishments have also been a complaint heard around the league by fans and players alike. Star players have far too often have been given slaps on their wrists, while lesser players pay a higher price for theirs. “SpyGate” is just one example of the leagues uneven discipline. Fining Ndamukong Suh less money then he made for playing in a playoff game, after the league had already suspended him for the game was one thing, but then to turn around and fining a HC for swearing on camera is another. The league’s discipline is an incoherent mess.

Next: The Time Has Come To Regulate

I’m not a lawyer, let’s make that perfectly clear. I don’t pretend to have the answers for the NFL current troubles. It has reached a point that something needs to be done though. These legal troubles are becoming a cancer in the NFL. Even with its best efforts the league has shown it can’t handle its own affairs.

The NFLPA has done its very best to protect the interests of its players. It has become clear however, that the current labor environment has deteriorated. I’m not placing blame on ownership or labor here, but the two are clearly adversaries, leaving them at an impasse.

I believe it’s reached a point where the NFL needs to be regulated from the outside. I realize it’s not a popular proposal, neither the league or the players association will like the intervention. Something needs to be done however. A cohesive and effective policy for disciplining all NFL teams, owners and employees must be put in place. It needs to be abided to in all cases.

Many fans like myself have tired of opening the sports news outlets, and being bombarded with scandals and player arrests. Enough is enough, if the NFL can’t or won’t restore respectability to the game, then it is high time somebody did.

Sorry for another rant folks, thanks for putting up with it. I’m just fed up! I’ve been on the fence on whether to continue watching the league, and all this nonsense isn’t helping the NFL’s case with me. Anyway, what’s your thoughts? Let’s talk football.

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