A letter from Roger Goodell

I just want this guy put of the NFL, he’s destroying the game I love. The only idea I think is a good one is the rookie salary cap, other than that, all of his ideas drive me nuts (going international, 18-game regular season, fining “dangerous” play)

Too bad my reply won’t get to him.

My goal as Commissioner now is to help our teams and players find a solution that is fair to everyone and ensures that football becomes more popular, accessible, and fun.

Well, I believe this one, R i i i ight. Your goal now…What was your goal during the season? Where was the solution that was fair during the season? Popular, Popular… We don’t need no stinkin popular, football IS popular for decades now. Accessible huh, well then eliminate the Direct TV lock on the package dude. Regarding fun, we have had plenty of fun, making fun of you and your stupidity.

We’ve come a long way. Compare where we are today with 10 years ago. From player accountability to player safety, more and better television coverage, upgrading the in-stadium experience, innovations like the RedZone channel, the Draft in prime time and playing the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl, we are focused on doing what’s best for the players, teams, and fans. My priority is and always will be the game and the fans who love our game.

This paragraph is rich. Player accountability means more accountants to handle the bigger salary fortunes. Player safety – really, more 1/2" carpets over concrete is your idea of more safety – feels more like less ground maintenance costs to me. Upgrading the stadium experience, huh – a beer costs 3 times a much as a decade ago, most cheerleaders are gone, and now, some guys are coming around saying “no open coals at the tailgates in the parking lot”. The only thing that has come a long way is the positive profit in the pockets of the NFL and owners.

The NFL is great because fans care deeply about it….. A 10 percent unemployment rate hurts us all….. I get it…… If both sides give a little, everyone, including fans, will get a lot and the game will improve through innovation.

NFL is great because of fans – hey, he got one right! Unemployment hurts us all… I get it? You don’t know what it means to scrape up $75 for a game seat, another $25 for a 2 beers & 2 dogs and because you’re now broke, park free 1 mile away to have the upgraded stadium experience. Both sides give a little – Great solution – players give up money, play more games, shorten their careers, we take a 2nd part time job to pay a little more to see this innovation of profit and what do you do GODell… increase NFL profits, increase your perks & salary and call it compromise just before you pull the ripcord on your Golden Parachute and leave us all with the mess you created..

resolve fan complaints about preseason by modifying our 20-game format…..but would give fans more meaningful, high-quality football.

As Jerry McQuire might say, show me the complaints! Give fans more meaningful, high-quality football – Right, high quality until week 10, then it will be 8 weeks of injury lists and fan favorites out for the remaining SAFER season. What a bull – - – - artist.

Our emphasis on player health and safety is absolutely essential to the future of our game. We are strictly enforcing rules that protect players…

Wrong, it should be what the players deem is good for their safety. Strictly enforcing – Yes… and exactly what are you enforcing & how?

It’s not just the health of players that concerns us. We must ensure the health of the league………will lead to a great future for the NFL and our fans.

I myself don’t give a damn about the future of the NFL, about you Goodell or your fleet of limos, and your six feet of credit cards that we pay for. I care about the future of professional football, the players and the fans.

My job is to represent the game — the fans, teams, players, coaches and business partners. Protecting the integrity of the game and ensuring it thrives is a responsibility I take very seriously.

This is about more than a labor agreement. It’s about the future of the NFL. We have to improve and will be relentless in our quest. The commitment to our fans is to make the NFL experience even better in the years ahead. With a responsible CBA, we will fulfill that vision.

Reading between the lines, let me rewrite this;
My job is to represent the game in this order — the business partners, teams (ala ownership), the business partners, coaches (from spygate accusations), the business partners, players (from voicemail extortion), the business partners, and maybe the fans.

Protecting the integrity… ensuring it thrives??? You blew the integrity point dude… you have taken the Foot out of football and plan to replace it with Flag. The only thing you want to thrive is the bottom line in your pocket book… not anyone elses.

It is about more than a labor agreement. This is about the voting primaries and we are all living in Iowa – GODell is making platform lies for his upcoming campaign like every other Bureaucrat and he wants our support. Pee-Party Unite (pee-party – like in the restroom during halftime).

- – - – -

I take this email message as a slap in the face to the intelligence of all fans & players. Players have had concussions – fans have beat their heads against the wall over games – but with all that, we’re not so stupid to buy your bull – - – motivations & actions. Oddly enough, last night, I spent the evening with a friend, an ex-pro ‘60s/’70s NFL player (not a hall of famer, but very well known). He helped start player’s representation, understands the player & business sides today, along with his ex-player friends doesn’t like the direction Goodell has taken the game and feels the same as I have stated within.

GODell you picked the wrong day to have me see this message.
I was really stoked about the playoffs until you opened your mouth again.
 
Mr. Goodell… you are now on my Neil O’Donnell list… May the Real God help you if I ever meet you in person.

If he actually cared about what the fans had to say this “player safety” and 18-game season BS would be dead and buried.

for impersonating an NFL Commissioner?? I think a good number would be $125K….then we’ll take $25K off just because that number really does look foolish.

Funny how this letter comes a day after the regular season ends and the players who now are on “vacation” were pretty much told “Save your money guys….doesn’t look good for football next year.”

This guy is a joke. He’s making the owners look even worse every time he speaks/emails.

a more misleading, more self-serving and less factual communication would be difficult for me to envision. Goodell has decided to go all in with this nonsense? Let him know what you think, and for good measure let him know that his BS is recognized and unappreciated.

An enhanced season of 18 regular season and two preseason games would not add a single game for the players collectively

This shows that he get it. an 18 game reg. season would add 2 MORE games for starters. This is particularly problematic for teams that are perennial contenders like we are. an 18 game regular season would tack 2 more games onto a superbowl run and there is only so much punishment a body can take. If they do this, I can almost guarantee that overall game quality will drop b/c NO ONE wants to see games played by backups and that WOULD happen.

I like how they arrange the season now. Teams within a division have two games based on the previous year’s division record and the rest of the games against common opponents.

for 2011, the Steelers have (division winners in bold):
Home: Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Tennessee, New England, St. Louis, Seattle
Away: Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Arizona, San Francisco

Goodell and, I assume several team owners, have decided it is better to kill the golden goose and get the eggs now. The NHL accomplished this several years ago but abandoning traditional hockey markets for over expansion (beyond the amount of available talent) to sun-belts states where hockey is the 3rd, 4th or 5th most popular sport (and possibly lower). Chasing the dream of endless TV/merchandising revenue at the expense of the sport. Now NHL is irrelevant to all but the most die-hard fans. My sincerest hope is that my home town never again acquires an NHL team.

The NFL has pretty much over exploited every possible revenue source so now the only thing left is extend the season at the expense of the players health and the quality of the on-field product. If this were farming it would be same as the practice of mining the soil (extracting as much crop as possible at the expense of the long term soil quality) which is usually a hallmark of a society pushing itself past the brink of self sufficiency. Now the players will be farmed without the ability to replace the elite players at the rate by which they are wearing out. The quality of the product will suffer and eventually the NFL will make itself irrelevant.

When the product on the field no longer justifies the expenses incurred by the fans or players, who will still be supporting it?