Sean Payton Suspended for Season…Roger Goodell Still Self-Obsessed

I have loathed Roger Goodell since the moment he became commissioner of the NFL. I’ve got a serious sneaking suspicion about him, and his motives behind this “punishment,” which I’ll share momentarily. You may wanna pop a bag of popcorn, or open a bag of chips for this read.

This is a hard post to write. As a diehard Saints fan, I can openly state that bounties against specific players are “wrong.” As a former football player, I can also state that bounties occur at every level. While money may not be offered and exchanged, I can promise you that certain players wear targets that are worth more to hit. It’s the way it is. I’ll never agree that incentive to knock the crap out of someone within the rules of the game is wrong. Because these guys play for money. Bottom line. You wouldn’t tell a prize fighter not to go for the knockout. So long as it’s above the belt, right?

Football. This is that sport, is it not? Don’t like it? Oh wait, you do. You love it! You love seeing people get blown up, decleated, left in a daze with snot bubbles, don’t ya? And this all occurs within the rules of the game. The forefathers of the NFL are laughing about our pansy culture. The emasculation of the American male. It continues today.

Ndamukong Suh stomped a guys head last year after repeated warnings, and only lost a few games. Stomped his head. I never remember the Saints stomping anyone’s head in order to achieve a “cart off,” or any other bounty bonus. In fact, I’ve yet to see evidence of an injury that was caused by a bounty. Yet New England won multiple Super Bowls by taping opponents’ practices. And the Super Bowl is the Holy Grail of the NFL, is it not? Well. In all fairness, Bill Belichick was suspended for…oh…wait.

In learning that Sean Payton has been suspended for the entire 2012 season without pay for knowing about “bounties,” and doing nothing to stop it, it basically means that he’s just like every other coach in the league. I’m so confident in this fact that I would give you everything I make in the next year if I turned out to be wrong. Because I know I’m not. And you know I’m not. Why do you think so many players have refused to interview about it?

That having been stated, I’m sure any day now, Commissioner Goodell will launch a comprehensive, league-wide investigation into bounty systems within all NFL franchises. Are you laughing, too?

Former Saints defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, has been suspended indefinitely, and GM Mickey Loomis has been suspended for 8 games. In addition to the suspension, the Saints lose draft picks. (Not that it effects the Saints as much as Goodell hopes it will–they’ve done just fine with lowly drafted or undrafted free agents: Marques Colston. Pierre Thomas. Chris Ivory. Lance Moore.)

Roger Goodell is using the Saints as an example, to send a message to the rest of the league–and to the many teams that are just as guilty. Yes. Gregg Williams, former defensive coordinator, instituted the “payment program” which consisted of bonuses for big hits, big plays, forced fumbles, etc. Nothing wrong with that. But he took it too far by adding unspecified players to the list. And player safety must be a league priority. Right?

That’s exactly why Roger Goodell wants to add two regular season games to the schedule. Player safety. That’s exactly why Goodell flies two teams to London to build the brand…because he’s concerned about player safety and overall well being. Puh-freaking-lease. This guy is such a hypocrite that he is primed for governmental office at the highest level–apples simply don’t fall far from their trees.

Make no mistake, gang. Roger Goodell doesn’t care about you, he doesn’t care about me (the fans), he doesn’t care about the players, he is an employee of THE OWNERS! He cares about securing their interests and taking care of his own. Why do you think he’s so concerned about player safety? Because it’s the owners who will get sued for health issues in the future. The franchises. Therein lies his interest.

Now that I’ve come this far, allow me to take you down the rabbit hole. Goodell is loving this suspension of one of the league’s most recognizable and popular coaches. He will be unapologetic to the Saints fans, whom he loathes. Yes. He loathes them. He loathes them because they stand up to his smarmy snarks, and the horse crap that he tries to feed to the average fan. Remember the Saints Super Bowl run?

Do you remember the NFL sending cease and desist orders to local business owners in New Orleans, throughout Louisiana and the gulf shores region, explaining that the league “owned” the phrase “Who Dat!?” and anything sold with said phrase not properly licensed by the NFL would be illegal–that business owners could be sued for continuing to market and sell such products? Who do you think led that charge? Why would anyone do that? Oh. Right.

Money. The same thing inciting the “bounties.”

Pot: Hi.
Kettle: Hi.
Pot: You’ve got some black on you.
Kettle: Mirror, dude. Mirror.

The revival of the Saints franchise, and the potential of it becoming a powerhouse in the league is Roger Goodell’s worst nightmare. Why, you ask? Because Los Angeles needs a team. I live in L.A. Do trust. The wheels are in motion. Goodell is concerned about his legacy. And he wants to deliver L.A. a team. But not just any team. The Jaguars? C’mon. The Bills? Never happen. But the Saints. A contender. A glitzy offense. A fickle owner who has tried to move the franchise before? Hand out harsh enough punishments, consider the fact that Saints owner Tom Benson is getting up there in age, and see what kind of offer he can finagle from potential Los Angeles suitors. For Goodell, such a scenario is win-win.

Sure, this is a “wild” conspiracy theory, but it seems prime and perfect for the Rog.

We’ll see how all of this plays out, but I certainly hope there’s a loophole and Sean Payton finds it. Perhaps changing his name to Shawn Peyton, resigning from the head coaching position, and taking a job as the offensive coordinator for a year would send a knight toward Roger Goodell’s kingdom.

Leave a Reply