Written by Jason La Canfora at CBSsports.com
Roger Goodell has every reason to publically espouse a desire for two personal foul penalties to trigger an automatic ejection. It serves many purposes — all fervently in line with the NFL’s push to be seen at the vanguard of any health and safety issues — and puts the commissioner in precisely the light he wants to be seen in.
But it also strikes me as the kind of proclamation that sounds better in theory than practice. It might amount to mostly bark and little bite (given the fact that the implementation process would be the rare football case in which Goodell himself actually does not have much say in the matter) and would likely set up yet another staredown with the NFL Players Association.
In a world in which movies like Concussion are being funded by big Hollywood studios and massive class-action settlements hang in the balance as human caricatures like Danny Kannell cry about “the war on football,” well, the annual pre-Super Bowl news conference was indeed the perfect forum for Goodell to put forth his support of a two-personal foul mandate. We’ll see if or when it ever actually materializes.
Goodell came into office flaunting that iron fist. He was seen as a no-nonsense guy, a characterization that always seemed very appealing to him. Championing this stance is a no-brainer, actually, given the fact that the Competition Committee would actually have to make this formal recommendation with 24 of the 32 owners needing to then vote it in. And if it fails to make it through? (I can’t help thinking of that Bill from School House Rock sitting on the steps of Congress all morose after being vetoed and all, only now with the tiniest football in his “hands.”) Well, gosh, can’t blame that on the commish. He tried! And in the meantime, we all know precisely where he stands on the issue and what he would put in place if he could do so by mere official decree.
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