Wow! What a shock ! The commissioner of a major professional sports league is taking disciplinary action against a player who hasn’t been charged with a crime,but was clearly doing something stupid and dangerous. Three cheers for the NFL’s Roger Goodell ! A standard of behavior is being set , and finally, sweet music to my ears, a professional athlete is being held to a higher standard, because whether they like it or not, they are role models. This type of action by the NFL commissioner, is a welcomed move. For years, we’ve been force fed the philosophy, that professional sports is almost a mandatory form of rehab for law breakers, so they’re not only brought back into mainstream society, but they’re also given the privileged type of career that most of those who live by the law will never get, and especially the dollars that come with the job. Pathetically, some of the fans are such intense jock sniffers, that they don’t really care about the background of the athletes who wear their favorite team uniform. But that trend is diminishing, as an increasing number of fans, are starting to sound off, about wanting their athletes to abide by societal standards,and not wanting their favorite teams to compromise those values.
I really liked the fact that Goodell is getting tough with off the field behavior problems, even if they are not ones that lead to a conviction. Finally, a commissioner has raised the bar, and set a higher standard for professional athletes, and is sending the message, that professional sports is not professional rehabilitation. The average income earner can’t get high paying jobs if they break the law, so why should sports teams reward criminal behavior,or embarrassment of the team and league. It’s a shame that this didn’t happen in all leagues many years ago.
In his letter to Ben Roethlisberger, Goodell spelled out his no nonsense rules and standards. “The Personal Conduct Policy makes clear that I may impose discipline ‘even where the conduct does not result in conviction of a crime’ as for example, where the the conduct imposes inherent danger to the safety and well being of another person…………My decision today is not based on a finding that you violated Georgia law, or on as conclusion that differs from that of the local prosecutor. That said, you are held to a higher standard as an NFL player, and there is nothing about your conduct in Milledgeville that can remotely be described as admirable, responsible, or consistent with either the values of the league or the expectations of our fans.”
All professional sports leagues should , if they haven’t already, be adopting these same rules for their teams and players. The tolerance for criminality and poor decision making by athletes, has gone way to far, for way too long. Like it or not, the leagues, teams, and their athletes, do have role modeling responsibilities. That should be one of the obligations, that these gifted men understand and accept. It’s not exactly a back breaking burden. All, it requires, is some intelligence and thoughtfulness. That isn’t asking too much, is it ?