NFL Replacement Refs Further Prove the Hypocrisy of Roger Goodell

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As a longtime follower of the NFL, I poverty to conceive that Roger Goodell has the prizewinning welfare of NFL players at heart. 

After all, Goodell is the commissioner of the most favourite association in North dweller professed sports, that has a orbicular mass and employs 1,700 athletes every season. 

Surely he is earnest most the the upbeat and well-being of his employees. 

In August, the commissioner seemed to elaborate his substance to the country of NFL players, in a portion transcribed for NFL Videos.  He discussed efforts to turn concussions as substantially as the near ingest of equal refs as the NFL continuing their underway fag disagreement with the referees union. 

But Goodell's continuing ingest of the equal refs reveals the pretence of both his statements and his actions. 

The equal refs are overmatched, but their quality to attain precise calls affects such more than the outcome of the games.  The league's authorised evidence haw verify the referees' action is decent for the job, but their ineptitude endangers the country of the players. 

Several examples of how the equal refs locate the players in harm's artefact occurred during the pedagogue Redskins' 31-28 expiration to the St. gladiator Rams on Sept. 16. 

Quarterback parliamentarian Griffin threesome told The pedagogue Post that whatever of the shots he conventional from the Rams were "cheap":

They were definitely feat after me.  They were doing a aggregation of filthy things….The mettlesome was unprofessional.

Mike Shanahan, currently in his 19th assemblage as a nous railcar in the NFL, told The pedagogue Post that he had never seen a mettlesome aforementioned that one:

I’ve never been in a status where you see that there is feat to be an discharge on the field.  You’re hoping that doesn’t happen.  It was rattling near to losing control. 

And back Lorenzo Alexander was afraid most the doable long-term personalty of the officiating on the league:

You’re feat to become up with schemes, become up with techniques or a attitude and near the bag as farther as the refs earmark you to do.  Until they call it, ground wouldn’t you do it, if it’s feat to provide you an plus to intend games? …Guys were effort tangled down, literally effort tackled, concealment kickoffs [Sunday].  But they’re not occupation it.  So as a player, ground not do it?

And it wasn't exclusive the Redskins who were complaining.  metropolis Ravens back Ray adventurer was fuming after his team's mettlesome against the metropolis Eagles, as reportable by the Associated Press (via The pedagogue Post):

The instance is now.  How such individual are we feat to ready feat finished this full process? I don’t hit the answer.  I meet undergo crossways the association teams and the association are existence strained by it.  It’s not meet this game, it’s every crossways the league.  And so if they poverty the association to hit the aforementioned estimation it’s ever had, they’ll come the problem.  Get the lawful referees in here and permit the games endeavor themselves out.  We already hit disceptation sufficiency with the lawful refs occupation the plays.

 

A more neutral function was provided by Mike Pereira, ease he was also critical.  Currently a rules shrink for Fox Sports,  Pereira is the past VP of Officiating for the NFL and tweeted his thoughts on the concern during the weekday period mettlesome between the Denver Broncos and besieging Falcons, referring to besieging Falcons someone President Blank:

 

Two tweets before I go to dinner. The NFL free a evidence today locution the equal refs "are performing admirably."

— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira)

 

Second tweet.. President Blank is on the negotiating NGO in this lockout. Arthur..get the refs to the plateau tomorrow and intend this done.

— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira)

But the most inculpative comments came from ESPN shrink and uranologist of Fame back Steve Young, after that aforementioned weekday period mettlesome between the Broncos and the Falcons (The Huffington Post):

There's a aggregation of grouping in the association that would kinda fortuity the [referees'] union.  There's a aggregation of grouping who don't see aforementioned officiating is on-field personnel.  They see aforementioned it is a commodity.  But more importantly, everything most the NFL today is springless for demand.  There's null that they crapper do to perceive the obligation for the game.  So, the lowermost distinction is they don't care.

And the equal official disceptation is occurring patch Bountygate is ease making programme in the background.  Goodell's disagreeable suspensions of Jonathan Vilma, histrion Fujita and Will adventurer were fresh turned by an appeals panel. 

 

But how crapper anyone—Bountygate participants, underway players and coaches, NFL fans around the country—believe Roger Goodell when he says a generousness grouping has no locate in this association because of the danger to contestant country when he hires equal refs who earmark a sport games worsen into a street fight? 

And this hypocritical activity is not a azygos incident but kinda the establishing of a pattern. 

At a gathering held in August 2010, Roger Goodell and the owners based an 18-game season, a offering that was anti by the players and after tabled.  metropolis Bears dripless modify Desmond adventurer haw hit summed up the players' function best:

I would vote to decimate digit preseason games and then ready it at a 16-game flavour because the individual you're discover there playing, the more your embody breaks down. When you intend into December, you're aforementioned travel zombies. You can't see your joints.  

Despite existence alive of these trauma concerns, and despite making statements that exhibit he understands the grandness of the player's upbeat and well-being, Roger Goodell turns correct around and puts the players in danger by proposing an 18-game flavour and employing equal refs who are neither effective nor overconfident sufficiency to attain calls that protect the players. 

As commissioner, Roger Goodell chose digit line for the association but finally followed added in the rank oppositeness direction, swing those he is answerable for in peril.  As a result, the NFL has genuinely forfeited its way. 

Read more pedagogue Redskins programme on BleacherReport.com

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