The potential of an NFL lockout has brought out the worst in all of us. As fans, we’re cranky. The owners want more money and have done a terrific job of making themselves look greedy. The players are annoyed with the owners’ unreasonable negotiating tactics. Since he happens to run the entire show, it should come as no surprise that Roger Goodell has been taking a lot of shots over the past few months. Does that mean the commissioner should be compared to an officer in Nazi Germany? I guess that depends on your viewpoint.
Former Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer appeared on ESPN Radio Thursday morning, as Pro Football Talk pointed out, and had some interesting things to say about Goodell.
“I think the way Mr. Goodell has handled this, the way he’s kind of using his power, is like the kind of a Gestapo-type situation, controlling the players, not letting the judicial system do its work,” Toomer said Wednesday. “It rubs a lot of players the wrong way, and that’s why you see a lot of players now lashing out at Mr. Goodell.”
What is he talking about? Goodell offered to reduce his salary to $1 a year if there is a player strike! No but seriously, I can see both sides of this. Goodell has a reputation for being a stern ruler, but the NFL needs someone like that. When he’s cutting down on concussions and levying larger fines for head shots, it’s tough to argue he isn’t making the NFL safer. That being said, he tends to lean toward the owners over the players so it’s easy to understand why that pisses the players off in a labor dispute. But is he a Gestapo? I don’t think I’d go that far.
