The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

NFL is losing power, and that’s a bad thing

NFL+is+losing+power%2C+and+that%E2%80%99s+a+bad+thing

Jace Brady
[email protected]

L
ast week, a federal judge overturned Tom Brady’s four-game suspensions, which is good news for the Patriots and bad news for the NFL. While there was a time the NFL commissioner had unmitigated powers over the matters of the league, those days seem long past. Instead, high-powered attorneys employed by the Players’ Association appeal every punishment that Commissioner Roger Goodell hands out. This ruling is not the first that has undermined the power of the commissioner and is unlikely to be the last. This precedent is dangerous for the NFL and could eventually leave the organization with no recourse to punish its unruly players.

Though Tom Brady’s overturned punishment for what he may or may not have known about Deflategate may have seemed harsh, there are countless other examples in which Goodell has made very reasonable judgments to protect the image of the NFL. Ray Rice was suspended indefinitely after video surfaced of his beating up his then-fiancée. This seemed like a reasonable punishment while the league tried to sort out the facts in order to put a permanent timeline on his punishment.

Unfortunately, Goodell had suspended Ray Rice for three games prior to the video being released, and Rice’s suspension was overturned on the basis of double jeopardy.

While in the U.S. legal system I believe that double jeopardy is an important tenet, an employer need not be held to the same legal standards. If a line cook at McDonald’s was suspended for three days on the accusation of spitting in the food, we would hope that his suspension would lead to termination if video evidence proved he spit in every cheeseburger he made. As an employer, different levels of evidence are going to call for different punishments.

The NFL players have a very strong union and bylaws in the collective-bargaining agreement that determine how they can  be punished. However, for the league to function effectively, it needs to be able to punish its players under changing circumstances.

As a person under extreme public scrutiny, Goodell should even be able to increase punishments because of public pressure. He is tasked with ensuring the NFL continues to make money, and if a certain player’s actions threaten viewership, it should be taken into account.

If a NFL suspension is no longer a deterrent, it will become much more difficult for the league to control its players. Over the last few years, it seems that player misconduct has been rising as players beat their children, wives, and dogs. Players take illegal substances and drive while intoxicated, then time and again are able to skirt punishment by appealing their punishments to federal courts.

I love the NFL, and sitting down on Sunday afternoons to watch a game. However, I am concerned by the societal effect that unregulated players may have. These individuals are the role models of millions of children and adults and should be held to a higher standard. In order to maintain this standard, the NFL must maintain an effective way to punish its players.

This could be accomplished by a rewriting of bylaws for the NFL or by simply making any non-permanent suspensions unappealable. Whatever the recourse, if the NFL is to continue to be one of America’s favorite pastimes, changes need to be made, and they need to be made now.

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