Will Roger Goodell Be Fired?

Right now Roger Goodell has no intentions of stepping down due to his poor judgment and handling of the Ray Rice situation, which has exploded into a life of its own.

I am going to give you the real of this situation, how things like this happen.

But, before I begin…remember the good thing is there are a lot of sexy ballers out there who will not put their hands on a woman and believe in treating them with the utmost respect. They are not entitled, they are kind, decent, and loving. GO AFTER THEM!!

Don’t let a few bad apples (grains of rice) spoil the whole bunch!!

Based on my professional experience regarding sports, I have been in sports media for over 10 years now. I have interacted with a great number of professional and college athletes in locker rooms settings, and interviewed them for television, radio, and written publications.

The majority of athletes, at least 99% of them are great! There were a few that I had great PROFESSIONAL relationships with. When you are the only women in the locker room, and the only black one at that, some athletes really look out for you and make sure you get those must have interviews. But, you do have some athletes who are jerks, but that’s all aspects of life, right? Jerks are impossible to escape in any setting. I have always asked, are people born a-holes of do they work ultra-hard to become one?

Real talk…this is how the problem begins…

There is a sense of entitlement amongst athletes, in all levels of sports. It is starting from high school, to college, to the professional level. As soon as it is discovered that someone has a special gift athletically, and people can benefit from it, all systems are a go. It starts with the cocoon to protect, coddle, and to manipulate the system in order to make things easier for the athletes. It’s called protecting the”investment”

Should we blame the athletes for this or should we blame their coach’s, yes-men, handlers, and organizations that they belong too as well…absolutely. Everyone should be accountable, it starts with manipulating of certain situations to have favorable outcomes.

This is a culture we have ALL helped create, cultivate, grow and thrive.

If that athlete is not where he needs to be academically, he gets a little bump to help him get there. It’s done behind the scenes, most people don’t even know. But magically an athlete can go from being an ineligible to eligible just with a magical keystroke. After that magical key stroke they can now play and accommodations are made so they can graduate or stay illegible until draft time.

When most athletes know they have the ability to go professional in their chosen sport, they go to a major university, some take a light and class load. Most athletes view college as a JV to the Pro’s and school is not important. Then, they get into little trouble in school and it gets swept under the rug because their services are needed on game day. Sexual assault against the coed, taking care of. Drunken night bar fight, taking care of. Bad grades, have someone take the test for you, taking care of. Drug issues, no problem. After freshman year, declare for the draft. After sophomore year, declare for the draft. Baseball drafts kids out of high school and collegiate. The program reloads or in some cases rebuilds.

See the pattern here, it happens at universities big and small. The bigger the school and program, the easier it is to make things just go away. (Penn St.) Athletics is the money maker at most colleges and universities and there is never any accountability on the athletes. They always continue to carry the sense of entitlement, because they have been catered too, coddled, and protected their whole lives. They believe they are above of the law, and most social mores.

This is not the first time in athlete has abused a woman, and then no real significant punishment was instituted. This happens all the time, in everyday life as well. It opens up a whole new problem, because if the law doesn’t even punish offenders (these crimes can easily be pleaded down) how is an athlete someone with a sense of entitlement and a significant financial stream going to be punished?

The American justice system is a joke, always has been and always will be. If you have money and access to a good attorney, have fun committing your crime because nothing will happen to you. There will always be a way to make sure your identity does not start with “inmate number…” If you can only afford a public defender, the only thing to look forward too is “three hot’s and a cot.” Because of the justice system being a joke, there is no incentive to not create a crime. If you know nothing is going to happen to you, by all means do whatever you please.  This seems to apply especially if you are a beloved athlete. No consequences encourages bad behavior.

Ray Rice committed a crime, and he did not serve any jail time. He pleaded down, and was suspended two games. This incident happened months ago, and the NFL had full knowledge about this. The NFL cocoon came in and protected Rice, now that the footage has come to light, they want to toss him over the side of the boat into the ocean. Why now? All because of a video tape? You did everything to protect him before. Now, he is just a scapegoat because other people could possibly lose their jobs. It’s called “getting rid of the low man on the totem pole.”

We place athletic skills above all else, including academic. I love sports but when I am in pain I go to the ER, not the ballpark.

Do I think that Roger Goodell should be fired? Honestly…I am not sure.

I do think that there needs to be accountability as to why this wasn’t addressed in February. A suspension, is necessary and all athletes at all levels need to go through sensitivity training, especially when it comes to women, as well as violence in general. Too many cooks in the kitchen and too much money on the line, is the real reason it was initially swept under the rug. Policies need to be tougher in a court of law as well as in pro sports.

The Ray Rice story is a saga that has twists and turns at every step. I think that we are all losing sight of the real issue, which is domestic violence, as this story progresses to finger pointing, cover ups, firings, etc. I hope that Janay and Ray do get marital counseling, because this incident has forever changed their lives. Janay Palmer also assaulted Ray Rice, she struck him and spat on him. Janay was not just in her actions and was also charged with assault.  It is her choice to stand by her man, whether it is a good choice or not, it is hers alone to make.

We have a huge culture of violence issue in this country, it’s acted out in reality television and in the streets every day. I don’t even watch the news anymore, gun violence is the new normal. The funny thing is, I don’t know about you, but none of that is my reality or normal. If someone pisses you off, it is okay to walk away. You do not are not a punk, actually you are the smart one not the ignorant one. Putting your hands, or using a weapon on someone is never the answer.

Violence against women or against your fellow man is never okay. Bob Marley put it best, minus the spliff when he sang “One love, let’s get together and be alright.”