By Jordan Kobritz
Paradise may not be lost, but clearly all is not well at NFL central command. The league is facing a rebellion from within as both players and teams are pushing back against what they view as unnecessary meddling and interference from administrators drunk with power.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and his minions have never been shy about exercising their authority over players, on and off the field; however, this year they have instructed referees to go beyond the limits of sensibility to petty and oppressive levels by insisting they flag players for all celebratory gestures. According to ESPN, penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct were up by 56 per cent through the first month of the season and much of the increase was due to excessive celebrations. If players do anything more than hug or pat each other after a great play, they are likely to experience a hit to their pocket books. According to SB Nation, players have lost $340,000 through October 29 for showing various forms of emotion.
Some of the infractions are justified, such as a throat slashing gesture by Green Bay Packers linebacker Nick Perry, but many are not. For example, New York Giants defensive end Owa Odighizuwa was fined $12,154 for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after he pretended to take an end zone picture of safety Landon Collins, who had just returned an interception for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams on October 23. The previous week, Washington Redskins tight end Vernon Davis was flagged for tossing a ball through the goal posts after catching a touchdown pass against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Unfortunately for both Davis and the team, the penalty proved costly. The Redskins were penalized 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff and the Eagles’ Wendell Smallwood ran the short kick back 86 yards for a touchdown. After the game the NFL’s conduct police fined Davis $12,154 for his moment of fun. Despite the “gift” touchdown, the Redskins prevailed, 27-20, saving Davis additional embarrassment and remorse. Considering that Davis’ actions did not taunt or disrespect an opposing player or team, the fine seemed totally disproportionate to the “offense.” As a comparison, the penalty for players using their helmets to incapacitate an opponent, when the referees call it, earns the same penalty as Davis’ harmless celebration.
Goodell tried to justify the league’s tough stance on player celebrations to the Washington Post by referring to celebratory antics following great plays as “unprofessional.” According to Goodell, “It comes down to balancing a lot of issues, the professional standards that we want to uphold. We do believe that our players are role models and others look at that at the youth level. So that’s important for us to hold that standard up. And it’s part of being a professional. So that’s an element of it.” Many NFL players disagree with the commissioner. A number of them have spoken out against the increased enforcement of a rule they believe stifles their emotions. In a league where 70% of the players are African-American, some players view the crackdown on celebrations as an attempt to impose older, white values on their individuality.
NFL Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 prohibits, among other things, dancing that appears “too choreographed, prolonged or sexual.” It also forbids the use of footballs or goalposts as props, although spiking or spinning the ball is allowed. In a video released on October 7, NFL senior vice president of officiating Dean Blandino echoed Goodell’s comments. Blandino defended the rule, saying, “The bottom line is that there are many, many kids out there that are NFL fans that are playing football and they see our athletes and they mimic what they do, and we wouldn’t want some of these things out on the youth football field.” Of course we wouldn’t. Yet it’s apparently OK for those same impressionable youths to see half-naked cheerleaders on the sidelines engaging in the same suggestive gyrations that the league punishes players for.
Blandino went on to say, “…if we let this (excessive celebrations) go, it will continue to build and players will continue to try to outdo each other and then it leads to ‘other things.’” He didn’t elaborate on what ‘other things’ the NFL hierarchy feared, but perhaps he was referring to players having fun while they still had sufficient faculties left to enjoy themselves. If the league is truly interested in legislating decorum at games, perhaps it should address the conduct of fans in the stands, or even prior to the game, the out of control tailgating in the surrounding parking lots.
One wonders whether the authoritarian attitude towards its players is less about decorum and more about the league trying to show the workers who’s the boss. NFL management has historically been permitted to operate in such a manner due to a combination of ineffectual union leadership and a lack of unity among the players.
The NFL seemingly has more important issues to address than players having fun and expressing themselves. Ratings are down substantially for the first time in years. Speculation for the drop includes, among other thing, the attention focused on the presidential election, the lack of marquee players — e.g., Peyton Manning retired and Tom Brady was relegated to the sidelines for four games by Goodell for his unspecified role in allegedly deflated footballs – unattractive game matchups, particularly on historically popular Sunday and Monday nights, and a shoddy product on the field. In addition, the referees have regularly made a mockery of the games. After 23 penalties were called during the New York Jets-Arizona Cardinals game on Monday Night Football, ESPN announcer Sean McDonough had seen enough. The exasperated McDonough blurted out on air, “The way this game has been officiated is not something that anyone wants to watch.” Ouch!
It isn’t just the players who have felt the wrath of Park Avenue. Early in the season the NFL sent a memo to teams reminding them of the prohibition against posting their own video to social media between kickoff and an hour after the game ends. The purpose of the rule is to protect the league’s media partners and allow them to maximize revenue. Teams on the other hand want to drive fan engagement, one of the primary goals of any social media strategy. Yet despite fines ranging from $25,000 for a first violation up to $100,000 for a third infraction, several teams have ignored the rule. Others – including the Cleveland Browns, the Carolina Panthers and the Eagles — have blatantly mocked the league’s policy on their websites.
For years the NFL has appeared to be bulletproof regardless of the issue. The league has weathered crisis involving PEDs, concussions, and domestic violence. In both reputation and economic success the NFL has stood atop the professional sports industry. However, when employees and members alike publicly challenge central authority, with apologies to Shakespeare, something is rotten in the kingdom of football. Institutions historically crumble from dissatisfaction within, not as a result of external threats. The NFL may wish to take note.
The author is a former attorney, CPA, Minor League Baseball team owner and current investor in MiLB teams. He is a Professor in and Chair of the Sport Management Department at SUNY Cortland and maintains the blog: http://sportsbeyondthelines.com. The opinions contained in this column are the author’s. Jordan can be reached at jordan.kobritz@cortland.edu.
