Time for Roger Goodell to cut his losses

[stillers4me]

As spin doctors go, Roger Goodell is his own teaching hospital. The NFL commissioner can perform plastic surgery on the perception of these labor negotiations as if it were a tummy tuck.

Sometimes, especially after he's massaged the facts into a total state of relaxation, you want to shake his hand and say, "Well played, Mauer." That's how good he can be -- which is one of the reasons the NFL owners hired him in the first place.

As the face of the league, Goodell reaches out in very human ways. The $1 salary announcement. The meet-and-greets with NFL fans. The conference calls with season-ticket holders. Very nice.
[+] Enlargehttp://a.espncdn.com/photo/2011/0426/nfl_a_goodellr_200.jpg (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&page=wojciechowski/110426&sportCat=nfl#) AP Photo/Morry GashRoger Goodell appears to be ramping up the posturing in the wake of Monday's lifting of the lockout.




But his latest propaganda effort is as smooth as driveway gravel. It comes in the form of an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704132204576285090526726626.html) about the latest lockout developments, and it feels more calculated than sincere........

read more @ http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&page=wojciechowski/110426&sportCat=nfl

[Chidi29]

The owners didn't want to get involved in the courts. That wasn't their goal or their tactic. That was the player's doing. They set the ultimatium. They're the ones who walked away from the table.

Don't whine because the league is trying to get the most out of a situation they didn't even want to be in. If they're going to get sucked into the courts, they might as well do all they can to win.

[fansince'76]

When has Goodell EVER done ANYTHING that felt less calculated than sincere? :noidea: He seriously has a future in politics, if he ever decided to go that route.


You can read the Goodell op-ed piece for yourself. But the gist of it is this: "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, HELP US! THE BIG, MEAN U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE AND THE EVEN BIGGER, MEANER PLAYERS' UNION LAWYERS ARE GOING TO RUIN THE NFL! WE'LL HAVE -- GASP! -- A FREE-MARKET SYSTEM!"You mean like MLB's? You can have it. Yeah, I really wanna watch "Jerruh" and "Danny-Boy" and "Bobby K." buy championships. :jerkit:

[SMR]

When has Goodell EVER done ANYTHING that felt less calculated than sincere? :noidea: He seriously has a future in politics, if he ever decided to go that route.

:chuckle:

[oneforthetoe]

Gene Wojciechowski is just well - classic ESPN. Do Wojciechowski and the players realize that with a "true free market system" in place, there will be no billion dollar national tv deals? Clearly, the exclusivity of the tv rights in those deals would violate antitrust laws. Therefore, every team would have to be responsible for their own tv deals. So, if you are a player who plays for a big market team you will be richer than an OPEC Sheik. If you play for a small market team, well maybe you can share an apartment with a Pittsburgh Pirate.

Hating on Goodell is a good thing, but the owners don't give up just because of one appeal-able Judicial ruling by a circuit court.

[Godfather]

Does Goofdell think we're stupid? The players were happy with the status quo. He's the one who tore up the CBA. If the owners hadn't walked away none of this would be happening.

[zulater]

Right now you have to wonder if many of the owners wish they would never have opted out of the old CBA? Because when everything's said and done, when you throw in the vast legal fees the NFL is piling up, it looks as if there's a real chance they might come out of this poorer than when they started.