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The Sounds Of Silence: Goodell Criticized For Lack Of Visibility In Wake Of NFL Scandals

The NFL "is in chaos" following its recent domestic abuse scandals, and the public "needs to hear" from Commissioner Roger Goodell, according to Peter King of THE MMQB. King asked, "Where is Goodell in all of this? Why has he not spoken, other than brief CBS and USA Today interviews to the millions of disaffected fans who view his league as increasingly disconnected?" A "good start would be for Goodell to hold an all-comers press conference." King: "No holds barred. Answer everything. It's past time" (MMQB.SI.com, 9/17). ESPN.com's Tim Keown wrote in the NFL's "hour of greatest need, its leader has decided to remain silent and invisible." Goodell's "retreat from the public realm gives the impression of a boss who is not only inaccessible, but incapable." This is a "league problem, and it cries out for a leader who can convince the public he stands for something more than corporate sponsorships and good PR" (ESPN.com, 9/17). On Long Island, Bob Glauber writes there is still "much to be sorted out and sorted through as the league deals with a relentlessly negative sequence of events." That includes Goodell's "continued reluctance to appear in public and try to explain himself to fans who are demanding answers but are encountering stone silence from the normally available chief executive" (NEWSDAY, 9/18). SI Assistant Managing Editor Mark Mravic said Goodell needs to "come out and stand up to the press and stand up to these inquiries and stand up to the public, which is outraged at the decisions he's been making" ("Nightly News," NBC, 9/17).  In Chicago, David Haugh wrote Goodell's "baffling silence" over the indictment of Vikings RB Adrian Peterson "reinforced the idea that he cannot effectively lead the league after the Ray Rice affair." Fans by yesterday morning "shouldn’t have been wondering what Goodell thought about a matter this serious and it shouldn’t have taken threats by league sponsors to compel a response" (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 9/17). 

TIME TO FACE THE MUSIC: In Florida, John Torres writes Goodell has been "silent, invisible and doing nothing publicly to win back the confidence of a shaken fan base" (FLORIDA TODAY, 9/18). The N.Y. Daily News' Gary Myers noted Goodell is the "face and the voice of the NFL" and it is "incumbent on him to come out and explain what's going on in his league." Myers: "He's protecting the shield, but he's also hiding behind the shield now." SNY's Marc Malusis said Goodell is "there for the accolades." He now needs to "go out there and address" the criticisms. Malusis: "His league is under an utter state of barrage each and every day" ("Daily News Live," SNY, 9/17). CBS Sports Network's Jim Rome said, "Come out of your bunker, get in front of a camera and own this disaster that this shield is becoming. You're responsible for a chunk of it and it's your job to address it. Time to come out of hiding and join the fight” (“Rome,” CBS Sports Network, 9/17). ESPN's Michael Wilbon asked, "Why is Roger Goodell simply issuing more policy or statements but not answering any questions?" ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said there is a "vacuum of leadership" presently at the NFL ("PTI," ESPN, 9/17).

SHAKEN TO ITS CORE: In N.Y., William Rhoden asks, "Who would have thought the rock-solid NFL would be shaken to its foundation by two weeks of self-inflicted wounds?" The NFL "has been reduced to a group of amateurs," led by Goodell, "drawing up plays in the dirt." There "seems to be no end in sight to the league's missteps." The NFL "suddenly seems rudderless," and Goodell, once "called the Sheriff, is now a man on the run" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/18). In Miami, Greg Cote writes Goodell, the NFL and its teams right now "are at a loss." There has been a "randomness, no set policy on how to deal with instances like Rice and Peterson, and there needs to be" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/18). In Memphis, Geoff Calkins writes this is "management by finger-in-the-air." This is "what happens when you manage by reaction instead of conviction." Nobody is "saying it’s easy to determine what sort of discipline players should receive." It is a "complicated subject." But in order to "have any shot at doing it correctly, the question has to be, 'What is the right thing?' and not 'What can we get away with?' or 'What will our sponsors think?'” (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 9/18). Columnist Kevin Blackistone said the NFL has been "all over the place ... when it comes to dealing with these matters of personal conduct." He said, "It's kind of funny that today, along with the players' union, they announced some new steps for drug penalties. But what they really need is to figure what their steps are going to be moving forward on personal conduct matters" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 9/17). Comedy Central's Jon Stewart noted the NFL is "currently going through a bit of an image problem" and said, "It's the kind of firm decision-making we've come to expect from people who don't know what the [EXPLETIVE] they're doing" ("The Daily Show," Comedy Central, 9/17).

NATURAL REACTION? In Boston, Christopher Gasper writes yesterday was "another day of frenetic, frantic, and contradiction-laced damage control across the House of Roger Goodell," as the NFL attempts to "stem the tide of public outrage and corporate disapproval generated by players embroiled in cases of violence against women and children." Gasper: "You can thank Chunky Soup and Budweiser for the NFL’s sudden social conscience. Sadly, the preeminent sports league in North America isn’t being proactive on these issues. It’s being reactive." Corporate "backslappers like Anheuser-Busch, McDonald’s, Nike, Visa, Campbell’s Soup, and PepsiCo piping up in corporate-speak denunciation is the only thing that can penetrate the NFL’s echo chamber of justification." When the "fellow 1 percenters start disassociating themselves, NFL power brokers take notice and action" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/18). USA TODAY's Nancy Armour writes the NFL "had to be chastised by major sponsors -- led by a beer company, no less -- into doing the right thing." Armour: "Explain to me why this continues to be so hard for the NFL to figure out: Beat your partner or your child, and you lose the privilege of playing football until you sort out your issues, both legal and psychological" (USA TODAY, 9/18). In N.Y., Denis Hamill writes Goodell "might need a Breathalyzer if it takes a beer company to help him finally make this sober judgment" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/18). In Houston, Randy Harvey asks, "Who's running the NFL? Commissioner Roger Goodell? The owners? Anheuser-Busch? You could make a case for all of the above except Goodell" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/18).

ON THE MARK: THE MMQB's Don Banks wrote as the "worst month in NFL history continues to unravel more than unfold, perhaps hubris is the sin" Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban was talking about this spring, the issue that could "knock the too-big-to-fail league from its lofty perch." Just six months after "firing that salvo at the NFL, Cuban’s words look prophetic." His criticism can "no longer be dismissed as the off-key ravings of an eccentric, media-loving NBA owner who loves to hear himself quoted." The NFL brand "has been weakened in recent days by off-field controversies that continue to swirl, and any good capitalist will tell you that protecting the brand is the first critical step toward protecting your business" (MMQB.SI.com, 9/17). 

ITS OWN BIGGEST RIVAL: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jason Gay writes over the past few years, the NFL "has been widely praised [for] overwhelming the culture and the calendar." A sport with a "five-month season became a yearlong obsession." Gay: "We could not get enough. And the NFL loved it, encouraged it, nurtured the fascination." Now the league is "discovering what its elevated position really means." Off-field "ugliness now runs a parallel track to its on-field drama." The NFL has "carried itself with an air of infallibility" and league execs "presented themselves ... as masters of the universe." The game was "so popular it could rumble through any trouble." But they have "been a catalyst for reconsideration and the return of a lot of unsavory history," and all the "overlooked hypocrisies are up for review" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/18). In Chicago, Mike Imrem writes under the header, "NFL Done In By Its Own Popularity." The NFL "became hooked on the publicity that comes with popularity," and the league "relished feeding interest all 12 months of the year." But the only "problem with the endless attention is that when everybody knows your name and where to find you, so does trouble" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 9/18). In DC, Deron Snyder writes, "We might have thought the NFL was maxed out, but it has attracted a slew of new eyeballs as women, non-fans, politicians, news producers and corporate executives turn toward the league. What they see isn’t pretty." All of this has "put the league on a slippery slope." Snyder: "Yes, the games are great, but we can’t turn away from the drama, either, as we watch for a fall. The NFL has become its own biggest rival" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 9/18).

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