The NFL said that the number of concussions fell 11.8% this season compared to '13 as players "adjust to new, stricter rules on helmet-to-helmet tackles," according to Ken Belson of the N.Y. TIMES. The league said that 202 concussions "were diagnosed in the preseason and regular season in practices as well as games, down from 229 last season." The number of concussions "has fallen" 19.8% since '11. The number of injuries in Thursday-night games "has continued to lag behind injuries suffered on Sundays and Mondays" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/30). But in DC, Sally Jenkins writes unless there "is a radical shift in management and tone, 20 years from now NFL owners are going to find themselves presiding over a league that is not only less popular but that actively repulses people." NFL management "has a choice to make: It can double down on stupid," or it "can accept its responsibility for its part in a public health crisis and say, 'It’s in the best interest of children to play flag football instead of tackle given the red flags we are seeing'" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/30).
MORE MONEY MORE PROBLEMS: SI.com's Michael Rosenberg wrote under the header, "Goodell Should Show He's Not All About Money, End Thursday Night Football." Seahawks DE Cliff Avril: "Thursday games are terrible, but the NFL don’t care. It’s money. They’re trying to add as many games as possible. Thursday games would definitely be something we’d like to take out." Rosenberg writes this is NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s "reputation now: He is all about the money." Goodell has "earned the reputation -- not because he only cares about money, but because, given the choice between revenue and anything else, he seems to choose revenue every time (SI.com, 1/29). NFL Exec VP/Media and NFL Network CEO Brian Rolapp said, "We understand our position in the sports landscape and we understand the responsibility that comes with it and I think you've heard the commissioner say when these are issues we are going to lead on them and we are going to do our best.” He added, "You will not see Wednesday night football. You will not see it every night of the week" (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 1/30). In K.C., Sam Mellinger writes the league "has taken some steps to spot concussions, and for that, they deserve some credit, even if the steps started far too late and only after societal and financial pressure." Still, progress "remains to be made." The problem "is that the NFL long ago lost credibility and the benefit of the doubt with this issue" (K.C. STAR, 1/30). USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell writes the toughest job in sports at the moment "is being NFL Commissioner," which, "written or not ... involves being an easy target as huge as the broad side of a stadium." How Goodell responds during his State of the NFL speech "could provide a strong hint about where he's headed in trying to restore his damaged reputation" (USA TODAY, 1/30).
HEAVY IS THE HEAD...: SPORTSPRESSNW.com's Mike Gastineau wrote Goodell "can bumble, stumble and rumble through mistake after mistake because" partly because his "bosses love their employee." Gastineau: "He has made them a ton of money as NFL revenues continue to increase on almost all fronts" (SPORTSPRESSNW.com, 1/29). U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the NFL and Goodell “are public figures and they have to understand that and that means that they better have public relations training and team to understand that we're in a 30-minute or maybe even a ten-minute news cycle” ("Squawk Box," CNBC, 1/28).
