Super Bowl XLIX was the "perfect example of why fans cannot seem to end their addiction to this violent sport" of football, and the season's final game "offered a little bit of everything that makes the league" so enticing and frustrating, according to Juliet Macur of the N.Y. TIMES. Seahawks CB Jeremy Lane made a great play that resulted in a first-quarter interception, but as he "ran it back, he was tackled hard and fell on his left arm, which broke so grotesquely that it looked as if it were made of rubber." Meanwhile, Seahawks DE Cliff Avril left the game in the third quarter with a possible concussion, showing that the league "might just be getting better at identifying head injuries and keeping injured players off the field." But Patriots WR Julian Edelman was "walloped on one run with such force that he seemed dazed." Despite the fact he "missed the final two games of the Patriots’ regular season because of a concussion, Edelman played on." It was a "rough year" for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who has kept his job "through public-relations disasters that would have felled executives of many other organizations, largely because he continues to deliver billions of dollars for the owners who employ him." But his season "did not end on a high note." Macur: "What could have been going through his mind when he saw players trading punches in the end zone as tens of millions of viewers watched? Was he disappointed at the poor sportsmanship, or salivating over the expected record ratings? ... Cheer for it or cringe over it, it's just business as usual in the NFL" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/3). In Chicago, Rick Telander writes the Super Bowl "displayed so much of the magical hold that elite football has on America that it's foolish not to acknowledge it." The "turbulence of the NFL year leading up to the big game added to the schizoid nature of our enjoyment" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/3).
A FORK IN THE ROAD: THE MMQB's Peter King writes an "interesting point in Goodell’s tenure" is approaching, as the public and media "disdain for him is not going away." King: "How long will the owners continue to keep a stiff upper lip in the face of all the negativity surrounding Goodell?" (MMQB.SI.com, 2/3). In Philadelphia, Bob Brookover writes it was "impossible to watch" Goodell posing yesterday with Patriots QB Tom Brady and "think of it merely as a pleasant photo op for the league's commissioner and the three-time Super Bowl MVP." Brookover: "Justice, in fact, was served when the inept commissioner was confronted by such an awkward conclusion to the most tumultuous season of his tenure. At some point in the future ... Goodell will be forced to make some kind of decision on Deflate-gate." Before Brady was introduced yesterday as Super Bowl MVP, Goodell was "able to inform his audience that Sunday night's sensational game was the most watched television program" in U.S. history. Brookover: "Nothing, it seems, can take the air out of the product" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/3). Meanwhile, in Boston, Adam Kurkjian notes Patriots Owner Robert Kraft "was not in attendance" yesterday for Goodell's ceremonial post-Super Bowl press conference. The move comes after Kraft "also skipped" Goodell’s State of the League address on Friday amid the Deflategate controversy (BOSTON HERALD, 2/3).
PROVIDING A TEMPORARY DISTRACTION: NBC’s Ron Mott said the NFL’s "season of trouble" was "sidelined by a breathtaking finish, sure to keep fans buzzing until the next kickoff” (“Nightly News,” NBC, 2/2). CBS’ Jim Axelrod noted after a "rough season for the NFL’s reputation," the league "could use a story like Malcolm Butler's” (“Evening News,” CBS, 2/2). In Michigan, Pat Caputo writes the NFL "has a zillion problems," but it "remains a great league -- despite it all." After a thrilling game like Patriots-Seahawks, the NFL "wins, despite the way it is being haphazardly run" by Goodell (MACOMB DAILY, 2/3).
A SEASON TO FORGET? NFL Exec VP/Football Operations Troy Vincent said that the abuse cases surrounding Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson "helped turn the 2014 season into the worst Vincent has seen in his 22 years as an NFL player and executive." In N.Y., Michael O'Keeffe notes Vincent, in a "60 Minutes Sports" special that airs tonight on Showtime, confirms that Colts GM Ryan Grigson "helped spark DeflateGate by telling NFL officials ... that the Patriots may have been tampering with game footballs" during the AFC Championship (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/3). Meanwhile, in DC, Mark Maske noted Vincent "confirmed that on-field incidents involving the use of racial slurs and other offensive language were down this season after the NFL enacted a ban on the use of such slurs." He did "not confirm the specific numbers of such incidents." Vincent said that he "did not recall specific numbers being discussed" during the league's annual December meeting with the Fritz Pollard Alliance. Vincent: "The basic discussion was we were seeing less." FPA reps said that they were "informed by the league that there were six such incidents this season, down from 29 incidents" during the '13 season (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 2/2).
DO FANS CARE ABOUT ISSUES? ESPNW’s Sarah Spain noted for all the "awful things that have happened to the NFL this year, it certainly didn’t hurt the bottom line in any way.” Spain said a lot of people "have watched and gone through all the stuff with the NFL as this season has played out, and in the end they just want to shut their brains off and just watch the game” ("Olbermann," ESPN2, 2/2). ESPN's Michael Wilbon noted the dramatic game and record TV audience "at least temporarily underscored and obscured a tumultuous season" for the NFL, which was “hit with one controversy after another and dealt with each clumsily." Wilbon: “People just want to watch football. That's all they care about” (“PTI,” ESPN, 2/2).
