Football NFL Dances Line of Hypocrisy with Personal Conduct Policy

**BigRichard** · 01:11 PM

Goodell needs to go in my opinion...

Boxing gloves or kid gloves?

Over here, James Harrison, linebacker, Pro Bowler, fearsome pass rusher for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Harrison is also a candid, unrepentant, up-yours kind of guy. He referred to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as a "puppet'' and "the devil'' in a recent magazine story.

Across the way, Cedric Benson, quiet, thoughtful running back, twice a 1,000-yard rusher for the Bengals, a bright light on a dim NFL team in Cincinnati. Benson has also been arrested four times in three years and is currently in the Travis County Jai in Austin, Texas, after pleading no contest to a 2010 assault charge.

Which player gets the kid gloves from the NFL, and which endures the standing-eight?

It's a rhetorical question to most who follow the league and the arbitrary discipline handed down by commissioner Roger Goodell. Yet it speaks to a problem that isn't going away.

Last fall, Goodell fined Harrison more than $100,000 for on-field hits deemed unsafe. The commissioner docked him $75,000 for two hits in one game, against Cleveland wideouts Josh Cribbs and Mohammed Massaquoi. Neither hit drew a penalty. A few months earlier, Goodell had met with Benson to discuss the assault charge for which Benson is now doing time. Goodell decided not to fine or suspend the Bengals running back.

There could be some inconsistency here.

Harrison is a difficult case. Benson is grateful for his second chance in Cincinnati following three disastrous years in Chicago. After running for 150 yards in a December win over Cleveland last year, Benson stood in front of his locker and wept in gratitude for the second chance he'd been given in Cincinnati. Rocks would talk before James Harrison wept openly in front of the media.

But are Harrison's misdeeds more heinous than Benson's?

You could argue they're less so. Harrison's indiscretions occurred within the context of Sunday afternoon combat, in a league where violence is assumed. Benson's happened far away from the game. Since 2008, Benson has been arrested four times in his hometown of Austin, twice on alcohol-related charges and twice for assault.

Why is Harrison punished by Goodell and Benson is not?

Is Goodell's no-nonsense authoritarianism encouraging, arbitrary or merely a necessary component of doing business?

It's easy to say that Goodell was more forceful with Harrison because Harrison's misdeeds occurred on the field. Let the criminal justice system deal with Benson. That doesn't explain other fines and suspensions, most notably those involving Adam Jones and the late Chris Henry.

Goodell released the following statement after suspending Jones for the 2007 season for his involvement in a strip-club melee:

"We must protect the integrity of the NFL. The highest standards of conduct must be met by everyone in the NFL because it is a privilege to represent the NFL, not a right. These players, and all members of our league, have to make the right choices and decisions in their conduct on a consistent basis."

In a letter to Jones and Henry, Goodell wrote: "Your conduct has brought embarrassment and ridicule upon yourself, your club, and the NFL, and has damaged the reputation of players throughout the league.''

On the embarrassment and ridicule scale, where should Harrison fall? Benson?

The NFL dances the hypocrisy tango on this issue. It asks its players once a week to behave like barbarians. The rest of the time, it expects those barbarians to act like the rest of us. Only, they're not like the rest of us. That's a reason we watch them.

That's not the league's only dance with hypocrisy. It decries fan violence, yet does nothing to eliminate the beer sales that fuel the rage. Beer = violence = bad publicity is not a stout enough equation for the NFL to mess with the lucrative relationship it enjoys with its beer sponsors.

Since Goodell can't serve up two-game suspensions to brawling, gun-toting fans, the league's best option would be to ban beer sales at its stadiums, and to prohibit alcohol in its stadium parking lots. Subsequently, the Mississippi River will reverse direction and bacon will become a healthy snack.

But we digress.

Goodell has an obligation to protect the image and reputation of his league, same as any business, because image is money. Unless you work for yourself, you are probably subject to a personal conduct policy. It might be spelled out in a manual, it might be agreed to in a contract. You are made aware of it.

Most companies aren't as arbitrary about it as the NFL is. Players need guidelines. They need to know the rules will be applied fairly, across the board, no matter who the offending player might be. Players need to know what to expect. On and off the field.

Just because James Harrison has a personality that could freeze a meat locker doesn't mean he should be judged more harshly than Cedric Benson, or any other player.

I wanted to ask Benson about this Wednesday, but I couldn't. He was in jail. Harrison, meanwhile, was at practice. Where he was supposed to be.

Paul Daugherty is a columnist for The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz1WdOgWH61

Crush · 08-31-2011, 01:05 PM

Goodell is ****ing moron and he has completely ruined NFL Films. That, in itself, should be enough to can his ass.

**gblowfish** · 08-31-2011, 01:08 PM

Who's the "NLF?"

**BigRichard** · 08-31-2011, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Who's the "NLF?"

Fixed

**Ming the Merciless** · 08-31-2011, 02:49 PM

Arbitrary fines are ****ing stupid. I really thoght HArrison got a raw deal before, and reading this article confirms it....

There has to be a better way of dealing with this shit, some clear policies...

4th and Long · 08-31-2011, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRichard

Goodell needs to go in my opinion...

If I want your opinion, I'll fine it out of you.

Just Passin' By · 08-31-2011, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

Arbitrary fines are ****ing stupid. I really thoght HArrison got a raw deal before, and reading this article confirms it....

There has to be a better way of dealing with this shit, some clear policies...

The players had the chance to do that, but they let Goodell keep the power. I despise the current system, but the players now have no one but themselves to blame. They know how bad Goodell is, yet they're allowing him to keep control of the issue.

Let Goodell bankrupt them, and use coin flips for penalty determination, for all I care.

**BigRichard** · 08-31-2011, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4th and Long

If I want your opinion, I'll fine it out of you.

No shit. I asked in another thread but no one answered. Who would be the one to get rid of Goodell? Who could say, you are fired?

**ChiefGator** · 08-31-2011, 04:44 PM

Benson is the house slave and Harrison the field slave. That's the way it has always been and always will be with the white debils. /Whitlock.

listopencil · 08-31-2011, 06:11 PM

Goodell gets his power from the owners, does he not? I thought they voted in or appointed him.

whoman69 · 08-31-2011, 06:58 PM

Goodell does need to focus on consistency in his penalties, but these two situations are apples and oranges. Looking at how he dealt with players in the past, Benson should have been suspended, probably two games. The fines for hits are way too much and were escalated way too quickly. The NFL should have let players know they were increasing the fines instead of springing it all on them. One of the fines was for a special teams player who made league minimum. The fact is, fining has not changed Harrison's play as he continues to headhunt.

GloryDayz · 08-31-2011, 08:18 PM

He should fine kickers for kick-offs that don't get returned.

Bump · 08-31-2011, 08:23 PM

Goodell is the worst thing to happen to the NFL, well....since ever. The absolute worst man for the job and is beginning to ruin a league that we all love so much with these penalties for what used to be great hits that made sportscenter that night. No more emotions allowed out of the player? The excitement they get and desire to celebrate after a big score goes back to the days they began to play this game, for the fun and challenge of it.

Goodell needs to go, I want Tags back.

4th and Long · 08-31-2011, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRichard

No shit. I asked in another thread but no one answered. Who would be the one to get rid of Goodell? Who could say, you are fired?

I'll do it!

GOODELL, ... YOU'RE F...

One more word out of you and I'll suspend that hair for 6 games!!!

Are we clear, Nancy?

Backwards Masking · 08-31-2011, 08:48 PM

Just sad. Goodell does what Goodell wants.

I bet every time he fines a player for a great hit he dances on top of his desk like TO used to do in the endzone. He's gone out of his way to betray the fans with his "policies" the way Favre betrayed Green Bay but unretiring and demanding to be named stater before going to Minny. Every time he gets away with it he maims the league and it's image like Pac Man and his possie do to real people. And behind closed doors he's probably mooning all of us real fans the way Randy Moss pretended to pull down his pants and shoot Lambeau the moon before wiping his butt on the goalpost years ago.

If there's anyone who's breaking the Football "code of conduct" and "personal conduct policy" it's Goodell himself, for not giving a crap about what the fans want.

08-31-2011, 01:03 PM
BigRichard Buddy Christ is a Chiefs fan Join Date: Nov 2008 Casino cash: $-1720454	NFL Dances Line of Hypocrisy with Personal Conduct Policy Goodell needs to go in my opinion... Boxing gloves or kid gloves? Over here, James Harrison, linebacker, Pro Bowler, fearsome pass rusher for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Harrison is also a candid, unrepentant, up-yours kind of guy. He referred to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as a "puppet'' and "the devil'' in a recent magazine story. Across the way, Cedric Benson, quiet, thoughtful running back, twice a 1,000-yard rusher for the Bengals, a bright light on a dim NFL team in Cincinnati. Benson has also been arrested four times in three years and is currently in the Travis County Jai in Austin, Texas, after pleading no contest to a 2010 assault charge. Which player gets the kid gloves from the NFL, and which endures the standing-eight? It's a rhetorical question to most who follow the league and the arbitrary discipline handed down by commissioner Roger Goodell. Yet it speaks to a problem that isn't going away. Last fall, Goodell fined Harrison more than $100,000 for on-field hits deemed unsafe. The commissioner docked him $75,000 for two hits in one game, against Cleveland wideouts Josh Cribbs and Mohammed Massaquoi. Neither hit drew a penalty. A few months earlier, Goodell had met with Benson to discuss the assault charge for which Benson is now doing time. Goodell decided not to fine or suspend the Bengals running back. There could be some inconsistency here. Harrison is a difficult case. Benson is grateful for his second chance in Cincinnati following three disastrous years in Chicago. After running for 150 yards in a December win over Cleveland last year, Benson stood in front of his locker and wept in gratitude for the second chance he'd been given in Cincinnati. Rocks would talk before James Harrison wept openly in front of the media. But are Harrison's misdeeds more heinous than Benson's? You could argue they're less so. Harrison's indiscretions occurred within the context of Sunday afternoon combat, in a league where violence is assumed. Benson's happened far away from the game. Since 2008, Benson has been arrested four times in his hometown of Austin, twice on alcohol-related charges and twice for assault. Why is Harrison punished by Goodell and Benson is not? Is Goodell's no-nonsense authoritarianism encouraging, arbitrary or merely a necessary component of doing business? It's easy to say that Goodell was more forceful with Harrison because Harrison's misdeeds occurred on the field. Let the criminal justice system deal with Benson. That doesn't explain other fines and suspensions, most notably those involving Adam Jones and the late Chris Henry. Goodell released the following statement after suspending Jones for the 2007 season for his involvement in a strip-club melee: "We must protect the integrity of the NFL. The highest standards of conduct must be met by everyone in the NFL because it is a privilege to represent the NFL, not a right. These players, and all members of our league, have to make the right choices and decisions in their conduct on a consistent basis." In a letter to Jones and Henry, Goodell wrote: "Your conduct has brought embarrassment and ridicule upon yourself, your club, and the NFL, and has damaged the reputation of players throughout the league.'' On the embarrassment and ridicule scale, where should Harrison fall? Benson? The NFL dances the hypocrisy tango on this issue. It asks its players once a week to behave like barbarians. The rest of the time, it expects those barbarians to act like the rest of us. Only, they're not like the rest of us. That's a reason we watch them. That's not the league's only dance with hypocrisy. It decries fan violence, yet does nothing to eliminate the beer sales that fuel the rage. Beer = violence = bad publicity is not a stout enough equation for the NFL to mess with the lucrative relationship it enjoys with its beer sponsors. Since Goodell can't serve up two-game suspensions to brawling, gun-toting fans, the league's best option would be to ban beer sales at its stadiums, and to prohibit alcohol in its stadium parking lots. Subsequently, the Mississippi River will reverse direction and bacon will become a healthy snack. But we digress. Goodell has an obligation to protect the image and reputation of his league, same as any business, because image is money. Unless you work for yourself, you are probably subject to a personal conduct policy. It might be spelled out in a manual, it might be agreed to in a contract. You are made aware of it. Most companies aren't as arbitrary about it as the NFL is. Players need guidelines. They need to know the rules will be applied fairly, across the board, no matter who the offending player might be. Players need to know what to expect. On and off the field. Just because James Harrison has a personality that could freeze a meat locker doesn't mean he should be judged more harshly than Cedric Benson, or any other player. I wanted to ask Benson about this Wednesday, but I couldn't. He was in jail. Harrison, meanwhile, was at practice. Where he was supposed to be. Paul Daugherty is a columnist for The Cincinnati Enquirer. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz1WdOgWH61 Last edited by BigRichard; 08-31-2011 at 01:11 PM..
Posts: 11,298

08-31-2011, 01:05 PM	#2
Crush Amateur Poster Join Date: Mar 2004 Casino cash: $2417091	Goodell is ****ing moron and he has completely ruined NFL Films. That, in itself, should be enough to can his ass.
Posts: 15,298

08-31-2011, 01:08 PM	#3
gblowfish Be Kind To Your Pets Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Glorious Independence, MO Casino cash: $16896178 VARSITY	Who's the "NLF?"
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08-31-2011, 02:49 PM	#5
Ming the Merciless Emporer of Mongo Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Milky Way Casino cash: $-502444	Arbitrary fines are **ing stupid. I really thoght HArrison got a raw deal before, and reading this article confirms it.... There has to be a better way of dealing with this shit, some clear policies... __________________ ---- 2018 Adopt-A-Chief : Chris Conley 2017 Adopt-A-Chief : FRANK ZOMBO Click here-->The Holy Chiefsplanet Lexicon ***
Posts: 46,211

08-31-2011, 04:44 PM	#9
ChiefGator Can these boys not play? Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Northcentral Florida Casino cash: $6472956	Benson is the house slave and Harrison the field slave. That's the way it has always been and always will be with the white debils. /Whitlock. __________________ - Mark
Posts: 4,700

08-31-2011, 06:11 PM	#10
listopencil Immanentize The Eschaton Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: In Partibus Infidelium Casino cash: $-864120	Goodell gets his power from the owners, does he not? I thought they voted in or appointed him. __________________ *While you live, shine. Have no grief at all. Life exists only for a short while and time demands its toll.*
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08-31-2011, 08:18 PM	#12
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $895380	He should fine kickers for kick-offs that don't get returned. __________________ . #Like 45, 47 Is Going To Be AWESOME! #I still don't have COVID #I'mImmuneToVirtueSignaling
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08-31-2011, 08:23 PM	#13
Bump YOU take YOUR seat Join Date: Nov 2007 Casino cash: $-1464895	Goodell is the worst thing to happen to the NFL, well....since ever. The absolute worst man for the job and is beginning to ruin a league that we all love so much with these penalties for what used to be great hits that made sportscenter that night. No more emotions allowed out of the player? The excitement they get and desire to celebrate after a big score goes back to the days they began to play this game, for the fun and challenge of it. Goodell needs to go, I want Tags back.
Posts: 38,082

08-31-2011, 08:48 PM	#15
Backwards Masking Bustle in your hedgerow? Join Date: May 2011 Location: NOT Missouri Casino cash: $10004900	Just sad. Goodell does what Goodell wants. I bet every time he fines a player for a great hit he dances on top of his desk like TO used to do in the endzone. He's gone out of his way to betray the fans with his "policies" the way Favre betrayed Green Bay but unretiring and demanding to be named stater before going to Minny. Every time he gets away with it he maims the league and it's image like Pac Man and his possie do to real people. And behind closed doors he's probably mooning all of us real fans the way Randy Moss pretended to pull down his pants and shoot Lambeau the moon before wiping his butt on the goalpost years ago. If there's anyone who's breaking the Football "code of conduct" and "personal conduct policy" it's Goodell himself, for not giving a crap about what the fans want.
Posts: 2,418