Roger Goodell Needs to Stop with the Eye Test
By Jason Lisk
Roger Goodell wants to meet with Tom Brady. Take the measure of the man. Look deeply into his eyes and divine just what he knew or didn’t know about deflated footballs. That, at least, is the reported reason that Goodell has insisted that he be the one to handle Tom Brady’s appeal of his four-game suspension.
Let’s set aside whatever position you may have on the underlying suspension and Ted Wells’ investigation. As Mike Florio notes, Goodell stating that he will consider new evidence means he probably doesn’t understand the purposes of an appeal and the standards to be applied in this case. The NFL just paid Ted Wells millions to spend months to investigate and interview and prepare a report, and that can be undone by whether Goodell believes or does not believe Brady?
Look, I know Goodell has the power to hear the appeal because of the collective bargaining agreement. I just think that this, “I want to talk to Brady” thing illustrates the problem with Goodell as judge, jury, and executioner.
And let’s not pretend that Goodell’s eye test is something that has been consistent. In fact, you could argue that part of Goodell’s issue with inconsistent disciplinary decisions is because of this making evaluations by looking a player in the eye. The Ray Rice thing seems like forever ago, now in the age of constant NFL off-the-field storylines. It was less than a year ago (early June of 2014) that Goodell called Rice, his wife Janay, and various Baltimore officials to his office to ask the “tough questions.”
We saw how that meeting went.
I don’t know how a meeting with Brady will go. Maybe the suspension will end up being reduced because Goodell likes the cut of Tom’s jib. I’m just not sure why this is necessary. Review the information, decide if the information is sufficient to support the decision. Move on.