Football Crdibility Issues

The lesson this week is think before you act.  The theme is actions without forethought can have dire consequences, not just for oneself, but for the public at large that respects your organization.

The most obvious example of this is Ray Rice.  That he was cowardly and childishly unable to control himself cannot be denied.  After watching the video, it is tough to argue with any penalty Rice received from the NFL; such a visceral act, caught on tape, deserves swift retribution.

But the “think before you act” trope of this week most applies to the two football organizations that we watch every Saturday and Sunday.  Through inadequate thought before past actions, both the NCAA and the NFL took a huge credibility hit this week.

You know the NFL story by now, as it is displayed on every news source nationwide.  What is perhaps most baffling to me is that Roger Goodell and the powers-that-be gave Rice such a lenient suspension despite the large chance that he hit his fiancee!  Rewind six months or so, and the image of Janay Palmer sprawled across the elevator threshold comes to mind.  I am by no means a criminal pathologist, but did anyone at the time doubt Rice struck her in some way?  I suppose she might have been pushed (rather than struck) and fallen down, losing consciousness in the process.  It’s possible, but not entirely plausible.  She wasn’t groggy in that video six months ago, she was out cold.  Any football fan can tell you that it takes a large impact to elicit that kind of reaction.

And yet, he was suspended two games.  In truth, seeing the elevator footage wasn’t really necessary to determine what happened.  While it’s in dispute whether the NFL had the video at the time or not, the two game suspension was a pitifully poor decision, even if Rice had shoved, and not punched, his fiancée.  The elevator video, which has exacerbated this process, really should not have been as disruptive as it has become…if the NFL had made the right call at the beginning, today’s outrage is muted compared to what we’ve seen this week.  The decision to suspend him for two games looks doubly worse if we take current reports at their merit.  If the NFL had this video, I find it unbelievable that the league would watch it and not draw the conclusion that it would be a red rag to the bull of domestic violence awareness.  Unbelievable, and yet unfortunately plausible given the lack of thought that went into Rice’s original suspension.

But the NCAA also hasn’t escaped this news cycle unscathed.  The announcement this week to fully reinstate Penn State, effective immediately, fell like a single raindrop in the Ray Rice saga.  Avid readers of mine (the seven of you that are out there), may remember my indignation at the NCAA’s penalties two falls ago.  At the time, I viewed the penalties as unnecessary due to the lack of football-related transgressions, and still do.

But there is something to be said about the organization’s efficacy after this episode.  Are we going to be subject to overreactions by the NCAA for every poor instance of organizational control off the football field?  What about football-related issues, like clear recruiting violations?  Does it say anything that the NCAA doubts its penalties so much that it reversed itself after such a short time?

If you’re a Penn State fan, you should be happy, and I am happy you are happy.  But college football is led by a feckless group that even when overreacting doesn’t feel it has the ability or buy-in from its members to stick to its guns. 

Some have argued this is because the penalties the NCAA levied were meaningless and did not affect the guilty.  In addition, this is an extreme case, so questioning the NCAA’s credibility over handling a very tough case may not be appropriate.  But I believe it is.  For just as Roger Goodell did not think to do enough, Mark Emmert did not think of what might be enough.  He did not apply the brakes on the sanctions process for Penn State, and listened more to the righteous calls for punishment.  It is an unwelcome consequence of college athletics that even for matters unrelated to the field, the public yearns for punishing the programs, mainly because they see the manifestation of these illicit practices on the field.  That’s the nature of sports media now, and while I can sympathize that Mark Emmert was in a tough spot, he should have resisted the call for fire from on high.  A shorter postseason ban and fewer scholarship restrictions would have served his purposes very well.  Instead, we are now left with the image of an incompetent and ineffective NCAA.

Had these guys thought before they acted, the PR would look better, I’m sure of it.  That they didn’t raises questions as to the credibility of the organizations that give us the addicting balm of football in the fall and winter months.  Let’s hope they think more before their next big decisions.

Redskins Week 2

I will admit to being worried this weekend about the Redskins.  Watching the Jags hold themselves well against Philly last weekend raises concerns.  Many are doomsayers about our game last week, and I understand why.  The O-line was unable to contain the pressure, and RGIII ended up on the ground for 25 of our 66 plays.  I don’t expect that this week, since the Jags don’t bring the same pressure.

What is more concerning is the lack of touches for Alfred Morris.  After the fumble exchange, Morris received only two carries.  Bear in mind we were still down 14-6, but I think that’s a deficit you can still run on, particularly when taking the ball with 6:13 left in the third.  The passing game looked sluggish, and RGIII threw lots of shorter balls, but I remain comfortable with his overall accuracy.  In the end, you can’t fumble the ball twice inside the 10-yard line and expect to win.  Nor can you allow a blocked punt.  Eliminate those mistakes, and we are right in the game last week.