Overkill by commissioner Goodell
Roger Goodell has decided to suspend Donte Stallworth for the entire 2009 NFL season. This suspension was foreseeable because the commissioner had been tough against players who violate the new NFL conduct policy.
Donte Stallworth deserves some sort of punishment for getting drunk, choosing to drive drunk, hitting a pedestrian, and ultimately killing that pedestrian. I feel that the punishment for these criminal acts should be determined by the criminal justice system. It is unfair to Donte Stallworth to be suspended for such a long period of time because NFL players do not have long careers. If his actions are inexcusable, fire him and move on or suspend him for a short period of time. In public school, I never saw a suspension go beyond 5 days because that was enough time to let the person reflect on what he did. If the action was worthy of a harsher punishment, then the student was expelled. There were no 6 month suspensions or anything ridiculous like that.
As the commissioner of the #1 moneymaking sport in the world, reputation and image are crucial. At the same time, it is important to take a step back and look at the precedent being set by Roger Goodell. To tell the truth… Goodell has no basis for his punishments nor his actions towards NFL players because as the commissioner, he can clean up the NFL’s image without giving such hefty penalties. It is similar to how the death penalty does not deter heinous crimes.
It feels like Goodell is the white slave master who feels the need to kill a disobedient slave just to send a message to the others. The NFL players are the ones doing all the dirty work and making millions for the owners and paying the salary of the commissioner. The players are the ones who can be cut at any moment while commissioner Goodell would have to do something terrible to have his job taken away from him. To suspend a player for an entire year, without pay, seems way too harsh a punishment regardless of the law that was broken, especially when the incident is not in any way related to Stallworth’s employment.
By saying that the NFL has an image problem is just another way of saying that the NFL has a nigger problem because the league is predominantly black. Jim Crow was a vicious overseer known for using harsh treatment towards slaves to make them act however he wanted. Roger Goodell is the modern day Jim Crow because he shows no empathy for the players nor does he care about their plight.
I agree. I’ve believed for a while now that the NFL should have a conduct committee. This would eliminate the over reaching of one person’s rules and bias.
No empathy? Stallworth didn’t exactly show any empathy/remorse during his ESPN interview. “When we collided…” Give me a break. A man “colliding” into a car going 40 mph?
Stallworth, like so many other NFL players (regardless of race), is so far removed from the reality and struggles of the everyday citizen that he can’t even take responsibility for his moronic and careless actions. Dude’s lucky he isn’t spending 5 years in jail, as the average person without such celebrity status would for committing DUI manslaughter. Yeah, the “plight” of these pampered millionaires is so evident when the justice system consistently turns a blind eye to their discretions…
Your conjecture about Goodell’s racist intentions is the only feature of this article that justifies the use of the word overkill in the headline. It’s not as if he is being banished permanently. I think Donte got off pretty easy with a one year suspension.
Whether or not Stallworth’s crime is related to his employment is irrelevant. Using that line of logic, child molesters could attain teaching jobs, and habitual drunk drivers could drive city taxis, as long as their previous crimes weren’t committed on the job. Silly. It’s called a Personal Conduct Policy, and most agencies employ such a set of rules, be it formal or informal.
Having said that, I like Rashad’s idea of a conduct committee. As in any large organization, putting all of the power in the hands of an individual can facilitate corruption. A panel of members would be more appropriate.
I wanted to call your article pure, absolute, 100% garbage, but then the poster above me commented so well and so eloquently, that s/he reminded me of the need for quality discourse.
It feels to me as though you’re working backwards from a premise and then trying to find events to fit that premise. “Pro sports are slave institutions. Therefore I will find examples to fit that.”
Stallworth’s DUI ain’t one, my friend. He is getting off very easy.
Instead of saying Stallworth got off light or was punished too severely, I think that the author should have made the broader point of whether or not Gooddell dispenses punishment equitably. The suspensions for Vick, Pac Man, Stallworth, etc were considerably more severe than the one game/$500,000 fine that he gave to Patriots coach Bill Belichick. That guy cheated on game activities which goes directly to the integrity of the sport. And Gooddell let him off with the equivalent of a slap on the wrist (the team even paid part of that fine). That is why I believe that many people see the racial aspect in these suspensions. When it is the black players, “justice” is harsh and swift. When it is one of their own the punishment is way too lenient. Given that the players didn’t have strong union representation (like baseball), gooddell has unfortunately been able to control the league like a plantation.
This is not overkill by Goodell. He wasn’t the one who got behind the wheel of a car impaired by overconsumption of alcohol. Stallworth did. It was not Goodell who engaged in several incidents that showed horrible judgment that helped to lead innocent people to get hurt. A Pacman Jones did. Goodell has shown with his personal conduct policy that reckless behavior off the field will not be tolerated. He has already shown that the courts don’t have to convict you for the league to bring down strong punishment. The problem, as I see it, is too many players are oblivious to the rules and regulations of their own leagues. The players in the NFL have to realize that this commissioner means business. When Mike Vick was indefinitely suspended by the league in 2007 for allegations of dogfighting, he was one of the biggest stars in the league. I believe his jersey was a top 5 seller. His star status didn’t insulate him from strong punishment. When is the bell going to ring in the heads of some of these NFL players? This commissioner took office and his major influence has been in dealing with personal behavior of players off the field. Enough of trying to portray Goodell as this white slavemaster. It is not his job to ensure that a Pacman, Vick or Stallworth play football. It is his job to make sure the league remains profitable and its image remains as positive as possible. When problems arise with player conduct off the field, he has to come in and pass judgment. Players, get your act together off the field. Don’t end up like Vick, Stallworth, Plax, Pacman, etc.
To 8Ratton .. The guy who got killed was JAYWALKING … he was doing something .. he’s not supposed to do .. so of course Donte doesnt wanna say he RAN HIM OVER … the guy was at fault..
At the same time .. I still think Donte should be punished for a whole year.. because he was legally drunk.. he might not be at fault .. but maybe if he was sober .. he would have been more aware… and even if being drunk didnt make him hit the guy… it definitely doesnt help.. .
I think this is the right punishment.. you gotta show other players that this is what’s going to happen when you get drunk and drive.. I know almost everyone who drinks has done in their lives.. I know I have.. but I know it’s wrong…
I think Stalworth himself realizes that it’s fair…
Abdul. Good points on which I agree, but you didn’t address how he deals with management misconduct. That is a major reason people see him as a slave master at worst and a hypocrite at best. You can’t just be the “law and order” commissioner when it comes to the players, especially when fair or not your decisions could be seen through a racial lens. If you don’t believe me, look @ the relative light punish that Matt Jones got for his drug charges.
I may not like everything LaMont said or how he said it but, I do have a problem with get punished twice. This is like getting punished by your dad and then either while you are serving that punishment or right after it is over, you get punished again for the same incident by your mom. I believe that the courts and the judicial system laid down a course of punishment for Stalworth. I do not understand why the Commissioner has the right to also act as his judge and jury after he was received his punishment from the court. Drunk driving is wrong – period. It does not matter if you play football, or you are a janitor, or a CEO, or a skid row bum. It is against the law. If you get caught, there are consequences. These consequences get tougher each time you get caught. The courts tend to be more lenient on anyone with money – not just athletes and this is a crime within itself.
I would rather see the Commissioner require him to do community service working with MADD or working his days off in a morgue for a year instead of suspending him.
Now I have to comment on the what above poster said that by using that line of reasoning that child molesters would be able to teach and drunk drivers would be able to get jobs as drivers. This is ridiculous. These crimes are directly related to the jobs they are seeking. You can’t molest children and then get a job working with them. You can’t get a DUI and then get a job driving. You can’t rape women and then get a job at a women’s shelter. You can’t steal and then get a job as a banker – well – you shouldn’t. So how is drunk driving related to football. You can’t drive drunk and then get a job catching a football? Hello! You shouldn’t drive drunk period. You should have fair and equal treatment under the law period. Until we can fix that then no one should try to be anyone’s judge and or jury. Not even me.
Abdul and others. i agree with your comments. Goodell is not supposed to forgiving or lenient, but my main question is why does he just fire these players?
8rattoon implied that the punishment is too harsh since the actions took place away from the field. I was trying to say that the suspension is too long, especially since the action was not related to the employment. If the worker grossly violates the personal conduct policy, FIRE HIM!!!
Fire stallworth. If he cleans up his act and tries to reapply to play in the NFL, then that is fine. But the suspension for a year seems retarded. In any of our jobs, if we do something reprehensible we get fired, not suspended for 1 year-10years.
The guy killed somebody! What's the value of a human life? What if Stallworth killed one of your family members? You would want the guy suspended for life!
[...] Overkill by commissioner Goodell [...]
It’s a good blog…
I will make sure and bookmark this page and be back to follow you more….