Thanks in great part to the Ray Rice scandal the NFL has found itself under fire since the very start of the current season. There have been calls from anti-violence groups for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to step down as the organization scrambles to save face and put the brakes on the kind of scandal that could easily cost several suits their jobs. At the root of the situation is whether or not NFL higher-ups saw that now-infamous elevator video and chose to ignore it and give Rice a slap on the wrist so that he could continue playing.
If it is proven that the organization has been dishonest it wouldn't be the first time that they scrambled to get evidence and proof only to use it to cover themselves from backlash that could ultimately cost the league millions in revenue. Phil Reese is the former manager of Jenn Sterger, the New York Jets hostess that reportedly had a fling with the very married Brett Favre several years ago. Reese recently wrote an opinion column on the experience of sitting for hours at his kitchen table with NFL head honchos as they poured over pages of explicit photos supposedly sent by Favre and documented everything that Sterger had to bolster her side of the story.
Instead of using the plethora of information the NFL brass instead used it to save themselves and their beloved organization according to Reese,
"All of the 'investigating' that took place wasn't because they wanted to properly enforce the personal conduct policy, but to gather as much information as possible so that the league could avoid liability and minimize the impact of any negative p.r. that could tarnish the shield. The league's personal conduct policy has nothing to do with a player's actual conduct and everything to do with protecting the league's business interests."
Unfortunately, in the last several weeks it seems that the NFL still is protecting itself above and beyond anything else. Do you think that the current internal investigation will actually turn up anything of real value or is this just another way to bury things even deeper beneath the NFL's proverbial carpet?
