Miami Dolphins Prove Rodger Goodell Has No Clue How To Keep Order In The NFL

With the punishment being handed out to the Miami Dolphins, Rodger Goodell must assume he’s keeping order and integrity of the league in tact. Yes, he’s not the one who actually punishes teams, but under his rule there isn’t much consistency. Everything must be on a case by case order to keep it fair, but today’s NFL seems like it’s just throwing darts at any number of days for suspension purposes.

First the punishment of the Miami Dolphins. They lose two draft picks, pennies in a bucket, and the owner can’t go to NFL games until Oct.17th. The draft picks will be the biggest hit. A first round pick, while still having the ability to be a bust, can set a team back for more than just the season.

They don’t lose both their first round picks but they’ll need to be more creative in the draft. Getting an instant playmaker can tip the scale with a team that’s been rebuilding for seasons. Losing a high pick can be a setback. Now the entire organization is being punished, for something the owner did.

Then there’s the money of it all, $1.5 million. That’s where it should’ve been hammered home. Fine Stephen Ross where it matters most. Losing draft picks hurts the team, but if they don’t a winning season negates the money lost. However, the Miami Dolphins have grown to approximately $400+ million dollars in revenue each year (according to statista.) They’re hit, 1/400th of their revenue.

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That’s 0.0025% and they walk away. Save the draft picks and force Ross to pay that each of the next 5-10 seasons so he doesn’t laugh it off and keep going as a billionaire. According to Forbes, Ross’ net-worth is $8.2 billion dollars. The NFL basically just asked him to flip them a quarter for damaging the integrity of the league.

On top of that, why did Tom Brady receive no kind of punishment. Did he not take the meetings? Even if you ignore his part in it, does his agent not receive some sort of fine or punishment as well? Surely someone who is as involved in contracts and the such as an NFL agent would know when tampering and legal tampering take place. Where is the league’s ruling there? Also, why aren’t Bucs fans more pissed at Brady as well. Here’s a guy who was willing to sell them down the river for a team just 279 miles away, and nobody is mad about it?

But back to Rodger Goodell’s inconsistent NFL. You’re telling me that Calvin Ridley is suspended “at least” a full season for betting on the NFL he wasn’t currently a part of?

“But he was under contract”. Okay, you win this one but ever since the Black-Sox scandal and Pete Rose sports have tried taking a hard stance on gambling. Unless of course it brings in revenue to the league, then its okay. Unlike the Sox and Rose, Ridley was suspended for a full season, for betting on games he had no influence over. Still, the NFL took a very hard stance.

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And of course, let’s not forget about Deshaun Watson and his whole year and a half long saga. Talk about ruining the integrity of the league. Watson was slapped with a 6-game suspension for using his status to engage in “sexual misconduct”. That seems like a fair punishment at face value depending on who you ask. But if you go back to Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliot and his suspension, he received the same 6 game suspension for his actions towards women spanning 3 separate occasions. Not 30 … three. The Houston Texans, again no punishment for their role.

Watson got the same suspension 6 years later for having 10 times the offenses, but at least he didn’t gamble on football. Hell, Ricky Williams was suspended more for smoking pot than Deshaun Watson faced for sexual misconduct. If there’s anyone ruining the integrity of the league, it’s the current commissioner Rodger Goodell for his laughable punishments with minimal change.