Back Peddling as Fast as They Can

OK, sorry I'm late this week, had some household repairs to tend to all weekend. I'm also going to apologize for bringing up Michael Vick. Frankly we've all heard enough of Vick this week, so instead of dwelling on him, I'm going to use my weekly soapbox to talk about the reaction of the fans and more importantly, the head honchos of the NFL. I'm surprised Roger Goodell isn't out of breath every time he's interviewed lately with all the back peddling he's had to do. Granted to root of all this isn't Goodells fault, but he shouldn't act so shocked that something as heinous as a dog fighting ring would be associated with an NFL player. There's a reason it's often referred to as the National Felon League, which is the focus of my rant this week.

First off, just do a web search with the title "NFL criminal" and see how many web sites you find. From All Criminal Teams(http://www.thephatphree.com/features.asp?StoryID=850&SectionID=2&LayoutT), to web sites tracking players and their crimes(http://profootballtalk.com/), one thing is perfectly clear, the NFL not only drafts and breeds criminals, it pays them quite handsomely. For years it has been willing to turn a blind eye to the transgressions of players off the field, so long as they showed up on Sunday and played. Deals have even been worked out with local courts to allow players to serve their sentences after the regular season should their jail time interfere with playing time.

Under Paul Taggliabue players were literally getting away with murder(check out Leonard Littles criminal record if you don't believe me) and still getting to play and collect their paychecks. Teams forgave any number of criminal acts, from cocaine trafficking(see Jamal Lewis), to frequent abuse of that very product(Michael Irvin), you can be forgiven just about anything so long as you can keep playing. Now the second highest paid player in NFL history and one of it's biggest marketing weapons is charged with conspiracy counts relating to dog fighting and suddenly everyone seems shocked.

Get this straight, a person with the money and fame of a Michael Vick doesn't get involved(allegedly) with something as despicable as dog fighting unless he A) Doesn't think he'll get caught, or B)Thinks/Knows he won't be severely punished if he is. You don't develop either mentality unless something within the league itself is culturing it, whether directly or indirectly through indifference. And the NFL has for years done both by allowing players to get away with crimes while continuing to draft and sign players with checkered pasts. It has often been joked that should the NFL stop drafting players with criminal records the entire first round could get washed out.

After all this, it's infuriating to see Roger Goodell now stand in the spotlight and say "Enough is enough". Sure the roots of the problem weren't planted during his watch, but he is the representative of the owners and as such represents their own faults. By suddenly turning around and handing out a harsh suspension to Pac-Man Jones(although he still gets to attend training camp) and helping to lobby Vick to take a leave of absence until the charges are cleared up smacks of hypocrisy and spin. Would Tank Johnson have been released by the Bears had Goodell not suspended Jones? Doubtful when you look at the players who currently play in the NFL. Johnson was a lamb tossed up by Bears ownership to try and give the impression they are in line with the Commissioners new hard-line stance when they have been a part of the problem all along.