NFL Must Embrace Transparency, Respect Fans and Release Bounty Evidence

As wrong as it was for the New Orleans Saints to put on bounties, the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell are also wrong if they don't reveal all of the evidence supposedly received regarding the situation.

That said, in an article by Judy Battista of the New York Times, the league may release some evidence:

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The league might make some evidence available publicly—with sources carefully masked—after the player appeals are complete. That would surely be an effort to prove to the public and other players that the investigation was thorough.

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This is certainly a good first step if it happens because it displays more truth from the NFL's side of the story than anything else.

Perhaps the most interesting part that no one may be talking about though, is a tidbit in the collective bargaining agreement. Getting back to the article by Battista:

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As part of the collective bargaining agreement, there are procedures in place for appeal hearings, exchange of information, discovery and representation, but there is no requirement to reveal confidential sources of information.

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The final line, "no requirement to reveal confidential sources of information" is giving the NFL and Commissioner Goodell all kinds of leverage and power regarding the bounties.

Talk about a sly fox; Goodell did himself and the league well by anticipating any future situations that would involve the use of multiple sources in gathering evidence toward a rules violation. At this point it's just a matter of whether the evidence becomes available for all to see.

Yes, revealing everything to the public would display trust between the fans, Goodell and the NFLPA, but we have to keep in mind that this is a player-specific case. It's not like the entire NFL and all of its players are dueling head on.

Therefore, if Goodell wants to keep the potential credibility of his evidence, then why not simply reveal it only to Jonathan Vilma and the suspended players and coaches? They are the ones who deserve to know more than anyone else.

It's one thing to withhold evidence and sources from the public as the fans' interest only comes from pro football being America's most popular sport. It's a completely different level of distrust on Goodell's and the league's part if that evidence and those sources remain unknown to Vilma and Co.

Now, if the league wants to become entirely transparent and open up everything to the fans and media, that's a risk, but it would decrease the amount of criticism in the future as well. Goodell and the league must also remember that the fans are the biggest reason the NFL is such a major spectacle.

If the bounty evidence remains largely unknown, then it wouldn't be surprising to see a dip in ticket sales, merchandise sales and TV ratings this season.

The entire situation is a pickle, but for Goodell to gain further respect from the fans, releasing the evidence has to happen sooner than later.

John Rozum on Twitter.