Roger Goodell and the NFL Lockout: Legacy of Peace?

What’s in a legacy? 

What does it mean to be remembered for something great? 

Ask any Michael Jordan fan, and they can easily talk about his six championship rings, multiple MVP awards, 63 points in the garden, or "The Shot."  Michael’s legacy is well documented and remembered.

What about a bad legacy? 

The mentioning of names like Buckner, Van de Veld, or Byner, no matter how good of a career they carved out, will never be held in esteem by the common fan.

Then, there is Roger Goodell, a guy who never played the game and is spokesman and ‘yes man’ for the 32 current NFL owners. What Roger did not learn from his predecessor, Paul Tagliabue, was the importance of labor peace. A type of peace you cannot buy in modern professional sports.

Mr. Goodell stood at the podium last night, calmly stating the intent of his 32 bosses, a unanimous vote by the owners on a CBA, a sham in reality.  It was also a deal the NFLPA, as of last night, had not seen. 

With all of Goodell’s limited power, he delivered his message loud and clear, “Let’s get back to football.” 

Getting back to football?  The same statement the players used two weeks ago, now re-coined as his phrase in an effort to win popular fan approval? 

Roger is wearing a blindfold as he is driving the NFL Labor Peace Bus off a cliff, all while sticking it to the players that are the reason he has a job in the first place.  Is that the type of legacy he wants?  More importantly, is it the type of legacy he deserves? 

Goodell’s relationship with the players in the league is beyond sour, more like the old milk in the jug that exploded due to its age.  He is hated, as was reported anonymously during the lockout.  But, have his judgments in the last 24 hours confirmed everything James Harrison had to say about him? 

Is it time for Goodell to step down and the league move in a different direction with a different figurehead? 

What is for sure is that Goodell helped orchestrate one of the most ridiculous backdoor deals since–fill in any mafia movie–while smearing the players for not taking it in minute one and coercing them vote ‘yes’ so as to not come off as the bad guy.

 As Roy McIvoy said in TinCup, “Either you define the moment or the moment defines you.”  This is Roger Goodell’s defining moment, and the definition is…