The NFL insists on acting extrajudicially and punishing players for off field incidents. Their current method has commissioner Roger Goodell play the role of judge, jury and executioner. Goodell's punishments often seem arbitrary and ill-fitting of the crime. This current system is failing and it needs reformed. Even the NFL admits this. There are two straight forward things they can do to fix the system and quickly. The first thing to do create a clear detailed player misconduct code. Second up is creating an independent committee to review incidents and administer punishments.
Since Hammurabi had some subjects chisel his code into stone, the rule of law has worked to stabilize society. If done correctly a criminal code provides citizens with a clear and defined set of rules and subsequent punishments for breaking them. The Ray Rice scandal exposed the current state the NFL personal misconduct policy for failing to do exactly that.
Despite having detailed and strictly enforced policy related to marijuana, the NFL didn't have a policy for the much more egregious offense of domestic violence. The league's policy for domestic violence relied on Commissioner Goodell reviewing each case and deciding individual punishment. This is ridiculous. It opens up the system for inconsistency and accusations of bias. A detailed set of rules would protect the NFL and the players. It would provide fans with a sense of understanding and lessons the pull of punishment by populist sentiment.
The NFL should work with the NFL Players Association to develop a clear set of rules that players must abide by. Once this list is finished the two groups will need to decide on an appropriate range of punishment for breaking each rule. A range is important to allow the severity of the offense to be considered. An outside group should be brought in the review and approve the conduct code. Bring in a non-advocate to review the proposed code would help to eliminate situations where the crime doesn't match the punishment.
Once you have the law written you need someone to enforce it, which brings us to the second easy fix. In his current role, Goodell has mixed priorities that cloud his judgment. He is focused on making the NFL heaping piles of cash, which is fine. That is what he was hired to do. However, it creates a conflict of interest when he is asked to pass judgment on players. Instead an independent board should be created that answers no one else. This boards RAA should be to sentence players for breaking a clearly defined personal conduct policy and hearing and reviewing appeals. This board must remain independent from the commissioner's office to avoid coercive influence. The commissioners only role with this board should be nominating new members. Those members should have to be approved by the NFL Players Association.
As the NFL continues with their self-examination after the recent spate of scandals there are two ideas that should be implemented. The first is a clear conduct code with detailed punishment ranges and the second is an independent administer of those punishments. Each would work to protect the players and the NFL from future scandals and work to regain trust with the media and fans.
No comments:
Post a Comment