"What I'm trying to say, Bob, is that I don't know when to shut up."
Roger Goodell announced to owners that he will take a pay cut if NFL players don’t take to the gridiron for the 2011 season.
That’s just swell, but how much exactly will he earn in the event of a lockout?
NFL Network’s Jason LaCanfora reported, and Mike Florio has confirmed that Roger Goodell’s 2011 salary will be……one dollar.
That’s right. A buck. If the NFL players union and the league’s owners and officials can’t come to an agreement on labor issues, Goodell will see almost nothing in his paycheck. Plus, ya know, taxes taken out and all. Damn you, Uncle Sam!
But wait, Florio has a theory on Goodell’s move and it’s actually a believable interpretation of what seems like a PR move by the league commissioner.
“…of course, the bonus paid to Goodell after the CBA is finalized easily could be inflated to compensate him for his lost compensation. Thus, we suspect that the union’s response to the news will be that it’s a hollow P.R. ploy aimed at creating the impression that Goodell and Pash have a stronger-than-usual incentive to get a deal done, and that any delays can be blamed on the union.”
It’s very plausible that Goodell’s move is to save face in front of millions of football fans. After all, things aren’t looking bright. NFL Players Association President Kevin Mawae said on Mike and Mike this morning that the two sides really haven’t met since November, and although things should pick up once the Super Bowl comes and goes, he hardly seemed optimistic that a deal would be reached anytime soon.
I’m sure a few of the 54.9 million viewers of the AFC Championship game would be upset with a work stoppage. I imagine the NFC Championship’s 52 million viewers would have something to say about it, too.
Do you see what I’m getting at?! Is this lockout really going to happen? The more days pass, the more I believe it will. Goodell’s statement actually makes it seem more real, because if the guy actually believed the 2011 season was going to happen, like he stated it was in this bullshit letter to NFL fans, he wouldn’t feel the need to say or pledge things like this.
If you say that you know you ‘can and will reach an agreement’, then don’t discuss the circumstances surrounding a potential failure to go back on your word. If you promised us an agreement and you don’t deliver, then how the hell are we going to believe you’re taking home a dollar in a work stoppage.
Get over yourself, commish. You’re just pissing off your ridiculously loyal fan base even more.
