The NFL announced this week that it will uphold it's four-game suspension for New England Patriots Quarterback, Tom Brady, for his role in "Deflategate." Now, the NFL and the NFLPA will meet and a judge in New York will give a ruling on whether the suspension will be upheld.
Let's look at the backstory quickly. “Deflategate” is the controversy involving the New England Patriots' footballs during the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. The footballs' air pressure was below the standard PSI, and the NFL claims Tom Brady did this on purpose to gain an advantage in the game. This scandal has been going on for too long, and it is distracting the media from more important issues that are facing the NFL today.
Players' Conduct Off The Field.
The conduct of NFL players off the field should be making more headlines this offseason than “Delfategate." Former Baltimore Ravens' running back, Ray Rice, received a two-game suspension for hitting his fiancé in an elevator in Atlantic City. Dallas Cowboys' defensive end, Greg Hardy, will serve a ten-game suspension to start the 2015 season for hitting his girlfriend.
Former New Orleans Saints' defensive end, Junior Gallete, was recently released by the organization after a video of him hitting a woman appeared online. Minnesota Vikings' running back and former league MVP, Adrian Peterson, will return to play this season after he was suspended last year following an incident in which Peterson hit his son with a tree branch. These incidents are just the tip of the iceberg of player conduct that is happening in the NFL. This doesn’t include the numerous players have been arrested this offseason for DUI’s and possession of controlled substances.
The Remarkable Story Of Eric Berry.
Kansas City Chiefs' safety, Eric Berry, announced this week that he is now cancer free. The 26-year-old is one of the league's best defensive players, and the cornerstone of the league's best defense in Kansas City. Berry was diagnosed with lymphoma eight months ago, and it is truly remarkable that not only he is cancer free so quickly, but he is set to play this upcoming season. The NFL and the media should be covering this story more closely, and they need to use Berry as an inspiration to cancer patients around the world as a symbol of hope.
Teams Possibly Moving To Los Angeles.
There is a possibility of three teams moving to Los Angeles in the upcoming years. Currently, LA doesn't have a professional football team. The owners of the Rams, Chargers, and Raiders have all expressed interest and are seeking approval from LA Country mayors and officials to build new state-of-the-art stadiums in the LA area.
The NFL has been missing the country's second-largest market for some time now and has expressed interest about adding a team there for years. Shouldn’t there be more controversy? HBO host John Oliver explained best on his program “Last Week." Oliver explain that publicly-funded sports stadiums are the biggest scam across the nation right now. With the possibility of LA County putting up a good portion of the $3 billion dollars it might take to build the two new facilities, shouldn’t the media focus more attention on this issue instead of “Deflategate?”
The Washington Redskins' Name.
The United States Patent Office announced that it will no longer accept the name “Redskins” as a trademark. As a result, the football team can no longer trademark their logo or any of their merchandise. But why does the name still exist in the first place?
Redskins owner Dan Snyder says that he has no plan to change the team name, as it is part of the team’s tradition, and is not in fact a racist term used to describe Native Americans. The team's name is one of the most controversial name in all of sports, so why hasn’t the NFL stepped in?
Shouldn’t the league make it a point to remove the team's name if it is in fact a racist term, which it is? The NFL needs to solve this issue, as it could set a bad precedent for future teams. This off-season the NFL should have put more time, effort, and pressure on Snyder’s organization to change the name. Instead, the league has focused more on the air pressure of footballs.
Truly, the league has made more rules and regulation for the preparation of game balls than if a teams name is racist or not. Should this really be a issue? If there is any controversy like this at all, shouldn’t the NFL step in and force Snyder to change the name of his team?
Seriously Rodger Goodell, you need to explain yourself on this one.
