It'd be easy to point fingers at various parties for Brian Flores' lawsuit against the NFL for racial discrimination, or the most recent string of allegations made against Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder and additional members of the organization. But, really, the bulk of the blame falls on the shoulders of one person, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, for the slimy, sleazy, culture of sworn secrecy that he's created in the league.
Flores' explicit, detailed allegations against the league and several teams sent shockwaves through the sports world on Tuesday. A week which is typically dominated by Super Bowl preview talk was overtaken by speculation about the truthfulness of Flores' claims, and racism in the NFL. The league was then flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct again, just three days later, when former Washington Commanders employees made new accusations against Snyder regarding sexual harassment and workplace misconduct.
It's too early to come to any definitive conclusions, but where there's smoke, there's fire. Right now, a scorching inferno is coming from NFL headquarters in Manhattan. No, this isn't the first time that Goodell & Co. have had to try to direct attention toward the shiny gold jewelry and away from the cauldron of dysfunction. From CTE revelations that exposed the impact of football on the human brain, to countless domestic violence incidents involving current and former players, the league has been plagued by a bevy of lawsuits, scandals, and negligence allegations.
Now, something must be done. Gone are the days when the NFL could run its business like a startup, operated by a bunch of young, booze-cruisers looking for a good time. Most disturbing is the level of enablement and entitlement of those in higher-up positions.
There's no justifying the alleged behavior that took place, nor is there hiding the NFL's findings of what went on. Fixing games and creating an unfair hiring process is illegal, and so is harassing your employees to the point where they feel scared to come to work.
The billionaire owner's sense of invincibility is largely the fault of Goodell, who favors protection and contentment over persecution. Time and again, Goodell has failed at handling NFL issues and proven incapable at crisis management. Rather than coming out and releasing a statement to the public, he's wheeled and dealed behind closed doors, leaving a great deal of suspicion about the intervention being taken. In the most recent circumstance, Goodell called the NFL's lack of diversity "unacceptable" in a memo to teams, but failed to offer possible solutions.
In understanding Goodell's capability to brush any and all issues under the rug, while putting on a salesman's smile through the turmoil, it's important to understand his upbringing and background. Unlike a lot of the MBA-educated suits working high on the corporate ladder, he took an unconventional detour when traveling down the yellow brick road from Point A to Point B. He began his career as a PR assistant under then-commissioner Paul Rozelle, before working in a number of operations roles and ultimately assuming the top post in 2006.
Goodell's ability to brand the NFL while being a publicist first -- always trying to say the right things and putting a twist on each situation -- explains why everyone so quickly forgets about each slipup by the league. Remember the leaked emails that got Jon Gruden fired back in October? They were part of a bigger investigation into the Commanders that ultimately resulted in a $10 million dollar fine. The findings were never released, and in less than a month, most people forgot about the situation.
Expecting organizations like this league to govern themselves with internal human resource departments and gentleman's handshakes agreements is equivalent to depending on a school nurse to fix broken bones. Teams write their employees paychecks, creating a significant conflict of interest which leads to a "turn your head the other way and watch your back" type of mindset. Therefore, the league is in dire need of better governance.
Perhaps it's finally time for the league to employ outside agencies to run all of its investigations, implement prevention policies, and hold particular parties accountable. They could also come up with a set of concrete protocols to penalize various infractions. Regardless of what they decide, it's time for formal intervention.
To this point, Goodell has failed to lay down and enforce the law, and should have his captain's badge taken away. The NFL's inability to foster a transparent environment -- where those who break the law are held responsible -- comes back to him. Because he's helped grow the league into a global powerhouse, Goodell has gotten away with failing to uphold moral expectations and doling out consequences to those around him.
Right now, the league office smells worse than a 1960s locker room reeking of cheap cigarettes, and it's become impossible to ignore. Making a reported $64 million per year (more than any player), part of Goodell's responsibility is changing the mafia-like image, or kneeling down in retirement to allow a new face to come in as NFL commissioner. Truthfully, it'd be best for those around Goodell to force him out of town, and punt on his tenure entirely.
Jack Stern is a columnist and an associate producer for CBS Sports Radio. You can follow him on Twitter @J_Stern97.