The two most recent blockbuster trades in a wild NFL offseason involved a star quarterback facing allegations of sexual misconduct from 22 different women and a star receiver who’s been convicted of domestic assault and investigated for child abuse.
And there’s been nary a peep from anyone who covers the league. What happened to the calls for the NFL to take violence against women seriously, and the supposed consequences if they didn't?
The notion that teams will happily overlook superstars’ off-field criminality in exchange for their incredible on-field production is nothing new. But in the cases of Deshaun Watson and Tyreek Hill, the laissez-faire attitude towards sexual assault and violent behavior is especially disturbing. The Browns and Dolphins didn’t just surrender extraordinary draft capital — 10 picks in total, including four first-round selections — to land the two troubled playmakers. They also signed them to gigantic extensions. Watson’s deal is worth $230 million over five years and fully guaranteed, and Hill inked a four-year contract worth $120 million with $72.2 million guaranteed.
They’re hinging the futures of their franchises around these guys.
The Browns were rightfully mocked when they released a corporate-speak statement about Watson touting their “comprehensive evaluation process” and his “commitment” to leading the team. Later, the Athletic reported Cleveland’s deep-dive into the allegations facing Watson consisted of speaking to three members of his defense team, and nobody representing the accusers.
But the tweets came and went. The New York Times predicts the NFL will face “yet another reckoning,” but it’s hard to see how. The league inked a new media rights deal last year worth over $100 billion, and an agreement this year with Amazon for $1 billion annually to stream “Thursday Night Football.” NFL games accounted for 75 of the 100 most-watched shows in the country last year.
Roger Goodell failed to enforce the league’s beefed up post-Ray Rice domestic violence policy from the get-go. In August 2014, former 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald was arrested in August 2014 for allegedly beating up his girlfriend. Three days earlier, the NFL announced first-time abusers would be suspended a minimum of six games without pay. But McDonald was never disciplined. That December, another woman accused McDonald of rape, and the Niners cut him.
Nowadays, the league allows Antonio Brown to play while accusations of sexual harassment and a lawsuit accusing him of rape continue to swirl. There’s no apparent movement to oust Daniel Snyder, despite the dozen women who describe a culture of rampant sexual harassment around his organization. A former cheerleader and market manager of the team accused Snyder in front of Congress of making unwanted sexual advances towards her at a dinner.
But the NFL has done nothing, outside of nominally removing Snyder from the “day-to-day operations” of the team. Goodell didn’t even allow league investigators to write a report. Their findings were presented orally supposedly out of respect to the women.
Gross.
Dealing with domestic violence is baked into the NFL’s culture. Just look at the details of Watson’s deal with the Browns. They’re only paying him a base salary of $1.035 million this season, and then it shoots up to $46 million in 2023.
The Browns may have found Watson to be “humble, sincere and candid,” but it’s apparent they suspect the NFL could suspend him for a large duration of the upcoming season. While a Texas grand jury declined to indict Watson on criminal charges, he’s still facing civil lawsuits from the 22 women, who have all accused him of sexual misconduct during massage sessions.
But then again, Hill was never suspended after authorities investigated him for child abuse in 2019, when his three-year-old son sustained a broken arm. Though Hill was never charged, there are audio recordings that feature his then-fiancee, Crystal Espinal, describing how he beats their toddler. Hill also threatens her. “You need to be terrified of me, too, b—,” he says at one point.
Yet, the league determined there was no violation of its personal conduct policy.
The NFL is a culture institution that generates billions of dollars of revenue annually for the biggest media companies in the country. Commentators will condemn, but they’ll keep watching. There will be not tangible consequences.
It’s all part of the gig.
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Admiring Al: Give it up for Al Michaels. The legendary 77-year-old broadcaster just secured a deal with Amazon that will pay him a reported $15 million annually (just like Joe Buck at ESPN). While many announcers routinely stay in the booth for too long, Michaels isn’t one of them. He’s still sharp, and with Cris Collinsworth morphing into nothing more than a league shill, his job hasn’t gotten any easier.
When Michaels is on the call, it feels like a big game. I suspect some Thursday night slogs on a streaming platform will eradicate that aura, but $15 million makes the sacrifice worthwhile.
Aikman drama: You’ve gotta love Troy Aikman for turning his free agency into a melodrama that matches what any active star quarterback is currently pulling. This week, he said he was “disappointed” with how things went down with Fox, and “perplexed” he didn’t receive a call from his boy until after his ESPN deal was announced.
Aikman’s become a bit saltier in recent years, and it’s an entertaining way to go — even though Fox ultimately made the right call. Buck and Aikman’s departures won’t impact their ratings at all. People will still watch the Cowboys at 4:25 p.m. on a Sunday with Kevin Burkhardt on the call.
Patriots pressure: The knives are out for Bill Belichick. With a 21-22 record since Halloween 2019, the Patriots’ head coach is no longer receiving the benefit of the doubt. Years ago, Belichick made the apparent calculation that the media can’t hurt you when you’re winning, and can’t help you when you’re losing. Right now, that theory is being tested.