Player Poll: 61% disapprove of Roger Goodell

[ThomasTomasz]

A majority of NFL players aren't happy with the job Roger Goodell is doing as commissioner, according to a poll conducted by USA Today Sports.

The newspaper polled 300 active players from Dec. 19 to Jan. 12, and 61 percent said they disapprove of Goodell's performance.

The players polled were both on active rosters and practice squads, and the poll has a margin of error of plus- or minus-5 percent. Players were granted anonymity if they requested that their names not be made public.
Most of the players who said they disapproved of Goodell's job performance cited the increase in fines for hits on defenseless players and the commissioner's role in the league's investigation and discipline of the Saints for the team's bounty program.

Some of the 39 percent who approved of Goodell's performance cited his role in making the NFL the United States' most popular sport and the realization that being NFL commissioner is a thankless job.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who has been an outspoken critic of Goodell, told USA Today Sports, "I think it's obvious that I disapprove." Harrison has been fined more than $100,000 in his career for hits the NFL has deemed against the rules.

"I feel like what he's doing is not totally for the safety of players. ... A lot of stuff they've done, [such as] fining guys crazy amounts of money for helmet-to-helmet hits and all that and saying you're doing this for the safety of players. But yet you want to add extra games to the regular season.

"In the true interest of player safety, I would have no issue with it. But that's not what it's about. It's about money," he told the newspaper. "Who hired Roger Goodell?"

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, responding to the poll, told USA Today Sports that Goodell "has tremendous respect for NFL players and always seeks their views" and "values their input tremendously in working to make the game better."

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8889528/nfl-player-poll-61-percent-disapprove-roger-goodell

:yao:

 

[Garrett67]

39% afraid of getting fined

 

[Aso]

If a sub group of people don't like you then that means you are doing something right.

 

[Senser81]

If a sub group of people don't like you then that means you are doing something right.

was that posted by ram29jackson?

 

[CCBrink]

Goodell is doing an AMA(ask me anything) on reddit today at 2 est.

I expect a bunch of "safe" answers.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/17fylz/iam_roger_goodell_nfl_commissioner_ama/

 

[ram29jackson]

 

[MrBill]

I think Goodell has been good overall for the NFL but did reach a little with the Saints debacle. If at least half of the players don't like you, he probably wouldn't be doing his job right.

 

[ram29jackson]

Goodell is doing an AMA(ask me anything) on reddit today at 2 est.

I expect a bunch of "safe" answers.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/17fylz/iam_roger_goodell_nfl_commissioner_ama/

looked like it lasted a lousy half hour ?

 

[Cornelius]

Goodell is doing an AMA(ask me anything) on reddit today at 2 est.

I expect a bunch of "safe" answers.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/17fylz/iam_roger_goodell_nfl_commissioner_ama/

http://deadspin.com/5979629/chris-kluwe-rickrolled-roger-goodell-in-the-commissioners-reddit-qa

Chris Kluwe Rickrolled Roger Goodell In The Commissioner’s Reddit Q&A
Barry Petchesky
Roger Goodell briefly exposed himself to the internet masses on Reddit today, answering roughly nothing of interest and talking around anything remotely controversial. ("The blackout rule has served us well for several decades." "[Uniform regulations] were put in place in the 60s and have served us well.")

But Chris Kluwe, a Reddit regular himself, made it his mission to get the commish to answer one of his questions. And he couldn't help but sneak in one of the internet's most enduring memes. To everyone's surprise, Goodell answered it. To no one's surprise, Goodell missed the Rick Astley reference.

 

[leaffan]

Just read through some of this. Had to laugh at the second top question asking if EA is going to renew the NFL license and people posting some serious hate for madden :rofl:

 

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

I don't know there rep with players but Tags and Rozelle were pretty revered and had very good reputations.
Goodell is just a walking ball of hypocrisy and undermines his own work with double talk and lies.

 

[SuperKevin]

In other words 61% of players can go use their college degrees to find other employment

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

To me, the only area Goodell has seriously fucked up, is his mishandling of the head trauma issues. Football is a violent game, it will never not be violent, it will never be safe. The neutering of defensive players and the clusterfuck of new confusing rules regarding hitting have changed the game to the point that it is not only hurting the enjoyment of the product for many people, but also scaring parents from allowing young athletes to play. Goodell is hurting the future of the league (and the sport) by giving too much credence to the issue.

This should have been nipped in the bud years ago. Football is violent and may fuck up your brain. Play at your own risk. The NFL should have taken their chances in court with the ex-players who were suing them, and blew off the issue like the NHL did.

 

[Cornelius]

To me, the only area Goodell has seriously fucked up, is his mishandling of the head trauma issues. Football is a violent game, it will never not be violent, it will never be safe. The neutering of defensive players and the clusterfuck of new confusing rules regarding hitting have changed the game to the point that it is not only hurting the enjoyment of the product for many people, but also scaring parents from allowing young athletes to play. Goodell is hurting the future of the league (and the sport) by giving too much credence to the issue.

This should have been nipped in the bud years ago. Football is violent and may fuck up your brain. Play at your own risk. The NFL should have taken their chances in court with the ex-players who were suing them, and blew off the issue like the NHL did.

Exactly. Guys still race in NASCAR even though the possibility of fiery death is high. Why isn't that as much of an outrage as football dementia?

 

[ralaw]

Exactly. Guys still race in NASCAR even though the possibility of fiery death is high. Why isn't that as much of an outrage as football dementia?

Goodell by his rule changes put football on the defense of having to defend itself and prove what it is doing to prevent CTE. While noble it was dumb for the reasons that W2B has mentioned , because it actually has given the impression that they knew something was wrong with their practices. Outside of botched diagnosis or surgeries I have serious issues with retired players suing the NFL for head trauma or any other issue, because they knew what they were getting into.