Over the last several months of the steroids-in-baseball talk, many wondered when Washington D.C. would start to sniff around the NFL. Well, it appears that a few of our Government's finest have began to ask some poignant questions to the league's commissioner Roger Goodell.
Oh, no. Not about steroids. Don't be absurd. About the tapes that he allegedly destroyed after the whole debacle following the New York Jets/New England Patriots opening week game. That's right, your United States Senators are now interested in Spygate, folks.
Goodell reportedly fielded a
handful of questions regarding the situation as well as his destroying of the actual footage that was turned in by the Patriots organization. But if you think that his justification was accepted, think again.
[Sen Arlen] Specter, R-Pa., said Goodell's explanation, "didn't make any sense at all."
But this is one that kills me:
Congress is interested because, according to Specter, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the issue could put the league's antitrust exemption at risk.
"I do believe that it is a matter of importance," Specter said. "It's not going to displace the stimulus package or the Iraq war, but I think the integrity of football is very important, and I think the National Football League has a special duty to the American people — and further the Congress — because they have an antitrust exemption."
Goodell himself feels that his monetary fine as well as the stripping of a draft pick has "sent a message" to the rest of the league. While we can debate this to no end, the fact that United States Senators feel that a professional football franchise allegedly taping the defensive signals of another team even deserves to be in the same light as the Iraq war or Economic stimulus package speaks volumes.
Congress can claim that they are aiming to curb steroid use in baseball due to the after-effects on those that take it. Unless camera lenses are proven to cause cancer, or someone gets decapitated by a tripod, I personally could not care less. Yes, I can side with those that hate New England. I get that. But if it would have been (for example) the St. Louis Rams that had been filming signs, would anyone care? Let alone members of our Congress? Antitrust all you want. This is simply ridiculous.
Goodell Defends Destroying Pats Tapes [Associated Press]
This may be all you hear from me until Monday. So after you check out my marketing ideas and thoughts on Capitol Hill below, I suggest you scope out some of the better works around the sports blogosphere. After all, this is why we get paid the big bucks. From other places.
