NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell not pleased with all the trash talk
Enjoy it while it last boys. The National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell has a lot on his mind, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t noticed the trash talk. Whether it is Terrell Suggs wearing a custom made T-Shirt, or Antonio Cromarite taking
uninhibited swings at Tom Brady, it might all come to an end in the off-season.
Goodell said, “There's always a little bit of talk, particularly between rivals. I think there's got to be a respect amongst the people who play and coach and, most importantly, for the game of football. I want to make sure that's respected throughout the
league.”
Most players probably agree with the sentiment, but the disagreement is how much trash talk is more than a little. The league has decided to step in and draw the line. Goodell said that in the off-season the NFL would draw up guidelines of what can and cannot
be said.
In the week before the divisional round of the playoffs, division rivalries were in focus. The New York Jets were scheduled to face the New England Patriots. To say that the two teams don’t like each other would be a kind assessment of their sentiments.
There is hatred and the players make very little effort to disguise it. Tom Brady himself said that he hates the New York Jets. New York’s coach Rex Ryan said that Brady tried to infuriate the Jets in the regular season. Brady allegedly made gestures towards
the sidelines every time he scored.
The Jets won their playoff game against the Patriots 28-21. Deion Branch said that after the win the Jets were taunting the home crowd and that some players even gave the crowd the one finger salute. Both Brady and the Jets deny doing anything of the sort.
In Pittsburgh, the Ravens and the Steelers were getting out of control too. Terrell Suggs came to a press conference wearing a T-Shirt with a picture of a Raven flipping a different kind of bird. On the top the shirt read ‘Hey Pittsburgh.’
The NFL didn’t take any action to stop the trash talk at the time, though it did issue memos to all eight teams in the divisional round, warning them about the possible ramifications of saying too much. The memo warned against crossing the line and threatened
that such comments could be used in deciding the penalty for illegal contact during games.
However, the trash talk wasn’t all harmless. New England’s Wes Welker made fun of Rex Ryan’s private life and his alleged foot fetish. Ryan has shied away from the subject and has made it very clear that he does not look kindly at having his private life
discussed. Welker’s transgression did not rest well with the Jets and in particular, with linebacker Bart Scott. Scott said, “Be very careful what you say about our coach. (Welker's) days in a uniform will be numbered. Put it like that.”
The NFL commissioner stressed the importance of establishing some ground rules for teams. He said, “I understand the approach of different teams. I think that's great and healthy that there are different approaches. But there also is a line you don't want
to cross. We need to make sure we define that and don't cross it. That's what I think we want to work on in the off-season.”
The league has been vigilant in enforcing its personal conduct policy, but decided not to take action against any of the players involved in the regular season. The 2010 playoffs have been breaking viewership records right, left and centre. The policy right
now is to let the games continue and deal with the issue in the off-season.
Goodell said, “We have policies in place in respect to certain types of conduct and threats. We want the game played within the rules. That's what we enforce through our officiating department and football operations people.”
Tags: