The NFL, Owners, Commissioner, Coaches and Players, Don't Need Rush Limbaugh's 'Brand' of Hate

I believe in the freedom of speech but I also believe in civility. I also firmly believe in consistency. The NFL has a long a proud tradition of attempting to ‘do the right thing.’

The NFL under the leadership of Commissioner Roger Goodell has taken a strong and consistent stance on player conduct and speech deemed ‘detrimental to the league.’ A player or coach, for that matter, can say or do whatever they like (the NFL has not revoked ‘free will’) but they should be prepared to be swiftly reprimanded, fined and/or suspended.

I have been a frequent and vocal critic of the NFL concussion policy and their current stance on concussions as they relate to the potential onset of mental illness and dementia. But I truly believe that the NFL will ultimately accept their responsibility, make the game safer by better enforcement of safe practices/policies and do the right thing by the injured players.

I also believe that the current owners and commissioner of the NFL do not need nor want to be directly associated with the constant and unlikely to cease vitriol and otherwise divisive and incendiary rhetoric of Rush Limbaugh.

The unit of measure should be consistent.

Would Roger Goodell tolerate such publicly disseminated rhetoric by a NFL coach or player? I believe that the answer is clearly, no. Then why would it or should it be tolerated by a current or prospective owner?

Or is their a different set of standards of personal conduct when it pertains to owners vs. employees?

The NFL, including the commissioner, is better than that.

The NFL spends untold millions promoting its 'brand'. We may soon better understand what type of 'brand' the NFL truly desires to be.