Antonio Brown's investigation puts the NFL back on the spot

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "When the news spread on & & # 39; nbsp;latest development involving Antonio Brown, a man who seems to have been the subject of more headlines this month than the last year of Watergate, the explosiveness of this news has caused the fall of the mouth in the entire league. "data-reactid =" 16 "> When the news spread this week on the latest development involving Antonio Brown, a man who apparently has commanded more headlines this month than the last year of Watergate, the explosiveness of the news caused the fall of the jaw throughout the league.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "This sentiment applied to those who worked at 850 Park Ave. At New York. For members of the league office, the news of the sexual assault charge against Brown in a civil lawsuit filed in federal court was to be familiar, as Commissioner Roger Goodell and his lieutenants again found deciding what to do with a star player stuck in a battle. A legal situation that only brings negative attention to their precious shield. "data-reactid =" 17 "> This sentiment applied to those working at 850 Park Ave in New York.For those at the league office, Brown's news accused of sexual assault in an action The federal court case must have been familiar, as Commissioner Roger Goodell and his lieutenants found themselves discovering what to do with a star player stuck in a legal situation that was not a problem. would bring that negative attention to his close relatives.

Nothing disturbs the NFL more than such situations. This became evident in 2017, when the league unnecessarily treated the small number of players kneeling at the national anthem as an existential crisis. For the league, it did not matter that the players, mostly African-Americans, do so to protest police brutality and racial injustice. The main reason the NFL did not like this was that its actions were unpopular with a segment of supporters, which could hurt the league's money. The league considered kneeling as something that needed to be mastered, and the NFL made every effort to do so, including spending $ 100 million on the Coalition of Players.

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Still, it is strangely appropriate that after all this, Goodell still can not prevent his shield from preventing players from getting off the pitch, all because of these legal situations involving star players. Prior to Brown, there were already two examples this year at Tyreek Hill, the chief receiver of Kansas City, who was at the center of an investigation into child abuse in March, and the Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, who had an altercation with a security guard in May in Las Vegas.

Because of his past as an aggressive disciple, Goodell was supposed to be punished in some way, partly because of his past (both had previous incidents). (Including Elliott serving a six-game suspension in 2017) and because the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players union essentially allows Goodell to discipline the players for simply making the league bad. Goodell did not hesitate to be flexible, especially after being destroyed in court of public opinion for ruining the situation of Ray Rice in 2014.

Yet when no criminal charges were filed against Hill or Elliott, Goodell shocked many this summer by not punishing any player, but issuing severe warnings. The league's reactions among the fans range from surprise to anger, the latter applying particularly to Hill, as many people clinging to his phrase "you should also be terrified by me" to his fiancée at the time – the same woman involved in her life. Incident of 2014 in which he pleaded guilty – in a secret registration that was made public.

These people were already waiting for a form of punishment, but the truth is that the league would have been criticized if it had managed its way too. If the NFL had punished Hill, the Chiefs' fans would have screamed about the decision, due to a lack of compromising evidence – just as Patriots fans did when Goodell punished their favorite team for deflated footballs.

So the Hill case was a hopeless situation for the league and Brown's current legal situation could be as well. Brown firmly proclaimed his innocence while his accuser, Britney Taylor, issued a strong statement proclaiming his insistence on his guilt. Because of this – and the high probability that most people will not read all available documents in the next few days – there is a good chance that many have already decided, which means little whatever Goodell decides in the future. there will be a segment of the public dissatisfied with him.

The story continues