Accountability…does it apply to celebrity?

Case in point the NFL. There is a great deal of controversy surrounding the league right now. The boys club may have over stepped its’ imaginary line of invincibility.

I have never been a fan of the preppy commissioner, Roger Goodell. He looks as if he should be the leader of an Aryan society and not the diverse NFL.

Goodell and the team owners act more like the secret society of the Da Vinci Code rather than owners of the most popular sport in America.

Having worked with sports figures and celebrities for decades, the elite, self-impressed are often treated differently when accused of heinous actions. Would a “regular” father be arrested for child abuse, receive a spanky and then be allowed to resume normal programming?

Would a man administer a knockout punch to his fiancee, roughly drag her out of an elevator and then leave her face down and unconscious, showing no remorse or concern for her well being?

Initially, the accuser, Ray Rice, was lightly punished. When the severity of the incident was exposed, the NFL player was suspended indefinitely. He then turned around and filed through his union for reinstatment to his job…that’s nerve and also the mentality of a sports star or celebrity.

You can’t make this crap up.

Goodell is teflon. He probably will not pay for his lack of judgment. You need 24 of the 32 owners to dump Goodell…not happening.

The NFL doesn’t seem to understand the scope or seriousness of its ongoing scandals and the absurb handling of the Rice and Peterson abuses validate the cluelessness of the state of the NFL.

Recently, the NFL has been taken to task for the concussion issue, player suicides due to injury, Redskingate, owners who drink and drive.

The bigger problem, though, is that none of the unconscionable things we’ve seen in the last week are inconsistent with the NFL’s value. Since 2000, 730 NFL players have been arrested for domestic abuse, child abuse, DUI, assault, illegal gun possession and the list goes on yet stadiums are filled, fantasy football is bigger than ever, merchandising is incredibly lucrative, TV ratings are sky high and interest is off the charts.

Just yesterday, Jonathan Dwyer, running back for the Arizona Cardinals, was arrested for domestic abuse. Eli Manning, quarterback for the NY Giants, made an industry wide appeal to all players to band together to put an end the the violence so prevalent in the NFL.

I know that on some level I am a hypocrite because I love football and the NY Giants, but I will never support violence of any type.

Some believe that the violent nature of football might contribute to domestic violence in the NFL. Former Pro Bowl linebacker and current CBS Sports analyst, Bart Scott, mentioned on Sunday’s “The NFL Today” that playing football might have contributed to his anger problems.

During the off-season he sought out mental health specialists to learn how to handle rage issues. “What happens is we tell everybody how to turn it on, but nobody teaches us how to turn it off,” stated Scott.

Bad behavior is rampant in sports. This week, 2013 Heisman Trophy winner and Florida State quarterback, Jameis Winston was suspended for the first half of the #1 ranked Seminoles game against Clemson on Saturday.

Subsequent to this lastest issue, Winston was named, but never charged for the 2012 alleged sexual assault of a female student.

He will never learn because his mistakes are condoned. In May, he entered a Publix grocery store in Tallahassee and stole $32.17 worth of crab legs and crawfish . This week he jumped on a table in a campus restaurant and yelled an absolutely disgusting obscenity in a crowded room…”F her right in the pu__y.”

Really?! And now he is punished by being allowed to play the most important half of the football game. In the near future, he will be a much sought after first round draft choice and rewarded with millions of dollars.

The NFL, as well as society at large, must stop rewarding bad behavior.

Goodell, you really fumbled away a stellar opportunity to right many wrongs. Whistle him for 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct and toss him out of the game.