NFL Prefers Ray Rice Scandal…Greg Hardy is Worse…Darren Sharper Worst
Awhile ago I openly questioned whether there was anything that could that could hurt the NFL’s image. In that article I opined that the Ray Rice tape would never come out because of the emotion that it would evoke. The tape did come out, so it’s logical to wonder why? The only explanation is that the NFL wanted it to.
The NFL is supposedly in damage control mode after the AP reported that a law enforcement official confirmed the NFL received a copy of the video. The NFL has hired ex-FBI director, Robert S. Mueller III, for an independent investigation into the NFL’s culpability. Some may see that as an attempt to get the truth, but that could also be seen as a stall tactic.
Independent investigations take months to complete, and typically it’s just a payoff because the investigator doesn’t forget who is paying their bill. By the time ‘conclusions’ are drawn it is doubtful there is much fanfare because the story will be long gone from the media cycle, and out of sight out of mind.
Some think Goodell is under fire because the National Organization of Women (NOW) President Terry O’Neill has called for his ouster, due to his stance over time on domestic violence cases. But if you look closer at what is going on around the NFL, maybe having Goodell go through a controversy is better than Greg Hardy or Darren Sharper.
Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers was found guilty of assaulting a female and communicating threats, but he is still playing, and doesn’t seem that he will be suspended anytime soon. If this Roger Goodell story didn’t break, then people would be talking more about him, and that is not good. Not only was violence involved and a conviction already handed down in the Greg Hardy case, but more importantly there were guns present. It wouldn’t be as big a deal for other franchises, but considering that former Carolina Panther, Rae Carruth, is in jail for conspiring to kill his girlfriend, one would think the Carolina Panther franchise would show more caution. The Panthers have escaped the media’s wrath for now, but don’t be surprised if Greg Hardy gets thrown to the wolves because the NFL is just running from the Darren Sharper story.
Former NFL Player and NFL Network analyst, Darren Sharper,is scheduled for an evidentiary hearing on September 16., and it will surely be embarrassing for the NFL. In this trial, the accusation is that Sharper drugged and raped 2 women he met at a West Hollywood night club. Sharper is facing similar charges in Arizona, and he has been under investigation in Louisiana, Nevada, and Florida. The number of charges makes Sharper a serial sexual predator, and considering that Sharper worked at the NFL Network after he retired from the NFL, the perception is that the league empowered a sexual predatory to prey on innocent women. Not saying that is necessarily the case, but it would be the perception, and perception is reality. Darren Sharper is a bigger concern than Ray Rice, Roger Goodell, or Greg Hardy, which is why ultimately the NFL will sacrifice whomever they have to so the Darren Sharper story never gets out.
