Dear Roger Goodell,
I don’t actually think you’ll read this open letter. As a 28-year-old woman, I’m not your target demographic. More than that, I feel fairly apathetic about sports in general, with a special disgust for football specifically. I’ve never attended an NFL game, nor do I ever want to do so. I could win tickets to the Super Bowl, the one NFL game I watch occasionally, and I would still give the tickets to my brothers.
But you, Roger Goodell, as the NFL commissioner, are a symbol of everything wrong with the NFL. This letter is thus a symbolic gesture as well. You probably won’t read my letter to you, but other people will. If I can challenge just one person to think more critically about anything I write, then this open letter will have served its purpose.
Tell me, Roger Goodell. Do you know what month October is?
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You do know that, I’m sure, based on the pink gear some NFL players wear this month. I’ve heard about the “A Crucial Catch campaign.” My late grandmother was a breast cancer survivor. I can’t fault anyone who wants to raise awareness for cancer screenings and money for cancer research. I know that some NFL players have family members affected by breast cancer. I’m sure their participation in Breast Cancer Awareness Month is genuine.
According to the NFL website, y’all have raised about $8 million for the American Cancer Society since 2009. That’s awesome. Yay cancer research. $8 million is a lot of money that can do a lot of good.
Then again, you alone make about $30 million a year. (Or it is $44 million now?) Suddenly $8 million in 5-6 years just seems a lot less impressive. In fact, it almost seems like your pinkification of October football is just a women-friendly PR stunt.
But hey, I don’t work for the NFL’s marketing team, so what do I know?
You’re aware that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Awesome.
It’s also Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Did you know that, Roger Goodell?
Either you didn’t know that, or you just didn’t care about it. I mean, apparently you can only recognize domestic violence after TMZ publicly releases a video of a football player knocking his fiancée unconscious. But hey, at least you acknowledged, eventually, that you royally fucked up.
I didn’t get it right. Simply put, we have to do better. And we will… Domestic violence and sexual assault are wrong. They are illegal. They are never acceptable and they have no place in the NFL under any circumstances.
And hey hey hey! I hear you’re trying to atone for your sins! That is awesome.
The NFL has made a five-year, $25 million commitment to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. I mean, that five-year promised donation is still less than you, Roger Goodell, personally make in one year, but it’s a start.
The NFL has also instituted a no-tolerance policy for domestic violence. The first offense warrants a six-game suspension; the second offense, banishment.
Which would be awesome if the NFL were actually following your no-tolerance policy. Can you explain to me why Greg Hardy only had a four-game suspension?
Terry Bradshaw gives his heartfelt viewpoint on Greg Hardy's domestic abuse case.https://t.co/LfMelAXzmj
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 11, 2015
I think you can do better. I think the NFL can do better. Roger Goodell, I think it’s past time to stop acting like you care about women and start actually caring about women.
Next October, I challenge you to participate in Domestic Violence Awareness Month just as fully as you have in Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I challenge your players to participate in community initiatives to raise awareness for domestic violence and to provide support for survivors of domestic violence. I challenge the NFL to step up and use your influence for good.
Tell me, Roger Goodell.
What will you do?
Sincerely,
Brita Long
P.S. Full disclosure, the rates of domestic violence among NFL players is less than among American men in the same age group. That said, it’s still the number one cause of arrests among NFL players.
Thanks for this! I used to be a huge football fan, even running our office’s fantasy league. Starting last season though, I couldn’t bring myself to watch because I don’t want to support an organization that consistently prioritizes PR and image and profits over really, truly addressing problems such as domestic violence and player safety. It’s interesting especially because after becoming commissioner, Goodell made it clear that player conduct would be a key focus during his time as commissioner. This was supposed to be his legacy, and instead we now see the exact opposite happening.
Their popularity means the NFL could be SUCH a tool for good, but it’s so obvious that their goodwill efforts really are just for PR. It’s definitely disappointing.
Girl you better SPILL that truth tea! I only remember the issue about domestic violence in football players and the fact that pink ribbons and the color itself were appearing all over the NFL franchise for Breast Cancer Awareness. But I did not ever think to compare Roger’s salary with the money raised neither did I know about what he said concerning Domestic Violence Awareness. It’s clear that there is plenty of room for improvement on his part and in the NFL franchise as a whole. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I really hope he reads this!
Thanks, Mary! I obviously had a bias when I started writing this, but I knew I needed to start with the facts. Even with the most generous numbers–some have doubted that fundraising number–the comparison indicates how much this is just a PR campaign. I am cautiously optimistic about some of the more recent changes regarding domestic violence–but I’m also rather pessimistic in general about how the US responds to it. That includes the NFL. So we’ll see.