I’m guessing the powers that be in the offices of the National Football League are glad last week is over. Between Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, the NFL took its fair share of criticism the last seven days. And just to be clear, it was 100 percent deserved. The handling of the Rice incident has been awful from the start. I don’t need a video to show me the extent of what went on in that elevator. Immediately following his admission, NFL Commission Roger Godell should have punished him to the greatest extent allowed by his position. Not to downplay either incident, but I have a feeling this is just the start of negative publicity for the nation’s most popular sport. A new change in the substance abuse policy, along with the tighter rules for defenders, will bring on more negatives for a league at its height of popularity. It’s pretty obvious the rule changes in the league have been made to protect its star players. This was never more evident than a hit on Thursday night, when Courtney Upshaw de-cleated Ben Roethlisberger. Upshaw’s helmet hit Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl winning quarterback in the chest as he drove through him to finish his tackle. The Ravens were assessed a 15-yard penalty and the drive was allowed to continue. Now, we all know why they are putting quarterbacks in a protective bubble. For a league overrun with world-class talent, it’s the quarterbacks that garner the most attention, and deservingly so. Regardless, the protection the league has put on these guys is hurting defensive production. Quarterbacks might as well throw on that red shirt they wear at practice and strap flags to their sides. And QBs aren’t the only ones getting protected. Being a wide receiver in the NFL has gotten easier over the years, but never as easy as this season. The words all NFL fans hate, “points of emphasis,” were pinned on the play of the secondary in the NFL this season. Cornerbacks and safeties have had their position virtually turn into a non-contact position. All the while, wide receivers get bigger, stronger, and faster than the previous year. Playing defense in the NFL is no longer the glamorous job that it once was when a player just had to worry about how tough he was. Now a player’s toughness could turn into a hindrance on one snap of the football. Why would the NFL try and protect the two positions that put the majority of the points on the board? The popularity of the game skyrocketed as fantasy football blossomed. Big numbers help spark people’s interest. I prefer the big hits of the Howie Long and Reggie White days myself, but to each is their own. The NFL also appears to be on the brink of changing their substance abuse policy as soon as today. Details are still a bit sketchy, but first time offenders’ sentences will be reduced dramatically for usage of amphetamines or marijuana. Stars like Wes Welker and Josh Gordon will see their suspensions reduced, and we could even see Welker on the field next weekend for the Broncos. But why would the NFL lower the suspensions for banned drugs? Apparently, the NFL has decided to take a direction that put baseball into a decade-worth of lowered attendance and ratings. The league is putting more stock into performance enhancing drugs, and will now test for HGH. Human Growth Hormone is talked about as a designer steroid that increases testosterone production for recovery. The NFL could be opening up Pandora’s Box with this one, and I for one think this might be what knocks the league down a peg or two. In the game of football, guys have been getting bigger and bigger for years. One glimpse on the sideline during the National Anthem shows you the sure size of these men. While I’m not the picture of physical perfection, it would be very tough to get to that size on protein shakes and egg whites. The key is what kind of suspensions will come from a positive test. Major League Baseball’s penalties for steroid use have brought on some of the longest suspensions in sports. The NFL can’t miss with this part of the agreement. If penalties are too lenient, the criticism of fans and media will be overbearing. If the penalties are too strict, a few high-profile superstars missing significant time could dwindle a bit of interest in the league. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds, but the decision could alter the future of the NFL for years to come. Ask major league baseball how that worked out!
