The NFL News Cycle That Won’t End

If anything, the past couple of days have once again proven that the NFL rules the US sports scene like no one else and nothing before. Even when it doesn't really mean to, it creates a tremendous buzz, overtaking the internet, television and sports talk radio. 

Okay, stating the obvious much? Maybe. But hard to get over it. This is the offseason, the Super Bowl was ages ago and the draft is over a month away. This is supposed to be a time when college basketball takes over and we're all eyeing April and baseball's return. Yet, somehow, like a starlet that always has to have the spotlight, the NFL blew all else of the face of the earth. Three huge stories involving some of the most intriguing personalties of the game exploded in two days. Amazingly, and probably unintentionally, it all happened right as the NCAA tournament entered its break between rounds. The NFL stories would have dominated the news anyway, but in a dry sports news week, they absolutely owned it. 

For NFL fans keeping up with it all has been fun but exhausting. Not that it's that out of the ordinary, but I think my TV has pretty much been set to sports channels only for like 50 hours straight.  As I'm lucky enough to work for a sports website, the line between work and play has been completely bleared this week (again, not that unusual) and the stream of news is almost hard to take in. Peyton going to Denver?!, Tebow to NY? Sean Payton suspended for a year?!  Tebow not going to NY after all? Tebow to Jets now official? I honestly don't remember anything like it… When in December the "Chris Paul to the Lakers – Albert Pujols to the Angles – Paul not going to the Lakers – CJ Wilson signing with the Angles – Chris Paul landing with the Clippers" thing went down, I figured we won't see anything like that again for a while. But the NFL, just by being the NFL, managed to eclipse it. 

I could write a separate piece on each of these three stories. I definitely have thoughts on all.  If I had to choose one to focus on ( I don't but I'm gonna), I would actually choose the Payton suspension. Just because it's bigger than one player's fate (no matter how great that player is or how many jerseys he sells) or how better this or that team will get by one move. 

The punishments Roger Goodell handed out have institutional implications. The message is meant for the entire league and it's loud and clear. No more non-contract cash incentives, no more playing with intent to injure and no more lying to the commish. Personally, I think the suspensions are too long.  I hate hearing NFL players are out there trying to get other players 'carted off', I do, but can we honestly say that players don't want to knock out star QBs when money incentives aren't involved? I also doubt Sean Payton will really be gone for the entire year. My feeling is that he'll eventually appeal and it'll get reduced. I think he could be back on the sidelines by week 10. 

By that time, though, the Saints might be in shambles. I fear that franchise in that market isn't strong enough to handle a crisis of this magnitude. I hope Goodell knows what he is doing. Either way, the NFL will keep on doing its thing and we'll all keep tuning in.