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Roger Goodell has been everywhere lately. A few weeks ago we found out he makes $29 million per year, more than any player in the NFL. Then just this week there was ESPN's massive feature that ran Tuesday--"His Game, His Rules." And today Sports Illustrated put him on the magazine's cover as the most powerful person in sports. So, how does one become the most powerful man in sports?
Goodell spoke to students at the University of North Carolina today, and CBS Sports' Will Brinson was in the crowd live-tweeting the address. Here's what we learned.
1. Concussions are a global problem.
#GoodellUNC "Concussions are a global issue, not just a football issue. Most concussions don't even occur in competitive sports."
— Will Brinson (@willbrinson) March 6, 2013
"You could suffer a concussion right now! Walk into that door over there, and boom, concussion. It's an issue for all of us, if you stop and think about it. More people who don't play football suffer concussions than any NFL players. And you say football has a concussion problem?"
2. Medical decisions override everything.
.@nflcommish: "The rule in our league is very simple: medical decisions override everything else." #GoodellUNC
— Will Brinson (@willbrinson) March 6, 2013
Goodell deserves every penny of the $29 million if he kept a straight face here.
3. The new kickoff rules have nearly cut concussions in half.
.@nflcommish on kickoff rule change "The result has been 40% reduction in number of concussions in each of the last 2 seasons." #GoodellUNC
— Will Brinson (@willbrinson) March 6, 2013
Because "40 percent reduction" sounds better than 1.4 percent reduction overall.
4. Defensive backs suffer more concussions than any position in football.
Goodell says that "Defensive backs suffer more concussions than anybody." Learned that today? #GoodellUNC
— Will Brinson (@willbrinson) March 6, 2013
Remember: always trust the NFL's reporting when it comes to concussions.
5. What's stopping an 18 game schedule?
#GoodellUNC asked about 18 games: "If we can't do it safely, we're not going to do it.
— Will Brinson (@willbrinson) March 6, 2013
That's why we're still discussing it three years after players said it was a safety risk.
6. Of course players trust team doctors.
#GoodellUNC asked about NFLPA report of 78% of players not trusting team doctors: "I don't believe that."
— Will Brinson (@willbrinson) March 6, 2013
August 2011: The Medical Board Says David Chao Is A Drunk. Former Patients Say He’s A Quack. Why Is He An NFL Team Doctor?
February 2013: San Diego Chargers Docter David Chao Cleared In NFLPA Protest.
7. Seriously, just everything here.
#GoodellUNC says "myth" of shorter life expectancy for NFL players caused "bad financial decisions" from former players
— Will Brinson (@willbrinson) March 6, 2013
Don't you see? If players would stop believing all the MEDIA LIES about their life expectancy and decide to save their money, they might start making better financial decisions, and then you could stop asking Roger Goodell why the NFL doesn't help its broke retired players as they slide into dementia. There are so many layers of dishonesty there, it's kind of incredible Goodell didn't just burst into flames.
But hey, he's still here!
thank you Dr. Guskiewicz for an excellent day at UNC. Keep up the good work. twitter.com/nflcommish/sta…
— Roger Goodell (@nflcommish) March 6, 2013
God Bless Roger Goodell, the most powerful man in sports.
And take notes, college students: If you dream big, work hard, and never actually tell the truth about anything, then you, too, can be on the cover of Sports Illustrated one day.