I’ve long been aware of the fact that professional athletes get to play by a different set of rules than the rest of us. Whether it’s their high powered attorneys, ridiculous sponsorship deals or simply their deep pockets, athletes can usually get away with shit that we wouldn’t dare dream of. This latest rant concerns Pac Man Jones (who else) and the gutless wonder that is Roger Goodell.

We’ve written a number of things about Goodell running the NFL with an iron fest, whether it’s barring alchohol from the locker rooms or simply making any form of contact a 15 yard penalty. He’s quick and willing to fine anybody that plays the game hard, but doesn’t have the guts to really take a stand with the bad eggs of the NFL. 

Of course, I’m talking about Pac-Man Jones, who, after being suspended for the entire 2007 season, was reinstated a few months back…only to get suspended again…and reinstated again. I’ve heard of the three strike rule, but Pac Man is pushing the Silver Sombrero for all the bullshit he’s been involved with at West Virginia and since getting drafted in the NFL.

Stop giving these idiots 3rd, 4th and 5th chances. Does anybody have any faith in Pac Man Jones to suddenly pull his head out of his ass? Would the average joe still be showing up to work after picking up three DUI’s like Jared Allen? Or how about if killing people with their car like Leonard Little did (albeit under the Tagliabue era)? Stop being a wrist slapper, Goodell. Start punishing the habitual line-steppers of the NFL.

With the NFL public relations department having a nightmare of an offseason, they finally have some positive news. For the third straight year, all 255 players drafted into the NFL showed up to the rookie symposium, which includes sessions on personal finance, life skills, substance abuse, and ways to avoid being a complete idiot.

“I don’t know that everybody was sitting up [ramrod] straight for every session, but I do know that guys paid pretty close attention,” said Oakland Raiders’ quarterback JaMarcus Russell. “I mean, this is business now, this is about your livelihood. It’s like the message was, ‘OK, [it's] time to be a man.’ Maybe sometimes, it was a little heavy-handed, but the message got through.”

Here’s the message: Don’t destroy the perception of an entire sport. Despite being at an all-time high in popularity, the NFL is also going through an all-time high of stupid actions on and off the field. It’s good to see them pushing this symposium as something that all players must go through. Whether it’s your average West Virginia rookie or seemingly squeaky-clean Brady Quinn, your ass better be there. I think that sends a good message to your fanbase.

Will every player that comes out of this session live a perfect life off the field? Of course not. These kids will now have more money than they’ve ever had and obviously, mistakes will be made along the way. Hell, Pacman Jones was in attendance during his rookie year, as was the Bengals’ Chris Henry. But it’s the message that counts. Roger Goodell means business and wants things to change. Hopefully, that message got across to the 255 players in attendance this week.

The new NFL commissioner has done everything in his power to bring the league under his control. He has enacted numerous rules which are designed to curb the stupidity of off field actions by players in his short tenure as commissioner. He made another step in that direction today when he announced a rule barring alcohol from all club functions for everyone.

The new rule prevents players, coaches, and other team personnel from drinking at organization sponored events. Even guests are not allowed to have alcohol. I personally think that this is taking things a little too far, I don’t see the need to ban everyone who travels with the team from drinking, but I can understand where Goodell is coming from. Goodell is the only commissioner of a major sport to take a major stand on the issue of alcohol use after the untimely death of Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock. No other league has taken an action like this, and it really is shocking to me to see how much Goodell has done since he stepped into the league office. He has taken complete control, and made it almost a totalitarian organization.

I have zero complaints about what Goodell is doing. He has cleaned up the league, and his no-nonsense attitude is, I think, making some players realize their problems. If Goodell wants to ban alcohol from all team functions, that is his decision. I wouldn’t necessarily do the same thing in his situation, but I’m not an NFL commissioner, and since there’s no one to veto him, he can do whatever the hell he wants.

If all goes according to his newest plan, Roger Goodell could retire and instantly be vaulted into my favorite commissioners of all time list. He is actually working his way quickly into my favorite people of all time list. This actually doesn’t even have anything to do with dumbass Pac Man Jones, or any other criminal minded NFL player, it has to do with the draft. It appears as if Goodell will make a proposal to shorten the time limit in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft.

This could be the best day of my life if this actually happens. Reportedly Goodell wants to lower the time from fifteen minutes to ten minutes for the first round, and from ten minutes to seven minutes for the second round. It isn’t that I don’t like the NFL Draft, I think it’s a great event, I just cannot stand watching it. Mel Kiper Jr. may be my least favorite analyst on ESPN, and that’s saying something, and the less time I have to see him, the better off my life will be. I just don’t understand how people can honestly sit there and watch all eleven plus hours of the first round. I just go about my daily activities and come back every hour or so to see all three picks that were made. Maybe by lowering each pick time by five minutes he will garner more interest in the draft.

Will I be able to sit down and watch the entire draft? No probably not. I love seeing who my team takes and seeing who other teams take, but that doesn’t mean I need to see over analysis for ten minutes on every player. I can use the internet for that. I’m the type of person who just likes to look at the results in the paper the next day, but perhaps by shortening the time, Goodell will actually convince me to watch.