Zolak & Bertrand: Post-DeflateGate, Roger Goodell's Job Is More Safe And Powerful Than Ever
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's well-known that Marc Bertrand and Scott Zolak are not fans of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. But Bertrand is waking up to what he believes is a sobering reality for those who believe Goodell's job may have been in jeopardy.
"I think Roger Goodell right now, on July 20, 2016, as we say this, is more powerful in his role as NFL commissioner than he has ever been," said Bertrand. "And to get to that point, he used DeflateGate in the process ... His problems in the league have been greatly overstated. That's what I believe."
Bertrand thinks fans and media, especially in New England, got ahead of themselves when it came to Goodell's job being in jeopardy over the way he handled Tom Brady's punishment for DeflateGate, among other bumbled off-field controversies like the Ray Rice domestic violence case.
"He went with this DeflateGate scandal, which ... helped him from a PR standpoint with other fans outside of New England, non-Patriots fans, but more importantly, was helping himself with other owners, and continuing to add to his power," said Bertrand.
Goodell has helped bring the league to unprecedented levels of success - and has also faced harsh criticism for his job when it comes to handling off-field issues. But in a recent MMQB column, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who himself faced Goodell's wrath over retroactive salary cap violations in 2012, called Goodell's performance "triple A-plus great." Even Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in March that Goodell has done a "very good job" overall, despite believing that he mishandled the Patriots' "personal situations" with DeflateGate.
Scott Zolak added that Robert Kraft still supports Goodell, specifically because the commissioner isn't going away anytime soon.
"Robert's taken Goodell under his wing for so many years, and now [Goodell] has to turn around and punish your franchise," said Zolak. "You kick right back to that owner's meeting in San Francisco: 'I hope Patriots fans understand I'm doing this for the long-term benefit of this organization.'
"And that's what Robert knows. Because eventually, Tom Brady's going to be gone from this league; Roger Goodell's going to still be there. Let that one marinate."
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