I read a story this evening about the NFL scrubbing its “Opening Night” interview transcripts of any references to Trump or Goodell.
Which is pretty funny on the face of things.
Why?
Because it reminds me of the old ostrich thing: if I stick my head in the ground, I won’t see anything so it doesn’t exist.
Except for the fact that everyone that follows the NFL knows that Roger Goodell and the Patriots is a big story.
A lot of football fans are also well aware of the connection between the Patriots and Donald Trump. As in, Brady, Belichick, and Kraft are all pretty closely associated with Donald Trump at this point.
What’s most amazing about this story is the fact that the NFL didn’t need to do any of this.
It is almost certain that no one of the 3 Patriots was going to say anything of significance, and didn’t, say anything of significance about their involvement and battle with the NFL and Roger Goodell over DeflateGate.
It is also pretty clear that we weren’t going to get any in depth answers about the connection between the Patriots and Donald Trump.
So why scrub the transcripts?
In the end, its probably the same reaction that caused the NFL to misfire on the concussions, Ray Rice, the original DeflateGate scandal, and the other unforced errors that have been piling up on them over the last few years.
The fact is that when you look at this kind of thing through the eyes of a fan, you can’t help but shake your head.
This stuff is ridiculous.
Treat your fans and the media with some respect.
This week, a lot of people are thinking and talking about things related to DeflateGate and Donald Trump, don’t pretend like they aren’t.
Instead of making the game look stronger, it just makes the game look weak.
And, after a decline in attendance, a decline in ratings, and a bunch of PR missteps…you don’t really need.