Traina Thoughts: Roger Goodell Can't Even Win PR Battle Against Jerry Jones

Roger Goodell is so unlikable he's almost making Jerry Jones a sympathetic figure.

Author:
Jimmy Traina
Publish date:
Feb 27, 2018

1. I'm constantly in awe of how unlikable Roger Goodell is in just about every situation. It seems the unpopular commissioner can't have any long stretches without controversy. Sometimes the controversies are serious, such as the Ray Rice fiasco. Sometimes, they're ridiculous, such as Deflategate. Goodell's latest controversy is a mix of serious and ridiculous, but it's also unseemly because he's making us take Jerry Jones' side and there aren't many people in sports more slimy than Jones.

In case you missed it Monday, Goodell reportedly wants Jones to reimburse the NFL $2 million in legal fees that piled up 1) during Jones' battle with Goodell over the commissioner's new contract and 2) during the Cowboys battle with the league over the Ezekiel Elliott's suspension.

Whether the NFL is entitled to that money or not, how can anyone think this isn't anything but a tit-for-tat, revenge situation for Goodell? The NFL does not need that $2 million. FOX just decided to pay the NFL $660 million for the rights to the Thursday night package of games. That $2 million to the NFL is like $5 to you and me.

But Jones was vocal about possibly not wanting Goodell to remain commissioner and wanted to fight his contract extension. Jones lost. But clearly that isn't enough for Goodell. Why bother bringing all this bad PR upon yourself? You can't even win a fight against Jerry Jones (of all people) in the court of public opinion. You got your contract extension for about $40 million a year. The league is still printing money. Other than trying to figure out what a catch is, this is a quiet, controversy-free time for the league. Why ignited this feud once again?

Because he's Roger Goodell.

2. Here's an awesome moment from last night when the Raptors' DeMar DeRozan made one young fan very happy.

3. Will Isaiah Thomas blame this pass on LeBron James?

4. Noah Syndergaard came out guns blazing yesterday, literally and figuratively. He dominated on the mound.

And then he pulled this power move.

But in typical New York media fashion, this just couldn't be anything but a great day for Syndergaard and the Mets.

5. "Good Morning Football" host Nate Burleson dropped a rap track to sum up the 2017 NFL season and it was pretty impressive.

6. This was a pretty cool exchange between Antonio Brown and Larry Fitzgerald.

7. The WWE let Roman Reigns push the envelope with his promo against Brock Lesnar last night and it must have worked because I actually saw positive tweets about Reigns on Twitter afterward.

8. Three years ago today, the Internet went crazy trying to figure out the color of a dress and Blake Griffin sent out an all-time great tweet.

8. Kids, if you have a dream, don't give up. Don't ever give up.

RANDOM WRESTLING VIDEO OF THE DAY: The choice today is pretty obvious.

Traina Thoughts is the best of the Internet, plus musings by SI.com writer, Jimmy Traina. Get the link to a new Traina's Thoughts each day by following on Twitter and liking on Facebook. Catch up on previous editions of Traina Thoughts right here. And check out Jimmy Traina's weekly podcast, "Off The Board."

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