The NFL in the person of Commissioner Roger Goodell is chasing a bad decision. As early as May 8th I wrote in a blog that the Wells Report was nothing more than a guess on his part. There was no proof anywhere in the report that Mr. Brady was involved in deflating footballs below the NFL minimum of 12.5 PSI. I noted that I doubted Mr. Wells would like to appear in a courtroom defending his report that has tragic and significant flaws and that is exactly where he is right now. It seemed to me at the time that the disposition of this issue might determine the future of Mr. Goodell as NFL Commissioner. That might be the exact situation Mr. Goodell faces today.

I devoted a chapter in my book “Theory You” to the failure of managers to step up to a bad decision. In business too many managers try to hide or chase a bad decision. Eventually that bad decision comes back to hurt the manager and that appears to be the case with Mr. Goodell. The Judge handling the case asked the NFL directly “where is the proof that Mr. Brady was involved in deflating footballs below the accepted minimum?” The answer was “there is no smoking gun”. The NFL was also asked about the so called competitive advantage gained by Mr. Brady since Mr. Brady’s performance improved with footballs inflated at half-time by the NFL in the game in question. The NFL had no answer to that question. Thus, the two central tenets of the NFL’s case were debunked in the first meeting with a judge in a courtroom.

This is not the first time Mr. Goodell faces a situation where his decision will be overturned. He has had several major decisions overturned:
– the New Orleans Saints “Bountygate” decision was overturned by Mr. Goodell’s predecessor as NFL Commissioner
– Goodell’s decision in the Ray Rice case was overturned. It was his decision in this case that made me aware of his dramatic shortcomings as an executive and manager.
He now faces the same potential in the Brady case. The management concern I have in all these cases is Mr. Goodell’s disregard for the welfare of his players and coaches who are the contributors that make the NFL popular and profitable. Mr. Goodell appears willing to bring an over inflated sense of justice down on important cogs in the NFL brand. Mr. Brady is arguably the poster boy for the NFL. His personal image and excellence on the field provide an excellent image for the NFL. The New Orleans Saints were recently the “feel good” story of all sports with their dramatic win in the Super Bowl after the horrors of Hurricane Katrina. They helped restore the city after that disaster. And Ray Rice was a great representative for the NFL prior to his horrific actions towards his wife. All are now damaged by Goodell and his version of law & order.

The above situations could have been averted if Mr. Goodell simply faced the fact he made a bad decision and owned up to it. Mistakes happen to everyone. The key is to admit it and deal with it honestly…and quickly. Develop alternatives and evaluate them. Select the best alternative and move forward. Problems can be fixed; situations can be improved; issues can be resolved. In an earlier blog I referred to Mr. Goodell as a narcissist. I still believe that assessment and assume that is the reason he has allowed the Brady case to get to court after over 7 months of needless activity, and why he has failed to learn from his prior mistakes.

Demosthenes said: “The easiest thing of all is to deceive one’s self; for what a man wishes he generally believes is true”. That will end when Judge Berman makes his decision next week.