Spikes TV
At the very least, Roger Goodell will find something a tad more revealing than he did on any of the tapes he had to sift through regarding the ballyhoo of Spygate.
Whether or not the iron-fisted NFL commish should even concern himself with the whole intimate Brandon Spikes affair is up for debate.
We can argue about the deliberate stupidity of Spikes allowing the clip(s) to be made public. While the video might soon make his right-hand sore in the Patriots locker room from repeated high-fives, it puts the Patriots – not to mention Celtics coach Doc Rivers and his daughter, whom the rookie linebacker was reportedly dating (that’s NOT her in the video) – in an uncomfortable light. If he knew it was out there, and if he was contacted and extorted by the perpetrator who started this whole charade, he should have just, um, spiked it somehow.
Instead, “Brandon Spikes video” leapt to the top of Google Trends over the past 24 hours (but not on the “fixed” Boston trending topics on Twitter, where “Awake,” “Asleep,” and “Yesterday” have a topical stranglehold) and now Goodell is waving his “personal conduct policy” card in the faces of Spikes and the Patriots. In Spikes’ case, Goodell could probably hand out a suspension or fine based on the stipulation in the policy that reads, “Conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL players.”
Well, then shouldn’t the Patriots be fined for employing Randy Cross as an analyst in the preseason?
There’s plenty of gray area with Spikes though, especially considering there’s nothing criminal being performed during the clip, which is clearly consensual (you know…reportedly). Spikes just better hope Goodell doesn’t seek the advice of Tony Dungy in this particular matter. He’ll lose his shirt.
And if this video was indeed created pre-NFL Draft, then Goodell better start investigating every college football player in America, and we don’t just mean those collecting paychecks at USC. Start early there, Rog, and avoid this sort of thing in the future. If you’re going to suspend players for pre-draft indiscretions, the NFL will probably consist of 15 players who aren’t affected. It brings to question why Goodell doesn’t see scantily-clad women and brain-dead Neanderthals hawking alcoholic beverages during his league’s broadcasts as “undermining the integrity of the NFL.” Oh, right. The billions of dollars the NFL gets from such displays. Never mind then.
Spikes was dumb to let this happen. But if we’re going to start fining football players for being dumb, we might as well fine the leaves for changing. Just another day at the NFL league offices, located in the saddle of a very high horse.
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