Despite their seniority, Roger Goodell and Jerry Jones are two of the most polarizing figures in the NFL, and for a multitude of reasons. For Goodell, it’s his mishandling of player conduct issues and officiating controversies that fans take issue with. For Jones, it’s his public comments, leadership style, and personnel decisions. All of this has led to them being viewed as the “black eyes” of the league by a majority of fans.
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Well, the bad news for Goodell and Jones is that the criticisms aren’t going to stop anytime soon. Former NFLPA director DeMaurice Smith is about to release a book titled Turf Wars, and he reportedly takes shots at both of them. He even had some things to say about former executive VP and general counsel Jeffrey Pash.
Smith didn’t hold back in his book. He alludes to Goodell as a “cold, dark void.” While also describing Pash as “definitely the most unscrupulous.” They’re scathing reviews of the prominent NFL figures.
But perhaps the funniest thing Smith writes is when he describes what Jones is like behind closed doors.
“If Jerry Jones saw a dollar bill on the ground, I truly believe he’d stop and pick it up,” Smith quipped.
It was a funny example that explained just how greedy Jones supposedly is. Despite being the owner of the richest team in sports, he doesn’t run the Cowboys like it. They were dead last in terms of 53-man payroll last season. In 2020, they ranked 27th.
That’s why one fan was happy to see someone speaking out against the trio of Jones, Goodell, and Pash.
“ONE OF US! ONE OF US! ONE OF US!” they chanted.
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However, the rest called Smith a hypocrite because, in their eyes, he failed as an NFLPA director.
“One of the most ineffective union leaders imaginable,” one wrote.
“Has this guy accomplished one single positive thing for the players, like ever? It seems like every negotiation is just the owners getting every single thing they want…..” another commented.
“And let me guess… he has nothing to say about the union quietly agreeing to ignore the league’s collusion against the players to prevent/forestall the (inevitable) advent of guaranteed player contracts… money lover, nothing more,” a user penned.
So, while some people were happy to read the criticisms of Jones and Goodell, others weren’t too jazzed about the source they were coming from. It has indeed felt like the owners have had a lot go their way in recent years compared to the players. They literally colluded against the players in the league over guaranteed contracts, and Smith was okay with it.
But maybe that’s why Smith is trying to get the book out there. Perhaps there were some rulings he was pressured into agreeing with that favored the owners more. After all, it doesn’t sound like he’s on their side if he’s willing to air out his grievances to the public. We should hear him out before labeling him a money lover. The book is set to be released on August 5th.
