NFL Sends Loud Message With Pacman Suspension

The NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, sent a powerful message yesterday that he intends to clean up the league's image by suspending Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones for the entire 2007 season as punishment for a long record of off-field offenses.

But Gene Upshaw, the head of the NFL players union, sent an even more powerful message when he released a statement in support of the commissioner's right to make such suspensions. Goodell also unveiled a new personal conduct policy for all NFL players, and Upshaw endorsed the policy.

"The NFL Players Association and the Player Advisory Council have been discussing this issue for several months," Upshaw said. "We believe that these are steps that the commissioner needs to take and we support the policy. It is important that players in violation of the policy will have the opportunity and the support to change their conduct and earn their way back."

By supporting the commissioner's ability to act in the best interests of the league even if that hurts individual union members, the NFL players union stands in stark contrast not only to unions in other sports but to labor unions in many industries. Jones and Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry (who was suspended for eight games yesterday) could appeal their suspensions, but if they do, they may need to lodge their appeal without the full support of their union. Jones has the opportunity to apply for reinstatement after the 10th game of the 2007 season, and he likely will have the union's support at that time.

Players' off-field behavior has become the most-discussed issue of the NFL off-season, and Jones and Henry, who were teammates at West Virginia, have become the poster children for the problem. Police have questioned Jones about 10 separate incidents in the last two years. Most recently, Las Vegas police recommended he be charged with felony coercion in connection with a shooting outside a strip club that left a man paralyzed. Henry has been arrested four times during his two-year NFL career. Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson, who is currently serving time in Cook County Jail for a probation violation, will meet with Goodell after his release, and Goodell is likely to suspend Johnson as well.

NFL players themselves have grown increasingly outspoken about the need for players to clean up their acts. Upshaw chose a sixmember player advisory council to work with the commissioner's office on disciplinary matters, and that council told Goodell he should implement harsher penalties for players who get into offfield trouble. The player advisory council's recommendations could signal a generational disconnect among the league's players, as the council consists entirely of players in their 30s, while Jones and Henry are both 23.

Some voices within the league rose to defend Jones and Henry yesterday. Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis told NFL Network he was "appalled" by the length of the suspensions. In 2000, when Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in connection with a homicide investigation, the NFL fined him $250,000 but did not suspend him. There's little doubt that in today's NFL, Lewis would have been given a significant suspension.

But while Lewis defended Jones and Henry, their own teams did not. The Titans and Bengals both released statements saying they supported Goodell's decision and indicating that they might not welcome the players back even after they've served their suspensions. The Bengals, who during one ninemonth stretch last year had nine players arrested, have become increasingly adamant that they will not tolerate off-field problems.

Goodell's banishment of Jones is the most emphatic statement an NFL commissioner has made about player conduct since 1963, when Pete Rozelle suspended Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung, one of the biggest stars in football, for a full season for placing bets on NFL games. The NFL has suspended other players, including Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams, for as long as a year, but never for anything other than gambling or substance abuse. Although the league has said it considers fighting steroids a top priority, Jones's suspension is four times as long as the four-game suspension players receive for a first violation of the league's steroid policy.

Many league observers have said Upshaw, a former Oakland Raiders offensive lineman who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is too close to the league office. The union's capitulation in this instance will add to that criticism. Although no one disputes that Jones and Henry are in this situation primarily because of their own actions, a more vigorous union would decry these suspensions as far beyond any previous precedent and threaten a legal challenge.

Upshaw has shown no interest in such a challenge even though these suspensions will cause two of his union's members to take hard hits to their wallets. If he misses the whole season, Jones will lose about $1.3 million in salary. Henry's salary this season is about $400,000, so he will lose about $200,000 for his half-season suspension.

But the money those players will lose is nothing compared with what the league stands to lose from the bad public relations associated with having its players' names regularly featured in the police blotter. Goodell will face criticism for being too harsh, and Upshaw will face criticism for being too acquiescent, but the two of them showed yesterday that no amount of criticism can keep them from acting in the best interests of the league.

Mr. Smith is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com.