Roger Goodell: NBA did the right thing banning Donald Sterling

Posted by Michael David Smith on May 20, 2014, 7:45 PM EST
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After the NBA banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life for making racist comments, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said the NFL wouldn’t have done the same thing. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says otherwise.

Goodell said at today’s league meeting that he respects the decision NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made in removing Sterling from the NBA.

“I think they made the right decision. I salute Adam Silver for being decisive. He made the right statement and he’s doing the right things,” Goodell said.

That would indicate that if an NFL owner is ever caught on tape making racist comments, Goodell would suspend that owner for life. NFL owners would be wise to watch what they say.

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68 responses to “Roger Goodell: NBA did the right thing banning Donald Sterling”

  4. So when is he going to discipline the drug dealing owner Jim Irsay or is he just going to parade around and be the spokes person of the NFL.

  10. What about Riley Cooper dropping the N word?! White guy saying derogatory comments about another race and didn’t even get suspended by the league. I call BS Mr. Goodell.

  11. By allowing more playoff teams, Fidel Goodell and the NFL have finally jumped the shark.

  12. But if you are Riley Cooper and drop the N Word, and go on a racist rant that I found much more offensive than Sterling, you get a 5-year $25 million dollar deal.

  13. Stick to NFL issues and leave the NBA alone Goodell, you have NFL issues that need addressing.

  19. Is this not kind of a Stupid Double Standard here?
    Im not saying it was right.

    But on one hand you have a dolphins player tweeting about Michael Sam, grossed out. Then deletes the tweet and the organization releases a statement, saying they will deal with him. Or incogneto talking explicitly about Martins sister and mother.

    On the other hand you have a Billionare business owner, making a snide comment privately, which he is then brought out to be hung publicly.

    Cmon’ If you recorded all of the Billionare NBA and NFL owners, 24 hours a day, and then dissect what they said – they would ALL be banned from the NBA and NFL, starting with Mark Cuban or Robert Kraft. It takes a certain amount of ego to get to that stage within wealth.

    I have heard derogatory comments by executives in my own company I work for about the ‘new hot secretary’ before going into a board meeting.

    This type of ‘backchat’ is existent in 75% of males.

  21. Does Goodell say “Redskins” or does he refer to them as the “Washington” team? I could be wrong but I could swear I heard him say “Redskins” at the draft. Does he have the guts to ban himself for life?

  22. It’s unfair to compare what Cooper said to what Sterling said. All of Cooper’s teammates knew he wasn’t a racist. It was an isolated mistake for which he made an immediate apology. Sterling has a history of bigoted behavior and remained arrogant through every accusation, actually punishing people who stood up to him by suing them to death.

  23. Ok commish, prove it and ban Irsay. Yes what he did was different, but it was waaaaaay illegal. I’m not buying that they are “waiting until fact are available” and that they are giving the excuse that he “hasn’t been charged with anything yet”… He was speeding late at night with 30000 cash and cocaine. Ban him. If it was a player they would be suspended already

  24. No the NFL wouldn’t.

    Riley Cooper made racist comments caught on video, the NFL does nothing and he gets a new contract from the Eagles. Richie Incognito harrasses a teammate and the league does nothing (nor does Coach Philbin get fired for allowing that) Jim Irsay has gotten nothing so far for DUI.

    This is a bunch of crap and everyone knows it. Roger Goodell is a hack!

  25. Sterling did more than say something – for over a decade he’s been taking actions to back up those words of his, and he’s been in court for his behavior/policies.

    The only question about Sterling is why the NBA waited so long to take action against him.

    Show me a company that tolerates a room full of guys talking nasty about a new secretary and I’ll show you a company run by dinosaurs who are a lawsuit waiting to happen. If there were female executives in that room, that conversation doesn’t happen. And it also doesn’t happen if any of the execs have a brain. Also – if that “backchat” also includes racist remarks … might as well call that conference room a klan meeting.

    Times have changed. Get with the program.

  29. Yes clearly it’s worse to speak like a bigoted moron in a private conversation than it us to drive around high on narcotics. One guy might hurt some feelings the other guy might have killed someone.

  30. (to ivan) I cant speak for his total history. But in the wake of players harrassing each other, or talking about Michael Sam it is kind of a double standard.

    And no, a formidable company, where the girl is obviously not present, and a bunch of 25-30 aggresive guys, in an accounting firm, many former frat kids, together in a room. Yes its always R rated in any company.
    People are always responsible for the way they hold themselves even within a group.
    But show me a workplace or group of guys or high-level business executives talking candidly, or even in a weak moment of letting their gaurd down, where some form of derrogatory, condesending, or otherwise ‘biggot’ comment made even with the intention only to be funny, DOESNT exist, and Ill show you the exception to the modern workplace and modern male ‘talk’ in general.
    There is a spectrum and Sterlings comments insinuated ‘slavery’ in a sense and went beyond.
    The times are still here, and its time to wake up, and while the culture has changed absolutely, simple male comments made privately or without too much though absolutely still exist. Have you ever been in a Male sports locker room?

    Do we remember around 2007, when mark Cuban was getting thrown out of Playoff games every other home game? What if they had mike’d him the entire playoffs, including his office. He would be out of the NBA in seconds for disgrunteldly insulting David Stern.

  31. Yeah, I’m going to have to throw the BS flag on the Commissioner.

    Hail to the …. no wait, could get a lifetime ban.

  35. Sterling has his opinion, you have yours. He did nothing but speak his mind. Should he really be punished for WORDS?

  36. I wonder what will happen when Jimmy Halsam is finally indicted for the systematic fraud of customers of Pilot Flying J?

  37. Lest we forget, there’s a long legal road ahead in the confrontation between the NBA and Donald Sterling. Anticipate injunctions, discovery, and a lot of garbage coming out of the woodwork.

    The NFL, on the other hand, seems to be immune to that under Goodell’s autocracy. Maybe Al Davis’ litigiousness acted as a wake-up call for the NFL, so that they immunized themselves against such legal attacks. If so, that’s another contribution by Al.

  38. While I don’t condone such language. This taped conversation was done in private. If Mr Sterling can be thrown out for saying something in the privacy of his home.
    Then every owner should submit to having every conversation taped and made available to the public. Or should each owner take a polygraph test 2x per year.

    This is the only way to be absolutely sure no owner is a closet bigot.

  39. “NFL owners would be wise to watch what they say.”
    —————————————
    Owners, players, media members, fans, … pretty much everyone has to watch what they say nowadays.

    Room 101 awaits those who don’t.

  43. Let me get this straight, you make derogatory remarks (in a private conversation) about another race and you have the whole world in an uproar and possibly lose your business.

    You call the Irish drunks, Italians mobsters, Polish stupid and best of all “White men can’t jump” as a hit movie.

    The reaction?

    Cue the crickets

  44. I would looooove to hear him explain then why no immediate action was was takin with Riley Cooper..no hes not an owner but a player thats much more seen and heard from than an owner..

  45. Somehow this story makes Goodell look more self important. He could have just said he thought Silver made the right decision and left it at that. The rest of it makes it seem like Goodell is Silver’s Father and he’s patting him on the back.

  47. I don’t get why everyone is so bent out of shape about Goodell. Bunch of nit-picking mud hens imo.

    Isn’t football better now than it ever was and making more money than it’s ever made before?

    Gimme a break….or should I say…

    C’MOOON MAAAAN!!!!

  49. I could never figure out why fans don’t like Goodell but now I’ve got it; he actually has the balls to punish the prima donnas that are now in the NFL and they and the fans don’t like it.

  50. Won’t ban Washington team name.

    Let’s the Cleveland owner who scammed his Pilot FlyingJ customers of millions and millions of dollars stay an owner with no reprimand at all.

    Irsay not reprimanded.

    But Rodger “Thought Police” Goodell thinks banning Sterling for life and forcing him to sell his team is the “right thing to do”? Really ?

    What about the massive double standards found in the NFL what about them ?

  51. Why ban sterling? Let the marketplace decide his fate. Do you think he can freely walk into an nba game now? You didn’t have to ban him for life from games.
    You don’t have to fight him to strip him of the team. Sponsors will shun him and players won’t sign there. His value will drop like a rock and as a good biz guy he’d sell before it got cut in half or more.
    Not saying sterling didn’t deserve it, but nba set up big fights in court when they could have let the fans bum rush him out

  54. whew!. Was on pins and needles waiting for when Goodell was going to chime in on this. I would imagine that it took three weeks to carefully watch public opinion and jump in the pool when everyone else with a real stance already chimed in.

  56. What Goodell really means is “I support the right of 31 owners to kick out 1 owner for whatever reason we want if the other 31 owners feel that our money (brand) is being threatened.”

  58. Yeah, Roger would definitely ban someone for life over an illegally taped phone conversation between a man and his “girlfriend”.

    Due process be damned.

    Obviously Sterling is a schmuck but there isn’t any proof that his racism has in any way affected how he has dealt with minorities on his team.

    Trying to legislate morality ends poorly.

  60. So Goodell is delusional as well. There are at least 2 incidents right now in the NFL where he’s demonstrated that he and the league won’t do what Adam Silver did. First, why is Jim Irsay not suspended at the very least? Can you imagine an NBA owner doing this and not getting a stiff fine? Secondly, there’s a team in the NFL with a very offensive name. A name so offensive you can’t even use it in the marquee game associated with the league. I am a Redskins fan and I tried to upload some roster changes in Madden. Results? Rejected ‘cos the name’s offensive. Stop with the delusional “it’s not offensive” crap. These are 2 cases where Goodell has refused to act. So for him to be lauding Adam Silver is really confusing.

  62. slugbaitspace says:

    My money is on Jerry to be the first offender.
    ===================================

    Must be why a black player picked Jerry to introduce him at the HOF enshrinement ceremony.

  64. America, its time to change your diaper. For better or worse, there will be name calling. Stop pretending this is some utopianesque society…

  65. The United States Constitution gives everyone ‘freedom of thought’. But when people let those thoughts out by speaking them the political correct police pounce on them and try to ruin their lives. Humans are very cruel to one another. Especially in high places. Every single person on this planet has ‘thoughts’ in their mind that if they were to express them they would be attacked and called out and shamed. The moral of the story is, “think what you want to, that’s your constitutional right, but be very careful what you say”! Geaux Saints!

  66. I think it’s sad that we even have to mention “NFL owners should watch what they say” like in this article.

    Is it really that hard to be open minded and not a racist idiot?

  67. So let me get this straight …

    1. The NBA got the Sterling issue “right” because of one woman’s manipulation in recording a phone call rant. Granted he is an idiot and has a history, but where is the evidence and right to defend himself? Where were the rest of the owners when minority share owner Jay-Z was holding “black only” parties and events? And yes, Jay-Z has a history of racist and anti-white rants himself. Once again, double standard and public manipulation.

    2. But he makes this statement while he says he needs “more information” about Irsay’s case before passing any judgement. Really? He has as much now as he has had on any player and the NBA had on Sterling. Pretty weak position there Roger …

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