One of the NFL’s most respected players is calling out the commissioner.
Saints tight end Benjamin Watson put a statement on Twitter today ripping Roger Goodell for his failure to address the missed pass interference penalty that went against the Saints late in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game.
“Commissioner Goodell,” Watson wrote on Twitter. “We all realize that football is an imperfect game, played, coached and officiated by imperfect people. What occurred last Sunday in New Orleans though was outside of that expected and accepted norm. Your continued silence on this matter is unbecoming of the position you hold, detrimental to the integrity of the game and disrespectful and dismissive to football fans everywhere. From the locker room to Park Ave., accountability is what makes our league great. Lead by example. We are waiting.”
Watson is one of the NFL’s most respected players, by his teammates and his opponents, by players and fans. In addition to his impressive accomplishments on the field during a 15-year career, he’s active off the field and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award last year. When he speaks, it speaks volumes. And he’s right: Goodell needs to speak up.