The NFL is just plain wrong on its decision not to allow San Francisco 49ers’ coach Mike Nolan to walk the sidelines in a suit. Instead the NFL wants its coaches to wear Reebok brand crap. Why? The Reebok contract = big $money$. The NFL plans to be generous enough to once again allow Nolan to wear a suit two games during the 2007 season, but not for the entire season. Nolan said
“If the league wants to promote class and display proper standards, as it does and as it should, then it seems to me letting your coaches dress like this only enhances your image.” [Sporting News Apr. 9 2007]
I think it is great that the league and the players association are trying to improve the NFL’s image (before it gets out of control) with a player conduct policy, but the NFL should ask a simple question. Would it rather have Nolan in a suit or would it rather promote players like Jones and Henry? The NFL cannot have it both ways.
It’s no wonder that NFL now stands for No Fun League. Add to that Urlacher’s ridiculous $100k fine for wearing a hat with an unreadable logo instead of Gatorade…someone elsewhere pointed out that was more than all of Bill Romanowski’s combined fines for his activities which included ending someone else’s career.
I got hold of an old Complete Handbook of Pro Football from 1986 last week from e-Bay for £1, and reading through it brought back how many more characters there were then than now.
Don’t get me wrong; I love the NFL, but you are 100% correct to reference the “No Fun League” tag. Things are at the point where it is much too corprorate … in danger of becoming too much about the money.