Former Buckeye: NFL should fire Roger Goodell

Former Ohio State wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez does not hold NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in high regard.

How do we know that?

The one-time Colts first-round draft pick told the Indianapolis Star he believes Goodell should be fired.

"I really believe that he is ruining the game. I'm an outsider now. But if you look at player safety and the league's response, while the concussion information was coming out, he was simultaneously pushing for an 18-game season. It's hard to look at that and say that's a person sincerely interested in the health and safety of players. The Thursday night games are too much, not helping the popularity of the game.

He also took issue with the way Goodell handles discipline.

"He doesn't appear to be a very principled leader, he appears to be a very reaction-oriented leader, which is why I think most people have so little regard for him. As the person who's in charge of stewarding the NFL, the football world kind of follows the NFL, and that's what you're seeing at the very top. I think it's only natural that people are losing interest, and that it's starting to show up in TV ratings."

Gonzalez, who was outspoken at Ohio State, looked like a future star as a slot receiver for Peyton Manning in Indianapolis, but a variety of injuries scuttled his career early.

He is now the COO of Chalk Schools, a California company whose mission is “to helps schools increase productivity, improve collaboration, gain visibility, and reduce time spent on routine paperwork in order to ensure fair and equitable use of resources both inside and outside of the classroom,” according to the company website.

About the Author