In the first week of the regular season, when Lu Ke became the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Goodell had already anticipated this day, but this did not mean that he had already thought of a solution.
Today, under the aggressive words of the "Los Angeles Times", the situation is getting out of control bit by bit. League officials must give a response as soon as possible. Even if it is a "reserved opinion pending investigation", Goodell must also make a gesture. ; Or go one step further and give a solution directly.
The press conference was about to begin, but Goodell still couldn't make up his mind.
The reason why the topic of racial discrimination is sensitive is not only related to political correctness, but also related to the interests of the entire group.
If a black man is facing such a predicament now, the league and public opinion will not need to think at all, and will take the lead and side with the black man, because the entire black group is an indispensable part of the league, and because they can truly influence the league. Actual profits, not to mention an important position among social influence.
But Lu Ke?
Lu Ke is only one of the two Chinese-American players in the entire league, and the other one was reimbursed for the season due to injury.
If the Arizona Cardinals express a strong protest, they will reduce the big matter to a trivial matter, just blame the personal behavior of the fans, and then symbolically punish several fans, deprive them of the right to watch the home game, and give a public relations-style Explain and deal with it; and if the Cardinals can also win the support of other teams, then there will be no suspense about how the matter will be handled.
It is impossible for Goodell to offend the team for Lu Ke.
The premise is that Goodell's position as president is voted by the owners of the 32 teams; at the same time, they can also jointly initiate a proposal to force Goodell to resign.
In other words, they are a community of mutually beneficial interests. As for Lu Ke? That's just a nobody.
Don't say that Lu Ke is just a rookie player now. Even if he won the Super Bowl, in the face of the huge interests of the team and the league, he is still the pawn that was sacrificed, ignored and abandoned. Without any doubt.
Thinking in this context, Goodell did not need to hesitate at all. He symbolically scolded the Arizona Cardinals and asked the team to investigate thoroughly. Finally, he issued a warning without any pain, and the matter ended successfully.
But now, the reason why things are still in suspense is precisely because of those seemingly natural reasons.
Lu Ke is an undrafted rookie player, insignificant, with no connections or power, and not even many fans; but in turn, this means that he has unlimited possibilities in the future, and now he has established a firm foothold in the league, truly to break down prejudices.
Lu Ke is the only starting Chinese player in the entire league. He is alone and helpless, and cannot form a group to launch a stronger protest; but from another perspective, this is a rare treasure. After all, things are rare and important. It lies in this "uniqueness".
The Chinese group represented by Lu Ke, and even the Asian group, do not have a strong sense of presence in North America, especially in the field of rugby; but changing the perspective and thinking positively, a positive response can shape the future. A better alliance image will lay the foundation for opening up the Asian market.
All of this gave Lu Ke the possibility to "become the fulcrum that moves the earth."
Sitting in his office, Goodell tapped his fingers lightly on the tabletop of the solid sandalwood desk, making a tapping sound like a woodpecker, recalling Laich's words again in his mind.
"The future is too far away for us to predict; the other side of the Pacific is too far away for us to talk in vain. But San Francisco is right in front of you, and you should see the city and Chinatown there.
You need a Chinese player to open up the situation, not a player who can come on at any time, rotate at any time, or substitute at any time, but a star who can truly bring victory, create topics, and convey confidence. Maybe you should take a look at Lu Ke's performance in previous interviews, which can give you some inspiration.
Then you know that Lu Ke is your best choice. Not the only one, but the best.
I know that Lu Ke is not Yao Ming, but he may have greater market potential than Yao Ming. Everyone loves the great achievements of the No. 1 pick; but can anyone resist the counterattack journey of an undrafted rookie? "
Lech did not hide his purpose and intention, and was even a little naked; but Goodell could not refuse or refute.
If Lech plays the "race card" and must choose to support Lu Ke and punish the Arizona Cardinals because of political correctness, then Goodell has to agree that the strong momentum of the "Los Angeles Times" is also a factor that must be considered; but deep down However, Goodell could not empathize with the situation because the presence of the Asian community in North America was still too weak, and he was still unable to think and view both sides on an equal footing.
But not Leh.
Lech emphasized interests, the market, and the nature of business, which really hit Goodell's weakness.
Goodell is not a philanthropist, it's all about profit.
"Jews." Goodell murmured softly, and then he couldn't help but smile. His tapping fingers paused, but he had already made a decision in his heart. Without too many repeated measures, the decisiveness that burst out in an instant gave people a glimpse of the iron fist and strong posture of former president Paul Tagliabue.
The basic quality of becoming a hero is not to be indecisive.
"Knock knock", there was a knock at the door, and the secretary's voice came over, "Roger, all the reporters are here."
Goodell raised his voice and said, "I get it. Tell them, the press conference starts in five minutes."
Then, Goodell stood up, took off the suit jacket from the hanger, put it on and buttoned it up. He was confident but calm. He could predict that strong winds were about to rise and the time came for the alliance to change its regime again. However, He was not nervous at all, but became more and more excited.
Because history is about to be born in his hands. Again.
…
On Tuesday, December 13, 2011, just forty-eight hours after the game between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers on the fourteenth week of the regular season, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell held a press conference to formally address the game. Official stance on racially insensitive remarks during a game.
Goodell said that this is an act that the league firmly resists and opposes. The NFL has always been committed to tolerance, fraternity and coexistence, and has opened its arms to welcome players from all over the world to join this sport.
Goodell stated that the league has zero tolerance for such behavior and ordered the Arizona Cardinals to complete the investigation and rectification to prevent any similar situation from happening in the future.
Goodell also said that because of this incident, the Arizona Cardinals were fined $500,000 and given a serious warning; if they do it again in the future, the league will impose further severe penalties.
The entire press conference lasted for twenty-five minutes. Goodell issued many official positions and also accepted interviews with reporters, but the most important point was the "fine of $500,000," which is the maximum amount of fines that the league has the power to impose. , this is the absolute core of the entire conference.
This action alone is enough to prove the official attitude of the alliance: such behavior will never be tolerated and will be severely punished at the highest level.
It also makes a gesture for other teams.
The legal system of the United States is the maritime law system. Unless the legislation of a certain project needs to be enacted by statutory law due to the needs of objective circumstances or to resolve disputes, otherwise, it only needs to be assessed based on local past customs for the project.
To put it simply, this time such a situation occurred at the Arizona Cardinals' home court, and the league imposed severe punishments. Similar situations will occur in other teams in the future, and they will also follow this judgment and impose severe punishments.
Today, Goodell's statement at the press conference can be regarded as the first step in making history. It is the first time that he has truly expressed his support for Lu Ke from an official position. Although the elimination of racial discrimination is a trend with strong political correctness, and the alliance's attitude is not surprising, it is still a little surprising that Goodell's step is so radical, so bold, and so determined.
After the press conference ended, the aftermath was far from over. To be precise, it had just begun.
Following the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times also published a related report, proactively joining the football storm.
"Lu Ke: Whose cheese did he touch?"
This report takes a more layman, social and interesting perspective, breaking away from the context of football, to further analyze the origin and motivation of this controversy:
As a Chinese player, on the one hand, he represents a group that has always been weak in North America, and on the other hand, he represents the rising power of China in the international market. His position in the league is extremely special and has touched some people. The benefits have also touched the nerves of some people.
The controversy in this game is not an end, but a beginning. In the following career, whether it is success or failure, Lu Ke will gather more focus and discussion. This is a sports event, but it is also a social event.
The "New York Times", which is far away from the "Los Angeles Times", although its sales volume is not as good as that of the "Wall Street Journal" and "USA Today", its authority is second to none. This newspaper's powerful ability to guide American public opinion is unrivaled. Many times, other local newspapers will even read the New York Times's position before writing a story about it.
This time, the New York Times obviously stood behind Lu Ke.
It is worth mentioning that this report in the "New York Times" was written by a new reporter named Emily Purvo. In case anyone is curious, she also graduated from UCLA.
