When Roger Goodell was appointed commissioner of the NFL, he declared he would preserve the integrity of the league by expecting its participants to take responsibility for their actions.
It's safe to say at this hour the commissioner is a man of his word.
In his short tenure as pro football's top boss, he has proved to be unflinching in his role as the taskmaster, ruler in hand, ready to rap the knuckles of truants who reflect badly on the product.
Make room, David Stern. You finally have competition in that elite circle of top sports commissioners. The NFL has placed its future in a no-nonsense disciplinarian who continues to enforce his policy of accountability, whether you wear one of the top-selling jerseys in the NFL or run one of the most envied franchises in football.
By laying the hammer down on the Patriots and their contrarian coach, Bill Belichick, Goodell has sent a message that no one - not even one of his signature teams - will be exempt from following the guidelines set forth by his league.
The penalties Goodell levied against the Patriots are weighty: the loss of a first-round draft pick if the Patriots make the playoffs (can you say when the Patriots make the playoffs?), a $500,000 fine for Belichick, and a $250,000 fine for the Patriots.
Naturally, few people are satisfied with his judgment. New England locals are outraged the videotaping of signals has warranted such serious sanctions. National pundits derided Goodell's ruling as too lenient, arguing Belichick should have been suspended in addition to the fines and loss of the pick.
In the days leading up to Goodell's ruling, a number of league observers predicted the Patriots coach would skate. They cited the popularity of the Patriots in general and the power and prestige of owner Robert Kraft in particular. Kraft and Goodell enjoy a close, solid relationship. In fact, New England's owner was one of the major proponents of elevating the former league attorney to his current lofty position.
Kraft was also shrewd enough to ally himself closely with former commissioner Paul Tagliabue, prompting conspiracy theorists to wonder aloud why, say, a pivotal playoff game in January 2002 in Foxborough was scheduled for a Saturday night, which meant bone-chilling cold, and, as it turned out, a fair amount of fluffy white precipitation, conditions that clearly benefited the home team. Fair or unfair, it was perceived in some NFL circles that Kraft, through his cozy relationship with Tagliabue, was a "favored" owner who could secure such advantages for his team.