Roddy White’s tweets about Goodell’s salary go viral
Falcons wide receiver Roddy White will probably do a flip when he finds out that he won't be fined for his comments about commissioner Roger Goodell's salary.
Falcons wide receiver Roddy White’s tweet about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s salary caused a firestorm nationally.
On Monday, White, who goes by @RoddyWhiteTV on Twitter.com, sent out a tweet with a link to a ProFootballTalk.com note which referenced the Sports Business Journal’s report on Goodell’s pending salary increase.
White’s tweet: “Roger Goodell is getting over never seen anything like it 20 million for looking over the league with tremendous help I guess the NFL is banking. The NFL is not a company it’s a nonprofit organization that makes a lot of profit.”
The commentators on ESPN’s Around the Horn fired some shots at White. Bill Plaschke pointed out that Goodell is the most powerful man in sports. Tim Cowlishaw ripped White and noted that he led the league in drops last season. (He also led the league in receptions in 2010.)
On Pardon the Interruption, Tony Kornheiser stated that the Goodell was worth every penny of his salary.
“I hope he saves his money,” Kornheiser said of White. “He’s probably not going to rise in the hierarchy of the league office at this point. Players come and go. People root for the uniform. That’s the way it works in the NFL.”
Kornheiser’s partner, Michael Wilbon basically described the NFL player as highly-paid help.
“While he makes a lot of money, the people who make the most money in the United States of America, they don’t run, tackle or throw or block,” Wilbon said. “They don’t dribble. They don’t switch hit. . . .they are making decisions [while] sitting in a office in a suit. Roddy White. . . what he doesn’t understand is that all of those guys make a hell of lot more money than he does for a lot longer time. He doesn’t get that.”
White didn’t buy the argument that the decision-makers are worthy of such high salaries after one of his followers made that point.
“Thats the stupidest thing i have ever heard the players make this league dont ever forget that,” White wrote.
White, who was in Chicago on Tuesday celebrating Valentine’s Day with his girlfriend, didn’t want his tweets to go published for fear of being fined. Other players who have been critical of Goodell have not been fined, but Pittsburgh’s James Harrison apologized after calling Goodell “the devil” in a magazine article.
NFL spokeman Greg Aiello, in an e-mail to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, wrote that White could not be fined.
White signed a six-year, $50 million extension with the Falcons in 2009.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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171 comments Add your comment
Gravity's Silhouette
February 15th, 2012
4:54 pm
Before extracting the splinter out of Roger Goodell’s eye, maybe Roddy should take the rafter out of his own. Some might suggest a man who gets paid tens of millions of dollars to run and catch a ball isn’t worthy of his salary. Because of salaries like White’s, I can no longer afford to even go to the stadium to watch these pampered, playboy athlete millionaires. Come down off the cross, Roddy; other people need the wood.
hiramsaint
February 15th, 2012
4:56 pm
goodell will make sure the failclowns pay for those remarks this season
fanofthegame
February 15th, 2012
4:57 pm
Freedom of speech!!! I agree with Roddy’s comment as well as some comments on Roddy being overpaid! They are overpaid! Goodell’s salary is too much, but so was AIG President went the market changed. Roddy should not be fined, traded or penalized for his opinion. You know what they say about opinions…they are like…we all have one!
Black Atlanta is racist.
February 15th, 2012
5:03 pm
@mark – that is exactly what it is.. a generalization… you are a human dictionary… I am just telling you what I see(which can be characterized as a generalization). You dumb hick.
screg
February 15th, 2012
5:09 pm
ok roddy white had a lot of drops last year but also 100+ catches again. when youre targeted that much youre gonna drop a few. and godell gets paid a billion dollars to ruin the nfl. it will soon become flag football if godell has his way. a true falcon fan would not be saying trade roddy. he’s the franchise’s all time best receiver undisputed and still in his prime. and players do make the leage. players make the team which fans root for. without players theres no game, which was alot better when tagliabue was the commmissioner.
Ackshun
February 15th, 2012
5:13 pm
Slaves pick the cotton but they never make more than the masters. Believe that. Roger Goodell will be sailing in the bahamas in his 70s while most of his players will have parkinsons or be long dead by then. Is it fair? Probably not. But that’s life.
Cruzman
February 15th, 2012
5:28 pm
Once he finishes up his career, he needs to take an English course and learn how to write coherently.
jalex49
February 15th, 2012
6:08 pm
Roddy will be fine. Coach Smith and Mr. Blank plus maybe someone whom he really respects in the locker room will pull him aside and try to make him understand that he is well liked in Atlanta and around the league, but the comments should be kept in-house.
I think Roddy seems to like Larry Fitzgerald-maybe he should step back and look at how he is conducting himself?
If Roddy turns into a person like Randy Moss or Terrell Owens, someday his co-workers, bosses and fans will lose respect for him. He needs to produce at a higher level and just play the game. The accololades will come to him if he does.
Roddy as a huge fan. Just stop this nonsence and do what you are capable of doing on the field!
Paul Hewitt
February 15th, 2012
6:35 pm
Roddy caught a lot more passes (and dropped less) before his last contract. Kinda like I got more wins at Tech before my last contract.
C from Marietta
February 15th, 2012
7:30 pm
@ Ackshun
REALLY? That is a really stupid statement. NFL players CHOSE to play football. No one forced them to play. Comparing them to slaves is a real insult to real slaves. Naw your not racist are you?
hiramsaint
February 15th, 2012
7:42 pm
yo c -word up !-it was just an analogy so chill my brutha and get on up out da mans grill ! and by the way , it takes one to know one so take that high powered perception you have and point it at yourself.
Ron
February 15th, 2012
7:44 pm
I think Roddy should close his mouth and focus on catching passes.
Barticus Maximus
February 15th, 2012
8:49 pm
Bottom line: It is not really smart to openly badmouth the administration. There will be payback at some time. Roddy is a very talented athlete. I appreciate his blocking. Yes he drops a few but still a pretty damn good receiver. With that said, shut your pie hole and play football. Your tweets only bring discredit to the Falcons.
Sid
February 16th, 2012
3:21 am
Roddy might make good trade bait before he becomes a free agent.
I usually just read but....
February 16th, 2012
7:33 am
you guys do know that JJ wasn’t brought in to compliment White don’t you? He’s here to replace him. This is not the first time he’s embarrassed AB and the management team. He’ll be traded this year.
jeff bolton
February 16th, 2012
11:56 am
Hey Roddy…..Sh the XXXX up
asheville falcon
February 16th, 2012
12:28 pm
Roddy has other concerns that he needs to concentrate on. Like “winning” a playoff game!!!!!
welikebaseball2
February 16th, 2012
12:51 pm
Here we go…”Trade our best receiver because he spoke his mind. He’s a ‘challenged soul’!” Really folks? You can talk on & on about how athletes are “overpaid,” but when an athlete opines that the commissioner is overpaid you tell him to shut up. Two words…double standard. Wow.
JSS
February 16th, 2012
1:44 pm
http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2012/02/16/atlanta-falcons-roddy-white-offers-fresh-perspectives/
Roddy made Forbes!
black wings
February 17th, 2012
10:41 am
Roddy this is your biggest Fan. Come next season I hope your game
is bigger than mouth.
Ted
February 17th, 2012
3:08 pm
Roddy needs to focus on not dropping balls, this clown has become a mini-T.O. Six years from now you will be reading about him being some loud mouth broke punk living in a slum…..he cost us too many games last year and continued to argue with refs, coaches and players on the bench all season long…..we should trade him for MJ in Detroit, that guy is a class act and how you should represent the league….