Roger Goodell Refusing to Give Up Ruling Power on Integrity Issues Proves NFL Won't Move Forward

Roger Goodell's handling of major crises in the NFL has been suspect at best.

With a new collective bargaining agreement in the works, the NFL and the NFLPA have attempted to address Goodell's future as an arbiter of justice, and it unfortunately looks as though things won't change.

The commissioner refusing to cede his power on integrity issues proves that the league won't move forward with him at the helm.

For his entire tenure as commissioner, Goodell has been eager to amass power in integrity issues rather than pursuing justice, ruining the relationship with the players in the process.

He's either sacrificed the right calls in order to keep talent on the field or has blown issues out of proportion in an attempt to appear in control.

The Deflategate scandal, among numerous other instances, is a prime example of Goodell's heavy-handedness. He threw his weight around to make an example out of the Patriots in a hasty manner rather than sorting things out and making a level-minded decision.

He craves authority in integrity issues despite his inability to dole out punishment in a reasonable fashion.

Even if he's willing to give up the reigns on off-the-field issues, he has in now way shown that he can act with consistency as the be-all and end-all in integrity concerns.

So long as he maintains this power over integrity issues, there will be a massive wedge driven between the league and the players preventing any progress in fostering a healthy relationship between the two parties.