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Why is this necessary

By Rick Karcher, Michael McCann, Geoffrey Rapp, Greg Skidmore, and Howard Wasserman

Senator Arlen Specter has called for an independent investigation (a la the Mitchell Commission) into the New England Patriots' videotaping practices, apparently dissatisfied with the inquiry conducted by Commissioner Roger Goodell. Specter is particularly upset with the fact that an attorney for the Patriots sat-in on Tuesday's meeting between Goodeel and former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh and that Goodell's prior investigation was not candid or complete, was marred by a conflict of interest, and did not serve the public interest. Specter issued a Floor Statement on the matter.

I have asked this before and I will ask it again: Why does the NFL owe the public anything, other than what it believes is in its best business interests? And why does or should a member of the United States Senate care how a private entity conducts its business, so long as it is not violating any actual laws or any laws that Congress believes ought to be enacted? Reading the statement, Specter talks about sports as big business, the league's antitrust exemption, and the role-model status of professional athletes. But none of that justifies congressional involvement simply to ensure that the league is abiding by its own internal rules. And it certainly does not justify Congress trying to tell the NFL how to run its business--again, absent some actual law or legislative proposal.

Full post as published by Sports Law Blog on May 14, 2008 (boomark / email).