NFL commish Goodell leaves door open for Pacman return

Heading to rehab has long been the “default” move for celebrities behaving badly.  It’s basically a tactical defensive maneuver that gets the celeb out of the range of the media, displays some degree of contrition and by definition sets the table for post rehab “redemption”.  While there may be some celebrities who legitimately suffer from problems and seriously want help, most “go to rehab” in much the same way that naughty children get “time outs”.  After his almost comical strip club run in with his own bodyguard, Pacman Jones is the latest to play the “rehab card” and based on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s reaction it worked like a charm.

Goodell has publicly stated that the door is open for Pacman to return if he manages to “rehabilitate” himself after finishing his rehab treatment.  In an interview on ESPN Radio he first stated the obvious:

"I've been consistent on this one. He has to recognize his responsibility to play in the NFL. He has not made good decisions. I think after this latest incident it was clear to me there was something else going on that we need to evaluate and we need to address directly."

Presumably the “something else going on” that Goodell is referring to is an alcohol problem.  Goodell’s reaction also underscores the effectiveness of the “go to rehab” strategy for a disgraced celebrity—it provides some degree of insulation from criticism.  Critics—like Goodell in this instance—are almost forced to give the celeb in question the “benefit of the doubt” lest they offend people with real problems by denigrating the seriousness of alcohol or drug abuse.

It also forces Goodell’s hand to some degree on Pacman’s post rehab status.  If Goodell swings the hammer here, he runs the risk of appearing insensitive to the severity of alcoholism.  The potential PR damage from that is much greater than the risk that Pacman will “make it rain” in a strip club, so Goodell is forced to err on the side of forgiveness:

"If he can deal with whatever issues he may have, handle his responsibilities, make good decisions, then he may have an opportunity to play again in the league.”

Goodell added that any reinstatement was contingent on an evaluation by “clinical experts” and compliance with an outpatient rehab program approved by the league.  In other words, if Pacman is just trying to blow smoke and he doesn’t really have a drinking problem he’s going to have to learn how to act like he does if he wants to keep playing football.

The NFL Commissioner didn’t exactly sound like he was buying Pacman’s de facto “plea for sympathy” with his closing comment on the matter:

"I'm frankly tired of talking about it right now."