Roger Goodell
Commissioner
National Football League
280 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Dear Commissioner Goodell,
I have been a fan of the NFL ever since I was a young boy. I’ve always been passionate about the game, even naming my first-born son Brady as a tribute to the Patriots’ quarterback. I bonded with my own father by watching football and learning about the game, its history, and the great coaches and players that set a standard of dedication, persistence and commitment that inspired me as a boy.
As a fan of the league since childhood, and as an ‘NFL Dad’ who looks to NFL players and coaches as symbols of the potential greatness inherent in all men, I’m deeply troubled the reports of a large-scale dog fighting ring being run by Michael Vick. The idea of grown men breeding animals for the purpose of sadistic treatment like this is truly disturbing.
The NFL has a responsibility to fans and their families to ensure that NFL players, no matter how high their salaries or how large their celebrity, are held to high standards of ethical and moral behavior. Sadism and cruelty to animals like this can not be swept under the rug.
The NFL is not just a sport league. Football is part of the fabric of American life, and is interwoven into the families of millions of fans. Many NFL families have dogs or cats as pets, and treat them with all the love and care as their other family members.
My life-long relationship to the NFL means a lot to me, and it’s my sincere hope that the league will banish any player who participates in acts of animal cruelty. By standing up for animal rights, the league is standing up for its fans and the legacy of greatness and high character that fathers like me hope to share with our children and our grandchildren.