NFL Commissioner Roger Goodall slammed Tom Brady and the New England Patriots today for what seemed, to many, like a pretty minor thing.  Under-inflating balls to give the quarterback and receivers a small advantage would seem a far cry from the kind of offense causing you to suspend an MVP player for 4 games, fine the team owner $1M, and take away the coach’s #1 draft pick for 2016 and #4 draft pick for 2017.

But, largely, the Commissioner had little choice.  And yes, he is making an example out of this situation.

In America the NFL is the sport.  Where baseball was once “America’s game” that is no longer true.  Today the NFL generates almost as much revenue as major league baseball (MLB) and the NBA combined. Players make more money than S&P 500 CEOs – and they are about the only people who do!

But the NFL has a raft of culture issues.  First of all, it is really violent.  The litany of players with lifetime injuries from football is remarkable.  It seems like few who play in the NFL are able to go on to “regular lives” due to the remarkable stress the game puts on huge bodies colliding at remarkable speeds.  There is no doubt that the game has led to many debilitating concussions, and players have been committing suicide at a surprising rate.

Remember “Bountygate?” From 2009 to 2011 the New Orleans Saints ownership and coaches paid players bonuses – “bounties” – if they injured an opposing player bad enough to have him removed from the game.  This kind of thing was found to be endemic, and that some coaches had long promoted paying for injuring opposing players.

That is the kind of testosterone driven behavior that the NFL’s leadership realized was going to seriously damage the game, if not push it into legal regulation.  While some fans (and in football, fan is truly short for fanatic) may have thought the practice a terrific reincarnation of Roman gladiator games, culturally this kind of behavior made the game less “family friendly” and likely to end up with ever more legal problems.  The coaches were suspended, and the team lost draft picks.

Unfortunately, the NFL – despite its  high pay – is nothing like baseball when it was the glory sport of America.  In those days players had strict behavioral rules, and they could lose money – even their jobs – for simply getting drunk in public, or caught fornicating with someone other than their wife.  Arguing with umpires caused multi-game suspensions, and fans sought out players with the quiet demeanor of Joe Dimaggio.

The NFL is rife with players struggling with criminal prosecution.  Between January and July of 2013, 27 players were arrested.  Between 2000 and 2013 two teams had 40 players arrested, and one had 35.  The three least criminalistic teams in the league had 9 to 11 players put in handcuffs. It is a far too common sight on the news – NFL players handcuffed, or explaining to cameras why they were arrested.  This is a big problem for a league that would like its players to be role models, and encourage mothers to allow their children to play the game – or go to games.

The Patriots have had their own problems.  In 2007 coach Patriots’ Belichick was caught stealing signals from the New York Jets coaches.  “Spygate” caused Commissioner Goodall to fine the coach $500,000 – the largest fine in history to that date.  Additionally the team was stripped of its 2008 first round draft and fined $250,000.  It was another example, like Bountygate, of a culture accepting of the notion that owners, coaches and players should “do whatever it takes to win,” and rules (or etiquette) be darned.

Then in 2013 Patriots’ player Aaron Hernandez was arrested for murder.  Eventually he was arrested on two additional murder counts, and in just the last few months he was convicted on murder charges.  As the news rolled out, we learned Mr. Hernandez had a long criminal record, including bar fights and shootings, going back to 2007.  It appears as if the Patriots and the NFL turned a blind eye toward a very dangerous person – in order for the team to win more games.  The “win at all costs” again appeared to be culturally dominant.

Now we have “deflategate.”  Coach Belichick again in the spotlight, apparently for trying more tricks to gain an advantage – even if unfair.  As the investigation continued the question became “even if Tom Brady didn’t know why the balls were deflated, as someone who touched the ball on every play why didn’t he report the issue to his coaches?  Why didn’t he take personal responsibility for what could well be a rule violation, and seek to find the true answer?  Why didn’t he try to play by the rules, and take care of this issue?”  Instead, it appeared he was more than happy to take advantage of the situation, even if it was against the rules.  Again, win at all costs – including breaking the rules.

Unfortunately this is now moving into the stadium.  In recent TV interviews several people have pooh-poohed the whole issue.  “What’s the big deal?  Really? All this fuss over something so small?”  And the comment heard over and over in “man-on-the-street” interviews “if you get caught, you get penalized.”  Really – not that Mr. Brady should have reported this situation and fixed it – but rather that he got caught is all that mattered.  It’s OK to cheat, just don’t get caught.

The NFL has a culture issue.  In some stadiums the language is so course, and the fans so rough, that minors should never attend.  And, as we said in an earlier time, “unfit company for a lady.”  Tied, unfortunately, to players and coaches who implement a culture of violence, cheating and doing whatever one must to win – rather than simply playing a game.

And that is where Commissioner Goodall has to take action.  He leads the league.  He is the “man at the top.”  It is his job, as leader, to set the tone on culture.  If the NFL is to be “America’s sport” it’s his job to set the cultural tone for the sport, and demonstrate good leadership for his business, the owners, the coaches and the players.  If we want fans to be sportsmanlike, it has to start with the players and those who are part of the NFL.

So there is no choice but to make an example of Mr. Brady.  He sensed there was a problem.  But he would rather win, and be MVP, than be honest.  Wow, what a role model.  And Mr. Belichick, now in in controversy #2, leads us to question if anything matters to him other than winning a superbowl ring – even if it means hiring a gun-toting shooter who can’t stay out of bar fights.  And the Commissioner, like many of us, has to wonder, what is going on in that Patriots’ organization that Mr. Robert Kraft owns?  What cultural tone is he setting, as the man atop the team?  Is his view “win at all costs” and the rules be darned?

The NFL has a culture problem.  Commissioner Goodall has his hands full.  He has to deal with individualistic owners, who are rich and very powerful in their local communities.  He has fans that are often far more caring of their team winning than playing by the rules.  And he has players that, too often, or a very short step from prison – or committing horrendous acts of violence on the field that can maim or kill another player.  He has to take stiff action, when he can, if he is to make any difference at all in trying to keep this culture from going completely off the rails.

Learn more about my public speaking, Board involvement and growth consulting at www.AdamHartung.com, or connect with me on LinkedIn, Facebook  and Twitter.