NFL News: NFL Ethics 101 - Should Peyton Manning & Michael Vick Play This Weekend?

NFL Ethics 101
By: Keith Dobkowski, NFL News Writer
December 31, 2004

It is the last weekend of the NFL season and teams sit in three
distinct places. They have made the playoffs, missed the playoffs
or need a win and possibly some luck to get into the playoffs.
And every year the third and final distinction brings up the debate
of NFL ethics.

Should teams that have clinched playoff births rest their stars to
insure health once the playoffs begin? Should teams that have
missed the playoffs play rookies to gain a grasp of their
potential? Do teams with nothing on the line have a duty to play
their best players to keep all games honest?

Entering the last weekend of the NFL season only eight of the
twelve playoffs spots have been taken and nine teams are still
vying for a playoff birth. And not a single wildcard team has been
determined. The Seattle Seahawks are the last team still fighting
for a division crown though they have already clinched a playoff
spot.

A look at the weekend’s schedule shows only two games where
all teams involved are fighting for a win and not draft status or
health. Only the Jets against the Rams and the Saints against
the Panthers this weekend avoid the dreaded NFL ethics question.

There are nine games with playoff implications this weekend and
excluding the above two, each of the remaining seven creates an
ethical dilemma.

Look no further than the Broncos – Colts game. The Broncos
need a win to make the playoffs. While the Colts have clinched
the number three spot in the AFC and win or lose will not be
affected in anyway. So then why risk Peyton Manning’s health
and play him. The Colts cannot win the Super Bowl without
Manning, who may be more important to his team’s success than
any other player in football.

However, the Jets, Bills, Jaguars, and Ravens all need the Broncos
to lose to increase their chances of making the playoffs.
Therefore each of these teams is directly affected by the Colts
decision to play or rest Manning.

The same holds true with Michael Vick and the Falcons as they
play the Seahawks and Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers
against the Bills. Other players likely to sit out this weekend
include Tom Brady and Corey Dillon of the Patriots, Duce Staley of
the Steelers, and Charles Woodson of Raiders (who are playing
the Jaguars).

The competing logic argues that any team depending on the
outcome of another game placed themselves in this position by
not winning earlier in the season. If Minnesota had not dropped
six of their last nine games, they would not be scoreboard
watching this Sunday.

The NFL competition committee has issued no statement on the
matter and believes that teams can do what they want. This is
the very same committee that forced teams to play their stars in
the preseason to help boost attendance and television ratings.

But maybe that is the very reason behind the non-statement
here. The NFL cashes in during the postseason as seen by the gi-
normous cost associated with running a Super Bowl ad. The NFL
clearly benefits if its biggest stars are playing on the biggest
stage.

With that said, the NFL must be reeling over the injury suffered by
Terrell Owens two weeks back. Owens may be the NFL’s biggest
star and definitely its most flamboyant. Before the injury, Owens
grabbed weekly touchdown passes and then grabbed the mike to
explain his greatness… Or the Baltimore Ravens’ racism… Or Jeff
Garcia’s dating habits and rats… Or Nicollette Sheridan’s naked
body… Or – well you get the point.

So as it becomes clear that the NFL will not regulate the playing of
starters at the end of the season, there is no ethics lesson. Win
early and do what you please. Win late and your very destiny
may be decided by who takes a week off.