Dear Mr. Commissioner:

I am a high school student and an avid NFL fan. I watch games every weekend, spend money on team gear and tickets and usually support the decisions of the league. However, over the past few years, I have become more and more disconcerted with the way the league is run. At first I thought that the league was simply going through a rough patch or growing pains, but the more problems the league has, the more I understand that the problem is you.

When you replaced Paul Tagliabue as commissioner in 2006, I was optimistic that you would bring positive changes to an outdated league that had been run by the same man for 17 years. You brought a no-nonsense mentality to the position and pledged to make the game safer while maintaining integrity in the game. These were great intentions, but from the get-go it has seemed that you have had little to no grasp on how to run a professional sports league.

You tried to make the game “safer” by punishing big hits with little consistency and making a mockery of the way the game is played, especially in dealing with hits on the quarterback. Also, after pushing for safety, why would you allow the league to lock out the referees, the keys to enforcing your new safety agenda? That’s like trying to start a revolution and then firing everyone in the army; it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

I will concede that you have eliminated some of the most egregious hits and unsafe plays, but when it comes to maintaining the NFL’s integrity, you have failed big time. The way the NFL is run makes the D.C. City Council look like it is filled with saints. Your suspensions have been very inconsistent, and the appeals process is one of the most heinous systems I have ever seen: if a suspension that you hand down is appealed back to you, why would you ever change your mind? It seems like you got the idea on how to set up the NFL’s executive office straight from King Henry VIII.

Worst of all, you have time and time again sided with the owners over the fans. I understand you were elected by them and are supposed to support them, but at the same time, it is the fans who pump billions of dollars into your league every year, so there should be some reciprocity on who’s side you pick when major issues come up.

My original optimism has now turned into abhorrence toward you and the NFL. All I can hope is that you won’t have a reign as long as Henry VIII.

Sincerely,

An (EX) NFL Fan