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NFL Misdirection

September 26, 2014

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell did something I really respect; and then he didn’t.

On Aug. 28, the commissioner sent a letter to the NFL’s 32 owners in which he admitted that he “didn’t get it right” when he assessed a mere two-game suspension for a player who was seen on videotape to be involved in domestic abuse. I admire his admission. (The player later would be suspended indefinitely from the league following additional evidence in the incident)

Unfortunately, the commissioner accompanied his mea culpa by describing a series of initiatives the league will undertake, one of which – once again – attempts to deflect a public relations disaster upon high schools.

When the NFL was under attack for the head trauma its players were experiencing, the league responded with a state-by-state campaign to impose youth concussion laws which, in most places, were mostly unfunded mandates that are more about symbolism than substance.

Now, again under attack for malfeasance by a workforce with more money than maturity, the league’s leadership is deflecting the blame to college, high school and youth football programs by planning educational efforts aimed at those levels.

Commissioner! Clean up your mess, but leave us alone. You are gutting public support of school sports with one televised game Thursday, three on Sunday and another on Monday, and adding Saturday games in December. Don’t have this out-of-control league lecture our level about restraint and responsibility.

Ours is the level that prohibits sack dances and end zone prances. We insist that our interscholastic players demonstrate maturity that the NFL’s players do not.

Watch Selection Sunday Online

October 25, 2015

By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director

High school football fans unable to watch tonight’s announcement of the qualifiers and pairings for the 2015 MHSAA Football Playoffs – presented by the Michigan Army National Guard – on cable or satellite via FOX Sports Detroit, can tune in live at 7 p.m. on their computer or handheld devices and follow these instructions:

On Your Desktop/Laptop Computer

  • Go to FOXSportsGo.com
  • Click on the “All Chs” menu at the bottom left of the page
  • Select “FOX Sports Go Extras”
  • Scroll to “MHSAA Football Selection Sunday” and enjoy the show 

On Your Handheld Device

  1. Download the free FOX Sports Go app from your store
  2. Click on the “All Channels” menu at the top of the app
  3. Select “FOX Sports Go Extras”
  4. Scroll to “MHSAA Football Selection Sunday” and enjoy the show

FOX Sports Detroit also will be the home for four live streaming games each week of the playoffs on the FOXSportsDetroit.com website and will carry all nine championship games from Detroit. The 8-Player Final on Nov. 20 and the Division 4 11-Player Final on Nov. 27 will be shown on a delayed basis, but shown live on FOXSportsDetroit.com; all other Finals will be live on FOX Sports Detroit.