The problem with Jim Irsay

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay currently finds himself in hot water. He got busted for DUI, possession of controlled substances, and is potentially facing four felony counts. Very serious matters indeed.

Of course, Irsay hasn't been convicted of anything yet, and time will tell how all that plays out. At that, there are many that demand Irsay be punished immediately. There can be little doubt the historical "presumed innocent until proven guilty" foundation of the American justice system has become lost in the prosecutorial shuffle/propaganda of recent times. Once charged, the masses automatically assume the defendant is guilty. We see it all the time, but that certainly doesn't make it right. Yet, for the sake of hypothetical argument, let's assume Irsay is guilty of the crimes he has been charged with.

The justice system aside, this would seem to pose a major dilemma for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell rode into town as a "law and order" type Commish. Over the years, he's come down hard on various players for various infractions, be it on the field or off. He's handed down fines and suspensions galore in an attempt to "clean up" the game. Holding players to high standards of professonalism is a good thing. Along that line, Goodell has been consistent with holding coaches and front office personnel to a higher standard yet. When they step out of line, they get rightfully smacked -- as it should be.

But here's the problem. Jim Irsay is an owner. One of 32 that appointed Goodell as their league representative in the first place. Technically, he still reports to them. Let's not forget, if enough owners become displeased with Roger's performance, they can fire him as well. So they are no doubt paying close attention as to what sort of punishment their own sheriff attempts to hand down on one of their brethren. What is appropriate to placate the masses -- and how much is too much lest one of them find themselves in a similar future predicament? This could be a slippery slope, and Goodell certainly realizes a few different forces are at work here.

Many scribes and talking heads are clamoring for Goodell to come down even harder on Irsay BECAUSE he is an owner, and should be held to higher standards yet. That all sounds well and good in principle, but the most relevant question remains -- just what exactly can he do?

Fine Irsay? OK. How much? A million, two million, five million? Those sound like big numbers until one realizes Irsay's reputed worth is north of $1.5 billion dollars. Even a whopping $15 million dollar fine would only take away a paltry 1% of his assets. Chump change. He doles out more for some of his employees (players) than that.

Suspend him? That would seem to be problematic as well. Goodell may wield a lot of authority, but he hardly has the power to tell the owner of a company he is no longer allowed to run it as he sees fit. Just a guess -- but methinks the other owners would not approve of such a thing being allowed to happen.

As long as we're in the world of hypotheticals -- what if Goodell attempted to both fine and suspend Irsay, but the owner refused to acknowledge either? What recourse would the Commish have at that point to enforce his edicts? Goodell is a Commissioner, not a judge, so jail time is not an option.

More drastic measures such as removing Irsay as an owner? Hey, this is a guy that invested hundreds of millions of dollars to buy a team in the first place. You can't just kick him to the curb.

Forcing the Colts to forfeit games until Irsay complied with punishments handed down by the league office? Good luck with that. Not only would Colts' ticket holders slap the NFL with a massive class action lawsuit, they'd likely be joined by thousands of fans from other cities around the league that were deprived of their games because the Colts weren't allowed to show up. The good Mr. Goodell would not only be out as Commish -- he'd be lucky to escape jail time himself. Let's just say that's not a viable option either.

But let's take another look at the big picture. Jim Irsay got busted for DUI and having a few "unauthorized" prescription drugs in his vehicle. Even if found guilty of all four pending felony counts -- do you really think a billionaire is going to wind up doing a stretch at the Gray Bar Hilton over such a thing? Color me doubtful.

Right about now, I'd bet Roger Goodell is having a harder time sleeping than Jim Irsay. The Commish definitely has a problem on his hands, with no easy solutions in sight.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out......