Things looked so promising when Roger Goodell took over as NFL Commissioner in 2006. NFL on FOX analyst John Lynch remembers that time well as the tenure of previous commish Paul Tagliabue had grown stale.
"[Goodell] was a breath of fresh air," Lynch said during an appearance on "America's Pregame" on FOX Sports 1 on Wednesday.
Fast-forward to the present day and Goodell finds himself wrapped up in the Deflategate controversy with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. As a court case looms, Lynch says the issue has shifted from being a black eye on the Patriots organization to one that has started to make the league look bad.
"[Goodell] has taken a hit perception-wise because he kinda came in like John Wayne and didn't really care about precedent," Lynch.
Goodell's approach is a start contrast to Tagliabue who in Lynch's view, made every decision based on precedent. And while Goodell was able to make his attitude work early in his tenure, things have started to slip, despite his good intentions.
"When you don't operate on precedent, things can get sloppy," Lynch said. "... The last couple of offseasons have been sloppy."
You can watch part of his appearance on "America's Pregame" below.
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