Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
Sen. Arlen Specter's increasing disdain for the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell shines through in his language. In Mike Fish's story on ESPN.com, as in others, Specter uses words such as "absurd" and "ridiculous" while essentially mocking Goodell. The senator, responding to Goodell's explanation for destroying Spygate evidence, said, "The word[s] absurd and ridiculous keep coming to my mind, because he [Goodell] says it with a straight face." Specter is not just questioning the commissioner's explanation. He is making it personal.
Specter appears increasingly invested in the outcome of this inquiry. His language shows zero respect for the commissioner or his explanation. I find that telling as we try to determine where this is headed. The league has clearly lost control of this story. Specter is on the offensive. His disclosure that Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy is "prepared to have the committee pay for people who travel and investigate" suggests this process is only beginning.
