New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson has played his final NFL game. The veteran tight end’s career concluded when his team lost in controversial fashion to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
Days removed from the controversy in New Orleans, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has yet to speak out. His silence tells us a story of a man that refuses to own up to the imperfection of the league he runs.
In talking about this and Goodell’s responsibility, Watson wrote a scathing open letter to the commissioner.
.@nflcommish pic.twitter.com/a0pIFnboMP
— Benjamin Watson (@BenjaminSWatson) January 24, 2019
This specific aspect the letter is eye-opening.
“Your continued silence on this matter is unbecoming of the position you hold, detrimental to the integrity of the game and disrespectful and dismissive to football fans everywhere,” Watson wrote. “From the locker room to Park Ave, accountability is what makes our league great. Lead by example. We are waiting.”
These are some very strong words from one of the most-respected players in the game. Watson is pretty much mirroring what others around the NFL believe after a late-game non-call pretty much ended the Saints’ championship aspirations.
For Watson, who announced his retirement recently, it’s a bitter way for his career to come to a conclusion.