Friday, March 31, 2006

Michael Eisner as NFL Commissioner? Just Say No


Some silly goose with a sports mag I will not name floated former Disney head Michael Eisner as a candidate for the NFL Commissioner's job.

Please don't hire him.

Eisner's not in the NFL tradition of politically adept negotiation and positive relationships. He's a man with a public reputation for boardroom combat. Witness his high-profile tussles with his "former friend" Mike Ovitz. Can you see that played out in the NFL? I can, and with terrible results.

Stick with COO Roger Goodell as the next Commissioner. Roger's in the mold of Pete Rozelle and really understands what the NFL is all about.

Hiring Mike Eisner -- and this is not personal -- would be a major mistake. It's not his flair for producing good entertainment programs I question -- though others may considering his latest programming flop -- but his ability to get a diverse group of NFL owners to agree. My fear is tha Mike will take sides openly -- if not hostages.