The Super Bowl in Houston gave Roger Goodell a chance to be human and he blew it

HOUSTON — On Wednesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked to clarify the league’s stance on President Donald Trump’s executive order banning travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations from entering the United States.

Goodell passed up the opportunity.

“As commissioner of the NFL, I’m singularly focused on the Super Bowl right now,” Goodell said. “As I’ve said before, we have a unique position to have an event on Sunday that will bring the world together. They will have an opportunity to be entertained, feel good about what we’re doing, and that’s something that we feel very proud of, and it’s something that we’re going to continue to be focused on through this game.”

Goodell’s response wasn’t too different, at its face, from the one that Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu gave on Opening Night. Sanu, a Muslim whose mother left war-torn Sierra Leone in the 1970s, was asked at the start of his podium appearance how Trump’s travel ban affected him. He told reporters, several times, that he would only be talking about the upcoming game.

“Obviously, my name’s Mohamed. A lot of people know I’m Muslim,” Sanu said. “But I’m here because of my football talents, not because I’m Muslim. So if you guys are going to continue to ask me about my religious beliefs, then I’m going to keep telling you the same thing, because I’m here to talk about football.”

Though the words themselves are similar, the responses were given in different contexts. Sanu hinted that he might address the ban at a later date. He is likely aware that taking a stance on anything before the Super Bowl could create a week-long distraction for his teammates and heap stress on himself. Goodell, meanwhile, hid behind the Super Bowl during his de facto State of the League address. Sanu had to face media scrums all week. Goodell held one brief, moderated press conference.

While Goodell was too “singularly focused on the Super Bowl” to talk about the ban, he had no problem answering questions about relocation, Deflategate, sports gambling, marijuana, broadcast changes (441 words on that), celebration penalties, starting a developmental league, and Ezekiel Elliott’s domestic violence case.

He used the same excuse players do to avoid questions during Super Bowl week, except he will be watching the game Sunday while Sanu blocks, runs, catches passes, and absorbs a series of subconcussive hits.

The NFL seemed to be running from the Trump question during Super Bowl week. That quote by Sanu is one of the few relatively political answers that snuck past the NFL’s transcriptionists.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that there were virtually no mentions of Goodell or Trump from the publicly released transcripts from Opening Night, even though Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady (and others) were asked several questions about their relationships to both men. Goodell was asked about the transcripts on Wednesday, too, and denied any knowledge.

Goodell did embrace the city of Houston, however. He opened his address by thanking Mayor Sylvester Turner, the thousands of local volunteers, and the community in general for hosting the Super Bowl. Goodell also applauded the Patriots and Falcons for the outstanding seasons they’ve had, and he called 2016 “one of the most competitive seasons in the history of the NFL.”

Goodell invoked Houston and NFL players for his own goodwill. The former is sacrificing resources — space, time, money — to host the game. The latter are sacrificing their bodies. They’re perhaps the two most integral parts of one of the world’s biggest spectacles.

And as it so happens: Both are deeply affected by Trump’s executive orders.

Houston resettles more refugees every year than any other city in the United States. Roughly 30 of every 1,000 refugees resettled anywhere by the United Nations land in Harris County, which is more than all but three countries in the world. NFL players make up their own diverse body of people, including many who are Muslim. These groups are the Super Bowl. There will be refugees working inside the stadium during the game when Sanu is on the field.

By refusing to address the travel ban — even after leagues like the NBA have done it without staking a strict political viewpoint — Goodell revealed that he isn’t focused on the Super Bowl at all. If he were, he would have noticed the people he might be alienating with his silence. That’s the best-case scenario, anyway, because the flipside is that he did consider Houston and his players and decided he didn’t care.

Turner reiterated Houston’s place as a haven for immigrants and refugees well before Trump’s travel ban. In December, as Trump was preparing to become president, Turner announced the creation of an Office of New Americans and Immigrant Communities in Houston that would provide resources for anyone who was moving to the city from a foreign country.

“I want to be very clear: The City of Houston that existed prior to the election, that welcomed you to this city, that rejoiced in your diversity — that city still exists today,” Turner said in a press conference. “I intend to do everything within my power to respect you, to protect you and to serve you as mayor.”

Turner staked Houston’s reputation at a time when the state of Texas is actively trying to drive away refugees. Last September, Governor Greg Abbott pulled Texas out of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program, and is trying to crack down on “sanctuary cities” — cities that protect illegal immigrants by not pursuing federal immigration law violations. This week, he canceled $1.5 million in criminal justice grants to Travis County, which includes the state capital of Austin.

By doubling down on its immigrant community, Houston may be inviting similar repercussions. The definition of a “sanctuary city” is nebulous, and the city’s refugee policies arguably fall under it. The Houston Police Department has long had a policy of not asking the public about immigration status. That will continue, despite the changing national political climate.

“If anything, [Mayor Turner] has been even more supportive [than previous mayors],” Lauren West told me. West is the senior program and operations manager for Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees, PAIR, which supports refugee youths in Houston. The city’s stance has helped her explain current events to some of her kids.

“You’ve got to give them some hope,” West says. “They’ve already gone through so much in their lives, and to throw this on them, that’s just horrible. But it’s also not good to lie to them completely, or to ignore the situation as if they’re not being affected by it.”

The NFL Players Association didn’t shy away from the travel ban because of Super Bowl week. One day after Goodell made his remarks, I asked union president Eric Winston if the NFLPA had a stance:

Of course we do. Our Muslim brothers that are in this league, we empathize. And that’s it. And we’re going to go do whatever we can. I’ll go stand with them if people want to come to my house or family or whatever, I’ll be there with them. ... These guys are players in the National Football League; their families are ours. And I take that seriously.

I think about them like that, in that we are going to do whatever it takes to protect them and their families. They can call on us, they can call on me, they can call on [executive director DeMaurice Smith], they can call on any of these guys, and we’ll be there for them. I don’t think that’s who we are as a people, but I’ll leave that discussion for another day.

This all circles back to what the Super Bowl is. Sara Kauffman, the Houston Area director at Refugee Services of Texas, told me that there will be dozens of refugees working the game: “Working security around the Super Bowl, who are catering parties, and cleaning up at Super Bowl parties. They are very much a part of our city.”

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Ryan Harris reminded me that there are also multiple Muslim Super Bowl champions.

“Myself, [Denver Broncos cornerback] Aqib Talib -- not only are we a part of this country, but we are a part of this league,” Harris said. “They talk about to us that we wear the shield everywhere we go, so if we’re standing up for equality, if we’re standing up for police training, if we’re standing up for constitutional rights, in a way the league is there with us.”

These statements are risky. Houston is provoking a combative governor. Players, by stating their opinions, are inviting criticism, solicited or not. “Stick to sports” has become a common refrain over the last few months as athletes and sports writers respond to Trump’s election and presidency.

Former Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah defended his right to speak freely in a story published for Sports Illustrated on Thursday. He closed it by invoking one of the most revered athletes in history:

Muhammad Ali, the greatest athlete of our time. A global and American icon. Unapologetically Black. Unapologetically Muslim. He wouldn’t remain silent during all this turmoil. And neither will we.

Abdullah and his brother, Hamza, have been outspoken as former NFL players, especially on the issues of concussions and the concussion protocol. They are also devout Muslims. They started a support group called the Ashad Network to give Muslim athletes and entertainers a space to discuss their unique issues. Abdullah disagrees with the “stick to sports” mentality, but he understands it.

“Entertainment is how we escape reality, whether it’s listening to music, watching movies, binging on Netflix, watching sports, playing video games,” Abdullah told me. “So if you start bringing up executive orders, and human rights, and war -- if you start to bring up these real issues, people are going to be like, ‘I came to look at this to get away from that stuff. Don’t bring that stuff into here.’”

Roger Goodell may view the Super Bowl as “an opportunity to be entertained,” but he and the NFL are long past sticking to sports. The league has pushed forward on many player issues, donating millions to research traumatic brain injuries, creating a domestic violence policy, and giving players better post-career access to benefits and health services. The NFL has always been concerned with more than just putting an entertaining product on the field, even if reluctantly.

“[The NFL] is bringing a little more awareness about issues, but they have to have it first in order for them to respond to it,” Latasha Batch said Wednesday at an NFLPA wellness panel in Houston. She discussed how her husband, former Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, struggled when he transitioned out of the NFL.

“Domestic violence had to come to the forefront, at the worst it could possibly be because of video and social media, in order for them to create a domestic violence campaign. Many players had to commit suicide for them to take initiative on [concussions]. Why is there a waiting period?”

The answer to that question is complicated. One reason is that Goodell is beholden to NFL owners, too, not just players or whichever city is hosting the Super Bowl in a given year. Billionaires often have different political viewpoints than their minor-millionaire athletes and the United States’ general populace.

Empathy doesn’t have to be political, however, and not every stance has to be boisterous. The Ashad Network, for example, isn’t planning to make a unified statement. Harris will happily speak his mind about issues facing the Muslim community when asked, but he hasn’t published an op-ed like Abdullah. He prefers discussing things over coffee.

“Everyone who I have ever played with or been coached by has been nothing but inclusionary and respectful of my beliefs,” Harris said. “And we’ve had tough conversations sometimes, but I invite those. I invited people who I know to ask me questions that they may think are stupid or disrespectful, but let’s talk.”

On Monday, Mayor Turner gave a press conference to directly address Trump’s executive orders and what they mean for Houston. He echoed Goodell by setting a global stage, but for him, the stakes were much higher.

“This weekend, we will host the single biggest sporting event there is,” Turner said. “The eyes of this world are on us right now. And it’s a perfect opportunity to set an example and show them how it is done, and — as we stand up for the values that we believe in, diversity, inclusion, respect, and appreciation of differences — the recognition that in our diversity is our strength.”

Goodell believes he is doing his job by refusing to address questions about Trump’s executive orders. Instead, he is neglecting Muslim players and a city that prides itself on being a welcoming place for everyone, not just Super Bowl guests. Once again, Goodell refused to acknowledge reality and passed up his chance to be a human being.