Joe Horn Calls Roger Goodell 'The Vladimir Putin of the NFL'
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Former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Joe Horn has long been critical of Roger Goodell, and he took another shot at the NFL commissioner when asked about the league's crackdown on celebrations.
According to Jonathan Jones of Sports Illustrated, the four-time Pro Bowler compared Goodell to Russian President Vladimir Putin:
[Goodell] is like the Vladimir f--king Putin of the NFL. You quote me on that s--t. [Goodell] is the [Putin] of the NFL when it comes to players. Putin punks every country when he gets ready to. And there's no rules when it comes to Putin, and Goodell is the same f--king way when it comes to players. He sets all the standards.
Horn also explained why he believes Goodell and the NFL are so against players expressing themselves following touchdowns and big plays: "[Goodell] wants to control. Referees think you're overly celebrating, and they throw flags. It's either going to count against your team or it's going to count out of your pocket. It's control, man. They want to control. He controls the players."
The 44-year-old's comments came after he called Goodell "the devil" in an interview with TheFootballGirl.com last year.
Horn was known for coming up with interesting celebrations during his playing career, including pulling a cellphone from under goalpost padding following a touchdown.
Goodell's authority has been a major point of contention among current and former players, with the Deflategate situation involving the New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady standing out.
The NFL Players Association collectively bargained to give Goodell that power, which means nothing can change until there's a new CBA.
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