The media icon that is the NFL seemed to go from a league with players playing to win and get the prize inside every box (the Super Bowl) to a league that’s been loaded with player conduct problems, divas, and players just in it for the money.

On Aug. 8, 2006, Roger Goodell was selected to succeed retiring commissioner Paul Tagliabue, voted on by 31 NFL GMs (Oakland abstained from all voting).

Goodell officially became the acting commissioner on Sept. 1.

From the moment Goodell was named to the commissioner position he has been severely cracking down on off- and on-the-field player conduct behavior.

In mid-2007, the off-field actions of NFL players Adam “Pacman” Jones and Chris Henry had become a major problem, not only for their respective teams, but for the league and Roger Goodell.

Right before the start of the 2006 season, Roger Goodell and the NFLPA came to an agreement on “conduct policy” which would “help control off-field behavior by its players and preserve the league’s public image.”

Following the new conduct policy cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones and WR Chris Henry became the first two players to be suspended.

Jones was suspended for the entire 2007 season and Henry was suspended for the first eight games of the 2007 season.

Players to join Adam Jones (who was punished twice) and Chris Henry on the list were DT “Tank” Johnson (10 games), QB Michael Vick (first four games of 2009), and the latest being WR Donte Stallworth (entire 2009 season).

So coming from a league with Paul Tagliabue that never seemed to be in the mainstream media for player conduct problems, the NFL has now turned into Roger Goodell’s zoo where the majority want to play but 10-20 percent of players would be considered divas/attention-seekers or just in it for the money.

This offseason, former Broncos quarterback Jay Cuter acted as if his parents took away his X-Box or his favorite toy when the Broncos fired head coach Mike Shanahan and replaced him with Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

When McDaniels became the head coach he became one of the youngest in NFL history.

Well, the saga between Cutler and McDaniels began and Cutler would always use the phrase “I’ve been betrayed” and no matter what would come out of his mouth it would always start with “I’ve or me.”

So Josh McDaniels decided to make a controversial move by trading the disgruntled QB to the Chicago Bears for backup QB Kyle Orton and three picks (two first round picks, ‘09 and ‘10).

Cutler is now 3-3 in Chicago and Kyle Orton is 6-0 in Denver. At least Brandon Marshall learned from his suspension from McDaniels and now is back to playing his best football.

Speaking of quarterback antics, but this time it’s not even close to the antics pulled by Cutler, the legend under center, Brett Favre was going back and forth deciding if he wanted or did not want to play this season.

He finally made up his mind to sign with the Minnesota Vikings right after training camp, which is just what Favre wanted.

The great thing about Favre is that he didn’t come back for the money; everyone knows that and he’s proved that this season.

Favre came back because he loves the game of football and he’ll play as long as he wants to or until someone straps him down and won’t let him play any longer.

If there is a team out there in need of a QB that Favre likes he’ll sign.

Two talented quarterbacks, one offseason. One made the right move because he represents what the NFL should be and for the majority is, and that’s a team player. The other represents a cry baby who was dropped as a kid and now has to wish he was back where he used to be.

So far I’ve talked about divas/cry babies and the legend himself, Brett Favre who is neither a diva nor cry baby.

Now we have to look at another problem that’s not just in the NFL but all sports and that is the idiotic nature of players using Twitter.

In the past week, Chiefs running back Larry Johnson has been in hot water over a few of his “tweets.”

Johnson used his Twitter account to lash out at his first-year head coach Todd Haley as well as making a homophobic slur.

“my father got more credentials than most of these pro coaches. … google my father!!!!!!!”

“My father played for the coach from ‘remember the titans’. Our coach played golf. My father played for redskins briefly. Our coach. Nuthn”

I would expect commissioner Roger Goodell to suspended and/or fine the former star running back Johnson.

I always wonder what’s going through the minds of those selected players when they decided to spill their mind on Twitter.

Some players like Matt Hasselbeck, Alex Rios, Ron Artest, Shaq and many others use Twitter in the way it’s supposed to be used—sharing the other side of their life other than what fans get to see on the field/court.

However, there have been a growing number of players that are using Twitter without the thought of consequence or they know they will get caught but they don’t care or respect what the consequences could be.

Washington Redskins “nobody” Robert Henson is famous for being the biggest Twitter idiot to walk God’s green earth.

After the Redskins horrendous performance against the St Louis Rams the Skins linebacker Henson decided to speak his mind to the “wonderful” Skins fans after the game.

“All you fake half hearted Skins fan can .. I won’t go there but I dislike you very strongly, don’t come to Fed Ex to boo dim wits!!”

Well the only part that caught the media headlines was “dim wits.”

Now not only was this a boneheaded move but the fact that the first two games and especially the one against St Louis, Henson was inactive.

Now the first tweet was uncalled for but his “tweet” after that “dim wits tweet” is really what set many people off.

Henson also tweeted: “The question is who are you to say you know what’s best for the team and you work 9 to 5 at McDonalds”

Really?

The only thing down about this is ESPN’s Mike Greenberg already went off on you so that quits my thunder.

Greeny’s comments: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4492151

I will say one thing, however. Not only were you inactive but one, you’re a rookie LB from TCU.

Your alma mater is playing better football than your current team the Washington Redskins.

Coupled with the fact that you haven’t even recorded one tackle in the NFL, what gives you the right to go on Twitter and “rip” the DC fans who probably could make a better linebacker than you will if you stay in the NFL that long?

So as the title asks: “What has the NFL turned into the past few years?”

Well let’s sum this up.

1) The NFL is still a dominant league with some of the best athletes that this sport has ever seen (Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald etc).

2) For the most part the NFL is still a respectable league and a professional league with a few slip-ups.

3) Roger Goodell has been a great commissioner despite the suspensions, fines and hard times the league has been through with the deaths of Sean Taylor and Steve McNair.

4) Larry Johnson, Mr. Nobody from TCU, Jay Cutler, Michael Crabtree, Brandon Marshall (at least the Brandon Marshall from the summer), as well as a few others, still don’t know how to be mature. Marshall is now off that list but the Brandon Marshall of old was no adult.

5) It doesn’t pay to play in Oakland, Tampa Bay, St Louis, or Washington.

6) The NFL rookie salaries have gone way out of line with some of the players not even deserving of the money they are issued.

7) I could go on and on about the good and the bad in the NFL but overall if someone had to ask me what has the NFL turned into the past few years my response would be: A group of 1,480 men out of the estimated 1,500 work their ass off to play the game that they love and they love every bit of it. The selected 20 do not belong in the NFL for actions that do not result in mature behavior or in a working environment.

I would love to see Roger Goodell include in his conduct policy something about “one players actions on Twitter will be supervised and if broken will be punished depending on the actions of that player”.

At least something along those lines.

So to the fans of the NFL: What Has the NFL Turned into The Past Few Years for you?

You can follow Lars at Twitter http://twitter.com/larshanson