I Don't Blame Roger Goodell For Laughing At Roger Staubach's Concussion Joke

There are a lot of things to lead me to believe that Roger Goodell doesn't care enough about concussions. For one, the multitude of rule changes that were made on behalf of the player's safety were only implemented after the NFL was the recipient of millions upon millions of dollars worth of lawsuits. If that's not enough for you, then his strong push to have the NFL's regular season elongated to 18 games certainly should be. However, I'll tell you what I am not taking as a telltale sign that Roger Goodell doesn't take concussions seriously, and that is his decision (yes, it was a conscious decision) to laugh at a concussion joke. 

What else are you supposed to do when a joke is made at your expense? Sit there stern faced like a stick-in-the-mud? It's not like he was in hysterics. That was the most forced, awkward laugh/smile I have ever seen. You know when you are sitting with your friends, and one friend goes just a little too far over the line? Do you make a big deal out of it and kill everyone's vibe, or do you call him an asshole under your breath and laugh it off? That's basically what Roger Goodell just did. He wasn't slapping his knee or wiping tears from his eyes. He knew he was on camera. He was just humoring an NFL legend's fairly impressive attempt at humor. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that Roger Goodell is the most clairvoyant person in the world, but he knew that his reaction to that joke was going to be a story no matter what it was. People would find a way to criticize him regardless, so why wouldn't he choose to loosen the tension in the room for the time being? He wasn't laughing at concussions, he was laughing at himself. If nothing else then at least I can respect his ability to do that.