At times, the NFL has acted like a tobacco company. It suppressed, for years, knowledge about the dire effects of concussions. It mishandled, for years, numerous domestic violence cases. The commissioner is, at times, pompous and robotic. The league has been money-grubbing, selfish, mean and may have railroaded its best player ever over deflated footballs.
But something recently has changed. The NFL, quietly, is using its massive power in ways it never has before—positive ways. It's an effort that has stunned even the most cynical of team executives.
Can the NFL be an altruistic force for once?