$9 Billion yearly revenue, lucrative advertising contracts, a devoted worldwide fanbase; the NFL is a big deal. But can anyone get to that level and remain morally intact?
Unfortunately not, it would seem. While the NFL is certainly one of the most exciting sporting leagues in the world, it has faced a wealth of issues (almost yearly) since its inception - and only recently have said issues been landing closer to home, not only for the league, but for fans worldwide.
Their past mistakes are starting to catch up: they can't run from them forever. Issues that were once swept under the rug and dealt with swiftly and quietly are now boiling to the surface as league executives attempt to keep track of all the fires they need to put out. Everything is being treated like one big PR nightmare, instead of a set of tangible, realistic problems that need to be addressed.
It all seems to be spiralling out of control as of late, whether it be the 2012 lockout, or the recent developments with Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, the league can't seem to keep itself from controversy.
So with that in mind, we've went back through the history books to bring you 10 of the most shocking facts about The NFL that they really don't want you to know.
10. Punishment?
One of the highest profile falls from grace to have happened in recent years was the suspension of Adrian Peterson for causing negligent injury to his son.
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Peterson faced a lengthy suspension with pay, and a lengthy battle to regain the public's trust, but that wasn't supposed to be the plan. A leaked voice message from Troy Vincent, a league executive, promised Peterson that he would only face a 2 match ban.
The NFL's lax approach to punishing players has gone so far that President Obama has weighed in on the situation, requesting that the league treat issues seriously, instead of just slipping behind the curve each time.