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NFL 2016: 5 Topics Nobody Will Care About Next Season

By Toni Matthews
Published on: 13:09 PST, Jan 17, 2016

The NFL is wrapping up another season, with Super Bowl 50 set to take place in February, 2016. By the end of 2016, it’s likely there are some notable stories, controversies, and even football players that people will simply not care about.

In some cases, it’s rather unfortunate because they are topics that sports fans should care about. What can I say? The need to be entertained, to be distracted from the mundane everyday life often takes precedence over the health and wellbeing of others, and even the very nature of sportsmanship.

Here’s a list of 10 NFL topics that people probably won’t care about next season. Be honest with yourself: Are you currently fired up about any of them now?

There was a time when “Deflategate” memes were everywhere. There was a collective hum of indignation that a team that was caught cheating (again) would be allowed to progress to the Super Bowl. However, that’s just what happened as the Patriots not only were allowed to play in the Super Bowl, they beat the Seattle Seahawks.

Wrists were slapped (and then un-slapped) and exactly a year later, hardly anyone mentions “Deflategate.” Odds are, by the time next NFL season gets in full swing, no one will be thinking about the trustworthiness of the New England Patriots. Unless, of course, they get wrapped up in a brand new scandal.

If Johnny Manziel was going to make something happen, this probably was his last chance to do it. He went belly up during his rookie NFL season, something that could be blamed on former Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine. And yet, Johnny’s off-field antics make me believe Pettine had good reason to be skeptical about the 23-year-old backup quarterback.

No one’s saying Manziel doesn’t have talent. However, I am very skeptical that a move to a new team will signal the return of “Johnny Football” and associated glory. More than likely, next season, all eyes will be on a new quarterback rookie with an incredible arm and a lot of hype behind him.

A lot of things could be said for Rams heading back to Los Angeles. I simply hope that the city and franchise appreciate each other a bit more than they did before the Rams packed up and went to St. Louis.

However, I’m not sure we’ll be saying much else about Oakland’s aspirations to join the Rams in L.A. next season. The NFL team might instead be headed to Texas. I’m not sure how Dallas and Houston fans feel about that.

Domestic violence is an ugly topic in any context. Add in a popular sport, and things become especially troubling. Often the public tends to be more sympathetic to sports figures than they should, heaping the blame on victims of violence and whichever outlets bring this topic to their attention.

While cases against athletes remain front page news, notice you don’t hear too much of a “demand” for a serious dialogue about the topic? Sad to say, I think the NFL was successful in getting the matter brushed completely under the rug. Even more depressing? It doesn’t look like NFL fans are all that upset about it.

Roger Goodell has weathered quite a few scandals and Concussion, starring Will Smith. Last year, there were calls for his resignation from all directions. He was booed throughout the NFL 2015 Draft. I honestly thought he would be out of a job at one point. Yet, he’s still here.

He was able to weather everything from lawsuits, multiple player arrests, a poor response to player misconduct, and “Deflategate.” Barring some unforeseen scandal of epic proportions, Goodell looks to be sitting far prettier than he deserves.

Anything here you’ll care about next season? Can you think of something (or someone) everyone will forget in the 2016-17 NFL season? Share your opinions below!

[Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Image]

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