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Russell Okung Says Roger Goodell is Out to Get the Chargers

Los Angeles Chargers v Pittsburgh Steelers

SourceLos Angeles Chargers left tackle Russell Okung had enough.

For the second time in three games, Okung was called for a questionable foul late in the game on a running play that could have helped his team win, but instead put the Chargers behind the sticks.

In Sunday’s 23-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens, Okung was called for holding against Baltimore safety Tony Jefferson, negating a Melvin Gordon 11-yard run that resulted in a first down and could have helped salt away the game late.

Two weeks ago against the Ravens, Okung also was called for holding on a Melvin Gordon 8-yard run. …

Okung believes those calls are no coincidence, and that perhaps the NFL wants them to earn their way to the Super Bowl on the road instead of hosting a game in a 27,000-seat soccer stadium.

“Roger Goodell doesn’t want us to come home,” Okung said. “That’s all I can say.”

Thoughts and prayers to Okung and the Chargers. It can’t be easy to go through life knowing that the commissioner of your sport has a personal big, raging hard on for you and will stop at nothing to see to it your season ends. Even if it means putting his operatives on the field to secretly undermine you. That is one bitter pill to have to swallow and my heart goes out to the whole Chargers organization.

It’s tough enough to win in this league without having a megalomaniacal, power-hungry despot conspiring to destroy you, just to curry favor with the other 31 owners who are jealous of all your success and want to see you taken down. I mean, think about it. Why else would they call holding on a left tackle on a running play? It had to be a sting operation. There was probably someone from the league’s Game Operations department running around on the sidelines, telling the officials the perfect time to throw the flag. I bet he even went up to Okung and said “We measured your hand placement. You’re fucked!”

So yeah, best of luck to Okung and the Chargers. I don’t know what they can do to overcome this. Or what else to say, really. Other than those two holding calls over the last three weeks probably represent the worst abuse of power ever displayed by a commissioner, ever. I just hope for their sake Goodell doesn’t cheat to help the Patriots win because he clearly wants them to advance more than he wants LA. It’s so unfair.