PHILADELPHIA — So John Mara, the president and principal owner of the New York Giants, did something the other day that, in the world of the NFL and its warped system of priorities and values, qualified as an act of true bravery. He dared to speak his mind, and speak the truth, about a league proposal to flex games from Sundays to Thursdays: It was a cheap way to try to boost viewership for those midweek games on Amazon. It would put players at greater risk of injury. And it was, in his words, “abusive” to fans who had purchased tickets for and made plans to attend Sunday games.
The proposal didn’t pass. But the vote, according to Mara, was close, and the owners came up with a “compromise” that makes it possible for a team to play on two Thursday nights in a single season. Some compromise.
“Players don’t like playing on Thursday nights,” Mara told reporters Tuesday during the league’s owners’ meetings in Phoenix. “We get that. We’ve been doing it once a year. I think adding the second one is not going to be very popular. If they had done a poll of the 32 coaches, I think it would’ve been overwhelmingly against that, and the general managers as well. They don’t get to cast those results. …
