The move Tuesday by the Federal Communication Commission to remove the regulatory ban on pay-TV airing locally blacked-out NFL games is just the beginning of the league’s Washington headache.
The ruling by the FCC — which the NFL unsuccessfully fought — is expected to be followed on Capitol Hill by:
- A bill aiming to create federal oversight of the NFL
- A move by some lawmakers to do away with the tax-exempt status enjoyed by the NFL and other pro sports organizations
- A push from some in Congress to do away with the NFL’s anti-trust exemptions.
The FCC action and the moves in Congress — coming on the heels of the Ray Rice domestic violence episode — show the NFL is not exactly in Washington’s good graces lately.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is behind the effort to create a Congressional commission overseeing the NFL.
“That’s something I’m thinking through,” Blumenthal told The Post. The lawmaker said he would like to form a commission to review all of the NFL’s policies, including treatment of players and women.
The commission — whose members would include people with sports-world credibility — would determine if the NFL is worthy of its antitrust status.
At the same time, Blumenthal is sponsoring a bill with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) that would completely end the blackout of local NFL games.
An NFL spokesman said, “NFL teams have made significant efforts in recent years to minimize blackouts. The FCC’s decision will not change that commitment for the foreseeable future.”