Last Friday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made a startling revelation concerning something negative about his own league.

And, as fans, I'm sure most of us would agree.

The amount of money being thrown at NFL rookies, most particularly first-round players, is "ridiculous" according to the commish.

Omigosh, giving wheelbarrows full of money to untested players, who have shown only great potential at the college level, can be a bad thing?

Finally, someone that matters came out and said it.

"There's something wrong with the system," said Goodell in an interview last week. "The money should go to people who perform."

Intriguing concept, but it never seems to apply in the NFL, unless you established yourself in the league.

When you have, more power to you. If you've watched games, it's not pretty. People get hurt. Often. Too often. As Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Bill Russell once said, "Basketball is a contact sport. Football is a collision sport."

When University of Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long received a five-year, $57.75 million contract from the Miami Dolphins, which was signed before the draft, as the league allows the team with the first pick to negotiate beforehand, $30 million of it was a signing bonus.

Long got that chunk of change before he even stepped onto the practice field. If he got hurt in the rookie minicamp or even the upcoming training camp later this month, he could never play again and the Dolphins would be that much in the hole.

Granted, the Dolphins threw this money at him. Long would be crazy to turn it down. Any of us would love to be in that situation.

Through the years, owners have allowed fat contracts to first-round players to escalate, and they keep going higher.

Certainly, the money is there, thanks to television contracts, personal seat licenses, concessions, merchandise and so on, but there has to be some degree of fiscal responsibility when it comes to those contracts.

Goodell is thinking of instituting a policy in which players who do earn their money can renegotiate their initial rookie contract.

That sounds messy and will be a lot of extra work, but the toughest thing is the players' union won't allow for something like that. They're trying to get the players all the money they can. Do you think in the next collective bargaining agreement they'll give that type of power back?

I'd say no. So would you if you have a sweet deal like that.

Goodell is right when he says players with experience in the league deserve that money more than a fresh face off a college campus.

Timing is everything. In today's NFL, the riches are there for the first-round picks. Will they be down the road? We'll have to wait and see, but public opinion most likely will sway toward the owners.

In the NFL, contracts aren't guaranteed like baseball, so players need to get what they can. It's unfortunate that it doesn't always go to the ones that deserve it the most.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.