In the early 90’s while I was in kindergarten and probably ending in second grade, I had another sports love in my life outside the Green Bay Packers. This was the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Monday nights and sometimes Saturday mornings for my brother and I were spent watching Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Bret “the Hitman” Hart. We collected wrestling figures and would make them have matches in our wrestling ring whenever we could. However, it wasn’t till the very end of this era that I found out the ugly truth about my wrestling heroes. It was all fake. It’s rigged, scripted, not a single ounce of the stories or matches was real. This ended my viewing of the WWF for that part of my life. Now, there’s little rumors swirling around football, is the NFL literally rigged?

This comes about after former NFL running back Arian Foster appeared on the Macrodosing podcast.

Foster’s comments

After being asked whether or not the NFL was scripted, Foster agreed and even doubled down on elaboration. “That’s what practice was about, practicing the script.” According to Foster every team at the beginning of the season received the script of what was going to happen that season. “It’s like the WWF, so we know what’s going to happen, but you still have to put on a show” Since that clip hit the internet, Twitter has been blowing up with opinions. Most of them are jokes and memes taking this as just a fun interview where Arian Foster decided to play into the charade. Others though, seem to think this is 100% Arians throwing the NFL under the bus and exposing them.

Now I’m not all-knowing, but I think if this were true, we’d know it. The powerful NFL probably would’ve rushed Arian Foster with undercover agents. He would’ve been dragged out of the room to never be heard from again. This is such a joke that other current and former NFL players are even getting in on the fun.

I honestly couldn’t blame George Foster for having a reaction like that finding out his team was going 0-16 in 2008.

It’s situations like that that absolutely show the idea of the NFL being rigged to be completely false. Imagine being told you’re not winning a single game that season. And then if you endure that, then finding out the following season you’re only winning 2. I would think there is zero chance the players on those teams would be able to keep quiet.

Some have argued that the money keeps them quiet. These are professional athletes. Having a script run for you to lose year after year, it doesn’t matter how much you’re being paid, you’re going to hate it after a while.

Scripting gameplay

To script an entire game is a mind-numbing process I can’t even begin to comprehend. There would have to be an endless number of variables. What if the Quarterback doesn’t make the throw to the receiver. The ball is short, or overthrown? What if a running back fumbles the football when he’s supposed to hang on? What if a defender trips on their way to make a tackle?

Many would say, “Simple, they just script recoveries or do it over.” But how do you get all 22 players to know exactly what’s happening and to make the change on the fly within 30 seconds? It’s just not feasible. I would love to see the visible confusion on a defender’s face when a receiver misses a scripted catch, and it ends up in their hands for an accidental INT. Do they try to sell dropping it and risk it looking suspicious? What if they hold it too long and dropping it makes it a fumble and then the other 21 players have no idea what to do.

Imagine it’s 4th and goal from the 1-yard line in the Conference Championship. A touchdown takes the lead with time expiring. The Offense has been scripted all year to make it to the Super Bowl and win. There’s the snap, the QB hands off to the running back, just before he hits the pile, he trips flat on his face short of the goal line and a defender accidentally touches him. Welp looks like that other team is heading to the Super Bowl. Now who wins? These in-game variables just sound like such a headache compared to just letting the teams play.

The Truth

It’s just not true. Plain and simple. If it were, like the WWF/WWE it would’ve been unearthed by now.

Think about players like Nick Collins or Sterling Sharpe. Players that were at the tip-top of their game. Players on the cusp of Hall of Fame careers, that were cut short due to injury. Was it scripted for them to be injured and have their career ended? Or was it a freak accident in the script that was unfortunate? Regardless of the terms, there’s no way these players stay quiet. The so-called plan robbed them of this honor. It would’ve been unearthed by now by someone with a bone to pick.

Rest easy that it’s already come out that Arian Foster was joking. He was trying to play into the crazy narrative, and it spiraled out of control. But that won’t stop some of the conspiracy theorists anyhow.

Try your best to ignore the noise and enjoy the game as we know it. Amazing and authentic. As long as the referees don’t interject that is!

Greg Meinholz is a lifelong devoted Packer fan. A contributor to PackersTalk as well as CheeseheadTV. Follow him on Twitter at @gmeinholz. for Packers commentary, random humor, beer endorsements, and occasional Star Wars and Marvel ramblings.

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