Scandalous

“Ignorance is not an excuse.” These words were uttered from the mouth of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell shortly before he handed New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Peyton a year long suspension and banned defensive coordinator Greg Williams indefinitely in the wake of the Saints’ bounty gate scandal in 2012. The players and owners of the National Football League issued a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in 2011 that bestowed Goodell unprecedented disciplinary power.

Since then, Goodell earned a reputation of having an iron fist. In recent weeks, Goodell and the league have had to answer a roar of criticisms in their handling of the Ray Rice/domestic violence situation that has ravaged the media. Now that evidence is flooding against the commissioner, Goodell will have to be held accountable under his own words.

Within the duration of two days, Goodell’s career entered a complete upheaval. Once video emerged of Ravens running back Ray Rice issuing a left hook to his wife and subsequently knocking her unconscious, Goodell’s credibility came under fire. He has acted incredibly impulsive over the last five months. Initially, when the national spot light first encompassed the situation, Goodell suspended the three time Pro-Bowler for a minuscule of 2 games. This caused an avalanche of emotions amongst the sports world and beyond. The majority of society felt that Goodell handled this tragedy too faintly. It seemed that the NFL cared more about the use of marijuana instead of giving justice to an assaulted woman. On September 8, when TMZ released the full, disgusting video, the Baltimore Ravens terminated Rice’s contract, and the league suspended him indefinitely. In the beginning, Goodell refused to decree any harsher punishment because the league office did not receive factual evidence of what exactly transpired. This leaves a serious question mark. How can the NFL, a multi-billion dollar establishment, not be able to attain such a valuable piece of evidence? Goodell says the league “did not have the opportunity” to gain the information

The Associated Press says differently.

The pounding of Janay Rice in the Atlantic City, NJ casino elevator occurred in February. Rice was suspended at the end of July. On September 10, the Associated Press cited that a law enforcement official sent the video to the NFL office on April 9. TMZ also informed the public that they indeed tried to give the NFL first access to the video before it went viral, but they did not hear back from the league’s office.

Something doesn’t add up.

During a “CBS Evening News” interview on September 8, Goodell stated he never saw the full footage of Rice’s attack on his wife until that morning. This is in direct contrast to the Associated Press’ claims. Someone is lying. The Associated Press is one of the world’s most trusted news informants. It has been in existence for generations and has enjoyed prosperity for decades. It is highly implausible that the AP would risk lifetimes of credibility over one story.

The facts are mounting against Roger Goodell. It appears that he attempted to hide the video. Recently, the NFL inaugurated a new policy for punishment against players convicted of domestic violence because of what has occurred. Once the second video of Rice’s assault became public, Goodell was caught between a rock and a hard place. Even though Goodell is the man in charge and will take the heat of the criticism, he cannot make a decision without the other 32 owner’s consent. Goodell did not want to tell the media he knew of the video for a number of reasons. The main reason is the image of the league. The players represent the image of National Football League on and off the field. Such a graphic video shows that some players are horrible ambassadors of the brand they play for. Because of the video, the league could lose valuable sponsors and the millions of dollars that are with them. If Goodell refuses to acknowledge that he witnessed the video, he can’t be held accountable.

Now that this has happened, there are only two forms of action. If it is proven that Goodell had access to, watched, and attempted to cover up the video, he must be fired. The commissioner has a responsibility to do everything in his power to represent the league well. Hiding such a potent item disgraces the league and gives the impression of slyness and shadiness. If Goodell hid this video, what else did his office hide?

However, if Goodell had no knowledge of this video, his job should be safe. The media will inevitably say differently. Moreover, there could be a “civil war” amongst the owners who support and the owners who are against the commissioner. If Goodell didn’t know of the video, he can’t be judged. He has had a relatively clean reputation until this point. Many players believe that Goodell is a dictator and acts too harshly. It would be quite peculiar if this disciplinary figure turned a blind eye to such a vile and disturbing act. If Goodell loses his job, it would be because someone else hit his wife. How is that justified?

This situation is an incredibly sensitive topic in the world today. With all the hurt that came from this tragedy, one lesson shines through the darkness: whatever is done in the dark will come to light.

Emmanuel Morgan