Roger Goodell may be forced to resign after a judge overturned his suspension of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, dealing the NFL’s commissioner another blow during his tenure.
Goodell has received widespread criticism for his handling of Rice’s suspension. The NFL commissioner originally gave Rice a two-game suspension, though it was extended indefinitely after video was released showing Rice striking now-wife Janay Palmer in the face in an elevator.
A growing number of writers and NFL experts now believe that Roger Goodell will be forced to resign due to his handling of the Ray Rice case, along with some other major missteps during his tenure.
Bleacher Report writer Mike Tanier noted, “But those of us who watched Goodell duck and dodge his way through Bountygate and smaller scandals expected him to find some clever exit strategy. It wasn’t about doing the right thing, but playing a crafty shell game with all of the wrong things. He was going to find a public relations lifeboat, even if he had to knock some people over to get to it.”
He added, “The lifeboats are now full. Goodell’s credibility is disappearing beneath the murky waves. And he thought it was unsinkable.”
In her ruling that re-instated Rice, Judge Barbara Jones took on Roger Goodell directly.
She wrote, in part, “In this arbitration, the NFL argues that Commissioner Goodell was misled when he disciplined Rice the first time. Because after careful consideration of all the evidence, I am not persuaded that Rice lied to, or misled, the NFL at his June interview, I find that the indefinite suspension was an abuse of discretion.”
“Moreover, a failure on the part of the League to understand the level of violence was not due to Rice’s description of the event but to the inadequacy of words to convey the seriousness of domestic violence. That the League did not realize the severity of the conduct without a visual record also speaks to their admitted failure in the past to sanction this type of conduct more severely.”
Despite the setbacks, Roger Goodell has resisted calls that he resign. But others have suggested that even if he remains in his position as NFL commissioner, Goodell may be forced to give up some of his power .
