The way that it's looking to me right now, Goodell should either step down or be fired.  Reports are coming out that the NFL had access to the tape prior to any suspension being handed down.  It appears that only after the tape went public that Goodell changed the penalty.

 

Is it "double jeopardy"?  Yes it is in a court of law, but the NFL is not the law of the land.  However, it seems pretty clear that the NFL is in "damage mode" right now.  It's all about PR and money.  Had he initially come out with an immediate, indefinite suspension, then this would all be a moot point.

 

What gets me is that people (the media, women's rights groups, etc.) are focusing more on what an employer (the NFL) did/didn't do, rather than focusing on what Law Enforcement did/didn't do.  The video shows clearly that this was a crime, yet no criminal charges were ever filed, at least to my knowledge.

 

The bottom line is, this isn't really about the NFL or Goodell, it's more about our justice system and how cases are handled.  If I, an "average joe" did something like that, I would have been put in handcuffs and carted away to jail.  I fault Law Enforcement and the justice system more so than I fault the NFL.

 

That being said, it appears that the NFL attempted to just kind of "sweep this under the rug".

---