Ray Rice's appalling actions in the elevator of a now shuttered Atlantic City casino two years ago had lasting ramifications -- and a little known one surfaced Thursday, thanks to an ESPN report.
As commissioner Roger Goodell bumbled his way through Rice's punishment, first suspending the then-Ravens running back two games only to up it to an indefinite ban after video of the assault surfaced, the NFL's relocation dance continued, with Rams owner Stan Kroenke buying a 300-acre plot of land in Inglewood, Calif.
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Seemingly all of Goodell's time was occupied by the Rice case, which prevented the commissioner from tending to other matters, according to ESPN's Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr.
"Nobody knew it at the time, but the league office had already lost control of the Los Angeles relocation process," they wrote. "Commissioner Roger Goodell's mishandling of the Ray Rice domestic violence discipline in the summer and autumn of 2014 distracted him from executing the league's longtime goal of returning to LA and severely weakened his standing in ownership circles. Meetings about LA that were scheduled for September were pushed to November.
"Later in November, several owners who would serve on the league's LA committee told Kroenke no team would be moving for the 2015 season -- owing, in part, to Goodell's weakened leadership," the report continues.
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So the Rams had to slog through the 2015 season in a subpar stadium, with the lowest attendance in the NFL, and of course, no playoffs for the 11th straight season.
But don't cry for Rams, especially Kroenke. He has enough dough to build what might be the world's most expensive stadium, and his new digs are a shoe-in to host a future Super Bowl and may even house the 2024 Summer Olympics.
This tidbit just serves to put another black mark on Goodell's already spotty record. Between his turning the other way for too long on the concussion issue, to the mishandling of Deflategate and his continual pandering to public opinion when doling out punishment, the country's most powerful league needs better leadership.
And this is just further proof that it doesn't have it.
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