Roger Goodell may have invented a whole new decision-making process: Decide first and ask questions later.
The NFL Commissioner on Thursday wrote a letter to NFL owners that was made public Thursday, admitting that was far too lenient in handing Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice a two-game suspension for a highly publicized domestic violence case involving his then-fiancée and now-wife Janay Palmer earlier this year.
According to NFL.com, Goodell announced "sweeping changes to the league's Personal Conduct Policy." Violations pertaining to assault, battery, domestic violence or sexual assault that involve physical force now "will be subject to a suspension without pay of six games for a first offense." A second offense will result in a one-year suspension from the NFL. An individual can petition for reinstatement after one year, but "there will be no presumption or assurance that the petition will be granted."
The policy applies to anyone employed by the NFL or one of the 32 teams.
Blame Janay Palmer for the leniency toward Ray Rice?
Goodell apologized for his lack of foresight in the seriousness of the issue.
"At times, however, and despite our best efforts, we fall short of our goals," Goodell wrote. "We clearly did so in response to a recent incident of domestic violence. We allowed our standards to fall below where they should be and lost an important opportunity to emphasize our strong stance on a critical issue and the effective programs we have in place. My disciplinary decision led the public to question our sincerity, our commitment, and whether we understood the toll that domestic violence inflicts on so many families. I take responsibility both for the decision and for ensuring that our actions in the future properly reflect our values. I didn't get it right. Simply put, we have to do better. And we will."
Goodell was applauded for his reversal, the New York Times reporting, "The about-face by Goodell, the most powerful executive in American sports, was stunning in its earnestness and clarity."
The Times added that groups criticizing Goodell for being insensitive to the issue of domestic abuse applauded him for reversing course.
"This decision by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to change the league's policy on how it disciplines players who beat their wives and girlfriends is a big win, not just for women, but for all NFL players, staff and fans," said Becky Bond, the political director of Credo, a women's rights group.
However, how Goodell failed to judge the severity of the issue in the first place still is troubling. In defending his original decision to suspend Rice two games for the incident at an Atlantic City casino elevator, in which Rice was shown dragging Palmer's limp body out of an elevator, Goodell almost sounded prophetic.
"When we make decisions, we always get reactions," he said in another New York Times article. "We understand that, we listen to it and we use it to make ourselves better."
So will that be the NFL's policy from now on - to make a decision, wait for the reaction and then adjust? The backlash to Rice's punishment was immediate when it was announced, but Goodell didn't initially understand.
Shouldn't the NFL have consulted with Credo or another women's group before making a decision about disciplinary action?
That, too, should become part of the league's Personal Conduct Policy, that NFL officials commit to finding out more about a situation as a societal issue, rather than look at an issue in a vacuum.
Reversing course now gives skeptics reason to believe that financial considerations may have come into play - regardless of its accuracy. Was the NFL in danger of losing money based on its leniency toward Rice?
To be fair, the offending party in question - Rice - was an exemplary player on and off the field. He was never involved in any kind of negative incident prior to the domestic violence issue. He did a lot of community service, never was accused of doing drugs, drinking while driving, using performance-enhancing drugs, brandishing a firearm or "making it rain."
Palmer even asked Goodell for leniency on behalf of her husband, but what they both failed to realize was that leniency also ended up further damaging Rice's reputation because it kept the incident in the news, reminding people that it was him who had committed domestic violence and got off lightly.
Hopefully, the next time an incident arises that transcends the field of play, the entity involved will gather as many facts as it can before rendering a decision.
The fact that Goodell apologized doesn't negate the fact that he had ample time to talk to the appropriate parties beforehand and didn't.
Do you applaud Roger Goodell's change of direction in dealing with domestic violence? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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