Roger Goodell needs to resign as the commissioner of the National Football League.
Roger Goodell needs to resign as the commissioner of the National Football League.
In light of TMZ recently uploading the surveillance video of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice hitting and knocking unconscious his then-fiancée, Janay Rice, in an elevator, dragging her body out of the elevator with complete disrespect for her well-being, Roger Goodell needs to be fired.
Why does he need to be fired? Goodell claims that the NFL never got a copy of the tape showing Rice striking his fiancée, now his wife, but somehow TMZ did.
If the NFL really wanted to get a hold of the video, they would’ve been able too. The NFL had been investigating the situation for months, and instead of giving Rice a proper suspension, they just gave a two game suspension, when players such as Josh Gordon, of the Cleveland Browns, are getting year-long suspensions over a drug-abuse policy. I’m not saying that drug use isn’t a crime, but he was doing that to himself. Rice, one of the top running backs in the league, who is in a sport fit for modern-day gladiators, knocked out a woman. He inflicted pain unto another person, and seriously hurt her; the guy is a pro football player, he hits people for a living.
According to the Associated Press, a law enforcement official said he sent a copy of the video that TMZ found to Goodell back in April. The officer said that he played a voicemail from the NFL offices confirming that they did, in fact, receive that video. This is what is wrong with businessmen like Goodell. He is just trying to save his face and the NFL, rather than really tackle a problem. The thing is, people would’ve had more respect for the man if he would’ve just given Rice a longer suspension in the first place, rather than try to hide it.
After the video surfaced, the Ravens released Rice from his contract and Goodell gave Rice an indefinite suspension. Even though Goodell gave Rice the suspension, that does not mean he should be pinned as some sort of hero, or as an advocate of women’s safety. Goodell didn’t give Rice the increased suspension because he hit a woman; he gave Rice an indefinite suspension because the video surfaced of him hitting his fiancée. Goodell was already aware that Rice hit her, and decided that sitting out two games would be a sufficient punishment.
It makes me sick that Goodell would try to cover up a crime. What kind of message does that send to kids that look up to NFL players, or even ordinary people who see that, just because you are a public figure and have a lot of money, you can get away with almost anything?
It’s a shame that the NFL thinks the punishment for domestic violence is a gentle tap on the wrist. You can do better than that, NFL.
Adam Wondrely is a senior studying Creative Writing and Journalism. Do you think Roger Goodell should be fired? Email him aw922910@ohio.edu.
