NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is under fire after the recent spate of domestic abuse-related incidents by NFL players such as Ray Rice. The league's seemingly arbitrary punishment of offenders has been criticized by fans and media as reactionary and callous. An outdated drug policy reflects a harsher attitude against substance abuse than domestic violence. And the recent issues in the news only serve to highlight that inequity.
Apart from the months of sitting and waiting before issuing a weak two-game suspension of Ray Rice, Goodell has also been largely silent on recent stories like the Panthers' Greg Hardy or Adrian Peterson of the Vikings. It seems that the NFL, instead of taking a strong stance on wife-beating, is more intent on doubling down on their drug policy, which has obviously proved unpopular (via Slate):
"Under Goodell, it was pointed out, smoking weed had been deemed a more serious offense than a vicious domestic assault. After a huge public outcry, the commissioner said he had gotten the punishment wrong and improvised a new policy. Goodell's subsequent letter to NFL owners demonstrated the moral grandstanding that has been the hallmark of his regime."
The obvious hypocrisy is only part of the equation. Instead of leading the charge on this incredibly important social issue, Goodell and the league have waited to see if they can get away with letting this crap slide. But as soon as the public made its opinion known, the NFL tries to keep up with its fan base (via SB Nation):
"What has long been implicit about the NFL is erupting into the explicit -- that the business of the NFL is business, and that nothing and no one, no law or ethical obligation or belief, and no civilian's well-being, can mean more than that."
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