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Redskins Owner Dan Snyder's Statement on Roger Goodell

It's been a pretty rough week for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Shield.

By Scott Jennings

Roger Goodell has been under fire over the last few weeks, and a lot of the attention and criticism has been due to how he has handled the power of the Commissioner's job.  Today, Redskins owner Dan Snyder voiced his support for the Ginger Hammer, as several other owners have already done.  The devil you know...

Last week, video was released of Ray Rice assaulting his fiance inside an elevator in a New Jersey casino.  Rice got a plea bargain agreement that less than 1% of defendants are offered for similar crimes in New Jersey.  Goodell had previously suspended Rice for 2 games which was widely criticized for being too lenient for the crime committed.  After the new video emerged, he was released from the Baltimore Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the NFL, with the league telling teams not to sign him or the contract will not be approved.  Goodell has been in fire control mode all week with new information coming out daily about what he knew, what Rice told him, and whether or not the league had obtained and watched the new tape prior to the original suspension.  Goodell set up an "independent" commission that features two of his bosses, Giants owner John Mara and Steelers owner Art Rooney II, and former FBI Director Rober Mueller III who works for the law firm that negotiated the NFL Sunday Ticket deal with DirecTV for the NFL.  I, for one, am convinced the truth will be set free in this case.

Then last night news broke that star Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson was being indicted in Texas for injury to a child.  This charge stemmed from Peterson "whooping" his 4 year old son with a switch so badly that it caused open wounds that were discovered by the child's doctor.  An arrest warrant was issued and the Minnesota Vikings quickly deactivated him for Sunday's game.

There have been 56 documented domestic violence instances involving NFL players since Goodell became the NFL Commissioner in 2006.  There has been a varying level of both legal and league punishment for the cases, and Goodell officially updated the NFL's policy recently to make a 1st domestic violence offense a 6 game suspension, and a 2nd offense a lifetime ban. Shortly after this change, 49ers Defensive Lineman Ray McDonald was charged with domestic violence.  Players like Greg Hardy are still waiting to receive league punishment for their domestic violence cases, but will be playing tomorrow.  Goodell has made the rules and enforced them arbitrarily for a long time, and these inconsistencies in the offenses and the punishments are starting to cause major public and player relations problems for him and the Shield that he so vocally works to defend.

But at least the league and the union were able to work out a new drug policy(pending approval) to test for HGH and raise the level of marijuana allowed in a player's system.  One of the main sticking points for the players, taking the power of ruling on appeals out of Goodell's hands...

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