A few months back, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell faced widespread criticism for suspending running back Ray Rice for just two games following a domestic violence incident. In a letter to team owners obtained by ESPN, Goodell now admits, “I didn’t get it right.” Surveillance camera footage after the incident showed the Baltimore Ravens player dragging his unconscious fiancée off an elevator following a dispute in which he violently assaulted her. Rice was arrested and charged with aggravated assault.
This week, after suspending Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon for an entire year for a repeat violation of the league’s marijuana policy, social media users once again took the NFL to task for its seeming double standard. In the new letter, Goodell wrote, “We clearly must do a better job of addressing [domestic violence and sexual assault] in the NFL. And we will.” He’s informed owners that according to the NFL’s new policy, players will be suspended for six games for their first offense and will face a lifetime ban from the sport if they perpetrate domestic violence or sexual violence ever again …
