NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that the league had not seen the second video of Ray Rice assaulting his wife. (David Goodman, The Associated Press)
The Ray Rice incident, which first unfolded in February when a video was released of the then Ravens running back dragging his unconscious wife out of a casino elevator, has put considerable heat on the NFL, especially commissioner Roger Goodell.
Five months later, after the league supposedly investigated the issue fully and the case made its way through the legal system, Goodell for Rice. He was also entered in June into the league’s “diversion program,” which upon completion could have led to the charges being expunged. But his suspension and required counseling paled in comparison to the penalties of players who smoke marijuana or commit much less severe infractions.
Roughly a month after the two-game ban was issued, the league and will now issue six-game bans to first-time offenders and lifetime bans to repeat offenders. Goodell also , apologizing for his handling of the Rice case and admitting he let their standards “fall below where they should be” with the Rice case.
But the good karma was short-lived for Goodell. A week later, a second video, a much more damning video, in the elevator, surfaced. There was no denying Rice’s involvement in the incident now. The Ravens promptly released him and the NFL suspended him indefinitely, but numerous questions were left unanswered.
Did the NFL see this video? (, say it did.)
If the league didn’t see the video, why didn’t it get the video as part of its due diligence in investigating the case? Why did Goodell and the rest of the league not do more, or dig further? (Again, Goodell said it tried, but .)
Amid the fallout, there have been many calls for Goodell’s resignation or his removal. What would it take to make the latter happen?
Per Article VI, Section 6.5(G) of the :
In the event that the Commissioner or any other officer of the League shall be convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude or be physically or mentally incapacitated to perform his duties or shall fail or refuse to abide by the Constitution and Bylaws of the League, and the Executive Committee finds that such action by such officer is detrimental to the best interests of the League, or in the event the Commissioner or any other officer of the League fails or is unwilling to perform his duties, then such Committee shall have the power after notice and hearing to suspend or remove said officer and to terminate any contract between such Commissioner or officer and the League.
Per the NFL’s personal conduct policy, which was updated to include the more stringent policies for those charged of domestic violence, “all persons associated with the NFL are required to avoid “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League.”
Such “detrimental” conduct includes an action “that undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL players.”
The conduct policy “applies to all players under contract; all coaches; all game officials; all full-time employees of the NFL, NFL clubs, and all NFL-related entities; all rookie players once they are selected in the NFL college draft; and all undrafted rookie players, unsigned veterans who were under contract in the prior League Year, and other prospective employees once they commence negotiations with a club concerning employment.”
And as stated in Article VI, Section 6.6 of the constitution: “All actions and decisions of the Executive Committee must be approved by the affirmative vote of not less than three-fourths or 20, whichever is greater, of the members of the Executive Committee.”
The Executive Committee is composed of one representative and one alternate representative from each of the 32 NFL teams, appointed by their respective teams. The members must be either owners or holders of an interest or officers of member clubs in the league, and each member holds one vote.
Below is the full Constitution and Bylaws of the NFL:
