No, Roger Goodell is not a retired NFL pro, nor is he directly involved with crafting and passing new rules for the league. Goodell hasn't officially lost his power to give the final ruling on players' discipline, but as of now he does not have final say for the implementing of new rules.
Yet Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman targeted Goodell when criticizing a new rule that triggers an automatic ejection after a player commits two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Sherman specifically called out Goodell for being "just a face" and "just a suit," and for passing a rule without any understanding of playing football.
Though Goodell endorsed the ejection rule, it is the NFL's Competition Committee that crafts and enacts new policies. The committee's procedures require 24 affirmative votes out of 32 owners to pass new rules. Though Goodell does select members for the Competition Committee, he is still just the figurehead of the league and represents the owners.
"I think [the proposal is] foolish, but it sounds like something somebody who's never played the game would say, something that they would suggest," Sherman said. "[Goodell] doesn't understand. He's just a face. He's just a suit. He's never stepped foot on the field and understood how you could get a personal foul."
In Boca Raton, Fla., for the annual owners meetings, Goodell broached Sherman's comment and defended the automatic ejection rule by stating it promotes sportsmanship and player safety.
"This is all within their control," Goodell said. "Sportsmanship is important to the membership. We all have standards. They have two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties before they're ejected. The message from the membership, our clubs and the coaches is they're going to be held to those high standards."
Sherman, a new addition to the NFL Players Association's Executive Committee, has been an outspoken critic of Goodell's before, particularly when he stated in January 2015 that the NFL would not be likely to punish the New England Patriots over "DeflateGate." For his reasoning, he strongly inferred Goodell's friendship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft would influence his decision. The NFL initially fined the Patriots $1 million, took away their first-round draft pick and suspended Tom Brady four games.
As for his latest comments, Sherman is slightly off once again. Since the Competition Committee has a lot of sway in designing and implementing new policies, there are former players who have direct input. For example, former NFL and college players like Rich McKay, Mark Murphy, Ozzie Newsome, Rick Smith, Jeff Fisher, Marvin Lewis and Mike Tomlin serve on the committee.
