Could the NFL see a new commissioner soon? The president of the National Organization for Women, Terry O'Neill, has called for Roger Goodell to resign amidst the Ray Rice issue along with a number of other domestic violence incidents the league has failed to act in accordance with.
O'Neill issued the statement on Wednesday and also called for the appointment of an independent investigator to gather "factual data about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking within the NFL community, and to recommend real and lasting reforms." NOW cited FiveThirtyEight.com's "The Rate of Domestic Violence Arrests Among NFL Players" for statistics that revealed relative arrest rates of players in the league: 55% for domestic violence and 38% for sex offenses.
In his interview with CBS News yesterday, Goodell said he did not feel his job was on the line despite all of the criticism he and the NFL received over the past few days. This is nothing new to Goodell, who witnessed a lockout initiated by the league's owners in 2011 that lasted from March 12 until July 25 followed by a referee lockout in 2012 that eventually came to an end after Week 3 of the season. On Monday Night Football, the replacement refs made an incorrect call on the final play during a game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks that resulted in the game-winning touchdown for Seattle.
But O'Neill perhaps has put the greatest pressure on the commissioner thus far in Goodell's tenure because the current state of affairs is considered a paramount societal and potentially political issue. The NOW president also mentioned Goodell's inactivity in regards to domestic violence issues involving 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald and Panthers defensive lineman Greg Hardy as well as a sexual assault incident involving Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. However, in Goodell's defense, none of those issues have been resolved legally, and he decided to wait for the Rice situation to play itself out before he handed down a punishment. Nonetheless, Hardy's and Jones' lawsuits have flown under the radar and the NFL has failed to give them the attention they deserve.
"The only workable solution is for Roger Goodell to resign," said O'Neill. "That's the only way to restore honor and integrity to the country's most lucrative and popular pastime."
O'Neill is not alone in her belief. Keith Olbermann has been very outspoken about Goodell in recent days and believes he should be ousted as commissioner. ESPNNewYork.com's Ian O'Connor believes that even if Goodell keeps his job, his legacy will forever be tarnished, while Andrew Sharp of GrantLand.com wonders what it will take for Goodell to lose his job.
And it looks like the odds (literally) aren't in Goodell's favor. Mytopsportsbooks.com has set the odds at 9-2 for the commissioner being dismissed over the Ray Rice issue. Even more astounding is that they also set the odds of Goodell going to jail at 15-1, of course, only if it's discovered that the NFL and the Atlantic City Police Department conspired to not release the video to the public or use it against Rice.
You can read more about Terry O'Neill calling out the commissioner in this ESPN article.
