Roger Goodell delivers cold, empty message during news conference
As NFL commissioner Roger Goodell answered question after question at his news conference Friday, gesturing continually and repeatedly referencing his carefully concocted statement, he appeared more and more like a lawyer and less and less like a leader.
He failed to answer pointed questions in a transparent way. He failed to show an awareness of the length and depth of his league's cultural ignorance on the topic of domestic violence. He failed to bring a sense of compassion where compassion is sorely needed.
He said he was sorry, but he didn't make it clear why he was sorry. He said, "nothing is off the table" going forward, but he had not thought of resigning or even censuring himself.
Goodell protected himself and his office. And that's a shame, because this entire crisis is about women and children who cannot protect themselves in their own homes.
Friday started with some startling news: Procter & Gamble decided not to participate with the NFL in a campaign for breast cancer awareness month in October. P&G is perhaps the nation's most family-friendly corporation. The company makes diapers, toothpaste and cold medicine. These are items in the household that parents must implicitly trust. On Friday, P&G sent a message that a family-friendly company is losing trust in the NFL.
So Goodell's mission on Friday wasn't just to assure owners and the media that he will form a committee and review process; that's something a bureaucrat does. Goodell's mission was to reestablish trust among families who use his sponsors' products. Inform the world about the conversations you've had with victims. Tell the world how you've explained this painful issue to your children. Apologize directly to the faceless people out there who aren't sure if you really get it.
Goodell was defensive when asked about whom, if anyone, in his office had seen the tape of the Ray Rice assault on Janay Palmer. He hid behind his security team, which seems like a force meant to protect his office rather than protect the league's families. What he should have said was that the first tape should have been enough for him to realize that a member of an NFL family had been seriously hurt, and her safety should have been the highest priority from that point forward. He should have said "The Shield" is not just for a brand; it's for the people who build and sustain that brand. That includes wives and mothers.
Instead, the commissioner seemed blindsided by the second tape and by all of this, even though there have been many calls to action in the past. Rae Carruth abetting the murder of Cherica Adams was a call to action. Jovan Belcher murdering Kasandra Perkins was a call to action. Even the O.J. Simpson trial, which resulted in overdue laws to protect women in 1994, was a call to action. This is not a new stain on his league, just like it's not a new stain on society. Goodell did not explain why his league has lagged on this issue for so long, while it's simultaneously been so aggressive on ridding the game of dunking over the crossbar after touchdowns.
The question going forward isn't simply, "What are you going to do to the player who commits a crime?" It's also, "What are you going to do on behalf of the loved one who is at risk?"
Goodell said he wanted to provide resources to domestic violence groups, but what specifically? Is it money? Is it beds? Shelter? Counseling? All of those things are sorely needed in every community in America.
Up until last year, the county where Carolina Panthers defensive lineman Greg Hardy was found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend had only 29 beds for victims in need. Twenty-nine. Helping raise awareness goes beyond writing a check; it's understanding what that check is for. It's for women who leave their houses in the middle of the night in terror. It's for mothers who need diapers and toothpaste and cold medicine for their babies who no longer have the comforts of their own beds.
And this isn't just about women and children. Players need more support as well. A six-game punishment won't teach much to a 25-year-old linebacker if the commissioner of the league knew way too little about domestic violence. The NFL has made efforts to educate, but clearly much more is needed. Whether a player is banned for a year or back on the field in six weeks, he needs to spend that time understanding what led to his mistake and what will lead him away from another one.
Has Goodell learned all of this? If so, Friday's news conference was the chance to convey that message. It was a chance to say how the NFL will use its platform to help communicate the need to marginalize women less and value them more. Hiring Lisa Friel to advise him on conduct is certainly a good start, but to most of America, Friel is just another highly paid suit.
Here's an interview of Friel after Friday's news conference:
If the president of the United States can point out regular Americans with everyday issues during a State of the Union address, surely Goodell could have told a story about a victim on Friday.
He was asked if he thought to visit the casino where Palmer was punched, but had he thought to visit a shelter where families are huddled three to a cot?
Don't think it's beyond his responsibility to reach out in that way. Goodell's very first comments in the news conference were about how the NFL is a beacon for society "at its best." Unfortunately, Friday was closer to the NFL's worst: a cold business run by millionaires who have no idea what daily life is like for the people who come to the games without purses because they'll be thrown into the trash outside the stadium.
Goodell's job is likely safe. The commissioner is doing all he can to make sure of that. But it's hard to tell if he's doing all he can to understand the plight of those who aren't safe at all.
