In the past week, the NFL has taken quite the PR hit. With two star players being the focus of domestic abuse cases, the NFL is having trouble taking action and coming to clear, decisive decisions about said actions. The main culprit behind this indecision is Rodger Goodell. He is in charge of player discipline and serves as a face of the NFL. His direct actions have led to this blemish on the NFL’s record. If the NFL truly wants to try to mend relationships with fans, as well as their reputation, they need to remove Goodell and start fresh.

This downward spiral of problems for the NFL began in the spring, when Ray Rice battered his then fiancée. The NFL acted swiftly, doling out a 4 game ban for the Raven’s running back. At the time, this issue was simply swept under the rug and forgotten about. It appeared to be another case of an argument getting out of hand. However, once the infamous video footage was released, it became clear that the situation was not as “simple” as it had seemed originally.  The claim that the NFL had never seen this footage before became very suspect, considering that TMZ had access to it. Following the release of the video, a whirlwind of rumors and speculation about what Goodell and his league hid from the public.

To try to shield himself from this chaos, Goodell tried to make a new , more strict policy for first time domestic abuse offenders of a suspension for 6 games. While some people thought that more games should be required, Goodell tried to at least make an attempt to show how serious the NFL is about domestic abuse. He then went against his new policy by suspending Ray Rice, a first time offender, indefinitely, which would potentially end his career.  While this is a harsher punishment that many people want to see, it is inconsistent with Goodell’s previous domestic violence punishments that he formed himself. It is clear that Goodell is doing whatever he can to save his face, but is not doing what is best for the league.

Once the Ray Rice fiasco was in full swing, numerous other reports appeared of current NFL players who were arrested for domestic abuse. Many of them were simply slapped on the wrist by Goodell, and allowed to keep playing for their respective teams. Goodell had no problem letting these crimes slide by when he was not in the public eye. Only once his job is on the line does he make an attempt to make an example of Ray Rice, and end his career in doing so. The NFL needs a fresh face in charge, who is committed to cleaning up this league. Rodger Goodell has been in charge for too many staining events to continue to run the league.