NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "has been ordered to testify" in Ray Rice's appeal hearing, according to sources cited by Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore SUN. Sources said that case arbitrator Barbara Jones "has decided to have Goodell testify as a witness." NFL lawyers "have been resistant to having Goodell testify in the hearing, set for Nov. 5 and Nov. 6, hoping to avoid a he-said, he-said situation between the league's top executive and the three-time Pro Bowl running back, who was suspended indefinitely by the league" (Baltimore SUN, 10/23). In N.Y., Thompson & Armstrong note Goodell will now be "forced to detail under oath what he knew, and when he knew it, before he suspended Rice indefinitely in September." It "is an unusual position for a professional sports commissioner to testify under oath" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/23). USA TODAY's Tom Pelissero writes the ruling "isn't a surprise, given the appeal revolves around Rice's contention he was subject to double jeopardy and had his due process violated under the collective-bargaining agreement when Goodell increased his suspension from two games to an indefinite ban last month." But NFL attorneys contended that Goodell "shouldn't have to testify," contrary to the NFLPA's wishes (USA TODAY, 10/23). ESPN.com noted instead of volunteering Goodell to testify, NFL lawyers "were offering testimony" from league Exec VP & General Counsel Jeff Pash and Senior VP/Labor Policy Adolpho Birch. Pash and Birch "were with Goodell when he met with Rice's side in June to talk about what happened when the former Pro Bowl running back hit his then-fiancee in an elevator" (ESPN.com, 10/22).
CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY: MSNBC's Joe Scarborough said, "It's really a dicey situation for the commissioner. Things have quieted down, but his story still doesn't completely line up with what Ray Rice and a lot of people around Ray Rice are saying. So somebody doesn't appear to be telling the total truth and if he's in a hearing, he's got to be very careful with what he says and what he doesn’t say" (
"Morning Joe," MSNBC, 10/23). Radio host Dan Patrick said he hoped Goodell "would have said, 'I want to (testify).'" Patrick: "It almost feels like, 'Hey Roger, Roger! Come out, you've got to testify.' ... It almost sounds like kicking and screaming." Patrick said Goodell "should testify, but he should say, 'Yes, that's my job. I'm going to testify. I have nothing to hide'" (
"The Dan Patrick Show," 10/23).
PROOF IN THE PUDDING? In N.Y., Michael O'Keeffe asks, "Where's the evidence that the league’s longtime laissez-faire approach to domestic violence and sexual assault is changing?" NFL Senior Special Advisor to the Commissioner Lisa Friel "sounds incredibly naïve when she says she is opposed to a zero-tolerance stand against domestic violence and sexual assault because victims won’t report crimes because they don’t want to jeopardize boyfriends and husbands’ careers, and because she believes in second chances." O'Keeffe: "Shouldn’t Friel worry less about second chances for creeps who assault women and more about challenging the NFL’s see-no-evil culture? ... Is it possible Friel was brought in precisely because she wouldn’t rock the boat?" (
N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/23).
RICE LIKELY TO GET A SECOND CHANCE: USA TODAY's Christine Brennan writes no matter how the appeal "plays out, at some point Rice likely will be given a second chance in the NFL." Brennan: "That makes sense. He won't be the first to return to the league from doing something horrible, and he won't be the last." However, when given a second chance in the NFL, Rice "should take the ball and run with it, literally and figuratively." He "should do everything he possibly can to prevent domestic violence in the NFL and throughout society: give speeches, make public service announcements, hold private meetings with other players, the works" (USA TODAY, 10/23). However, in Florida, John Torres writes the NFL should "save the time, money and aggravation, and cancel the grievance hearings and lift the indefinite suspension" because Rice is "delusional if he thinks any other NFL team is going to sign him once the indefinite suspension is lifted." Torres: "After all the backlash against the league for suspending him initially for only two games, do we really think any NFL team is going to alienate the fans further by paying this thug -- whose better playing days are behind him -- to carry the football for them?" (FLORIDA TODAY, 10/23).
