http://finance.yahoo.com/news/nfl-restructure-personal-conduct-policy-193847060.html;_ylt=AwrBT7wothxU0oEAaY9XNyoA9/19/14
Goodell Toughens NFL Conduct Code for Abuse, Won’t ResignNational Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell rejected calls for his resignation and said the league will strengthen its personal conduct code by this season's Super Bowl following several high-profile cases of domestic abuse by players.
"We will get our house in order," Goodell, 55, said at a news conference in New York.
Goodell said the NFL, the most popular U.S. professional sport with almost $10 billion in annual revenue, will create a personal conduct committee and hire experts to help make sure the league has a set of clear and transparent rules to govern personal conduct for players, coaches and team owners.
Goodell's announcement is the latest step by the league in response to criticism by the public, and sponsors such as Anheuser-Busch (ABI) InBev NV and Procter & **** (PG), of its handling of the domestic abuse case involving former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice.
The league in the past week also announced partnerships with a pair of national programs that combat domestic violence and sexual assault, and hired four women to its management team to help shape domestic-violence policies and programs."I'm here now because our rules, policies and procedures on personal conduct failed," said Goodell, who added he's acknowledged the mistakes he's made and hasn't considered stepping down from his job that paid him $35 million in salary last year.
'Too Late'
David Johnson, the chief executive officer of Atlanta-based public relations firm Strategic Vision LLC, said while Goodell's news conference was a step in the right direction,
it came 10 days too late."He came across beleaguered. He didn't come across strong and forceful," Johnson said in a telephone interview, adding it would have sent a better message if Goodell was accompanied by a representative from the NFL Players Association. "It was very prepared, very nuanced, very legalistic."
Goodell's news conference lasted for almost 45 minutes and was carried by most major U.S. television networks, which broke into their regular programming. Goodell, who hadn't spoken publicly since a Sept. 9 interview with CBS News, said the new personal conduct committee won't be restricted in its scope.
"Nothing is off the table," he said.
Goodell said the league will punish "totally unacceptable" behavior such as domestic violence -- including child abuse -- sexual assault, irresponsible ownership
or handling of firearms, and illegal use of alcohol or drugs.
Education, Discipline
"These activities must be condemned and stopped through education and discipline," Goodell said. "Our standards and consequences of falling short must be clear, consistent and current. They must be implemented through procedures that are fair and transparent."
The personal conduct committee will be based on the competition committee, a group of team executives that reviews and evaluates on-field rules to ensure the sport remains competitive, entertaining and fair, Goodell said.
"We go to enormous lengths to make players, coaches, officials, fans and our broadcast partners fully understand playing rules and how they are enforced," he said. "That must now be our model when it comes to personal conduct."
Commissioner's Role
Goodell said his role in investigating personal-conduct violations will be re-evaluated while the new committee will also address how to balance legal and due process rights with holding league personnel to the "highest standards." The commissioner has previously had latitude in determining punishment for personal conduct violations.
Goodell received pressure to step down from women's advocacy groups, politicians and some fans in the past two weeks after saying he mishandled the situation involving Rice, who assaulted his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City casino elevator following a night of drinking in February.
Goodell initially suspended Rice for two games and then banned him from the NFL indefinitely the day the website TMZ released a seven-month-old video of Rice punching Janay Palmer - - who is now his wife -- and knocking her unconscious. Rice was released by the Ravens the same day and Goodell has insisted no one at the NFL saw the video of the punch until it was made public last week.
Outside Investigation
Two days after Rice was suspended indefinitely, an unidentified law-enforcement official told the Associated Press that he sent a copy of the video to the NFL in April, raising questions about whether the NFL was intentionally negligent.
Goodell then hired former FBI Director Robert Mueller to examine the league's handling of the case, Goodell said.
Goodell said today he wasn't satisfied with how the NFL handled its investigation into the Rice incident and, as it awaits Mueller's report, will re-evaluate its reliance on law enforcement for information.
Johnson, the crisis management expert, said there were times Goodell seemed confused or unprepared, including one question about how TMZ obtained the video with "one phone call" but NFL investigators were unable to acquire it.
Another question centered on public-records requests to the police in New Jersey that show no electronic contact with the NFL.‘Unanswered Questions'
"There are unanswered questions, like the one about the video and the Atlantic City Police Department," Johnson said. "I also don't think he did enough to say why he should stay. The thing we expect from any leader is that you're held to the same accountability everyone within your organization is held to. And I don't think he dealt with that forcefully enough. People aren't going to feel like he fell on his sword."
Criticism of Goodell has grown into concern over the depth of the problem within the league, with sponsors such as Anheuser-Busch, McDonald's Corp. and PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) voicing their displeasure.
Anheuser-Busch, whose five Super Bowl commercials for Budweiser and Bud Light last season were more than any other company, said it was "increasingly concerned by the recent incidents that have overshadowed this NFL season." The NFL reaps about $1 billion a year in revenue from its sponsors.
Won't Resign
Goodell said he wouldn't bow to calls for him to step down because he had acknowledged his mistakes.
Women's advocacy group UltraViolet reiterated its demand that he resign."We call on all of the NFL's sponsors to take a stand against domestic violence by withdrawing their support for the NFL until Goodell is out of office," the group said in an e-mail after today's press conference. "Goodell ignores domestic violence. He has made it clear he will not even consider resigning, bringing into question his basic judgment."
The NFL on Sept. 16 hired Cynthia C. Hogan, who previously worked as deputy assistant to President Barack Obama. Hogan's hiring followed criticism by politicians including U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Kirsten Gillibrand of Goodell, who has also been asked to resign by the National Organization for Women.The day before Hogan was hired, the NFL brought in three female advisers. Lisa Friel, formerly the head of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit in the New York County District Attorney's Office; Jane Randel, co-founder of "NO MORE," a national domestic violence awareness initiative, and Rita Smith, the former executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, were selected for the unit to shape domestic abuse policies.Partnerships, Education
Goodell yesterday sent a memo
to all 32 franchises announcing partnerships with the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). It also outlined a push by the NFL to provide all players, coaches and league personnel with more education regarding the issues.
"These are by no means final steps," Goodell said in the memo. "We will continue to work with experts to expand and develop long-term programs that raise awareness, educate, and prevent domestic violence and sexual assault both within the NFL and in our society in general."
While Goodell didn't provide details of the financial commitment, he said the NFL would provide "significant resources" for the two national programs.
The hotline received 84 percent more calls during the week of Sept. 8-15, with more than 50 percent of those calls going unanswered due to lack of staffing, Goodell said. The surge came after the video of Rice punching Palmer was released to the public, sparking a national dialogue about domestic violence and raising questions about whether other active players recently accused of abusing women, such as Carolina's Greg Hardy and San Francisco's Ray McDonald, should remain on the field."I understand accountability," Goodell said at today's news conference. "I understand the challenges before me and I will be accountable for meeting them."
