NFL: What should Goodell do with Hardy and McDonald?

Well, a bomb was detonated in the NFL world on Monday when the video of Ray Rice punching his then fiancée and knocking her out. The video got the entire country up in arms.The two-game suspension NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell gave Rice seemed even worse than first thought.

Calls for Rice to be further punished were heard, and not only did he get released by the Baltimore Ravens, he was indefinitely suspended by the NFL.

Goodell was highly criticized for his handling of the case. The President of NOW and a United States Senator were among some of the voices calling for his resignation.

Whether you agree or not with what happened to Rice, the case was already processed. The masses wanted Rice taken down and he has been.

There is another question in the aftermath, however — what will happen with the other two cases of domestic violence in Goodell’s lap waiting for his review?

Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy and San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Ray McDonald each have a case pending in court and with the NFL.

“They’ll be evaluated under our new policy. That’s something we will obviously progress. It’s very important, obviously, to make sure we have all the facts and to make sure law enforcement has the opportunity to do what they need to do.” -Roger Goodell

Hardy was convicted of communicating threats and assaulting a female. He apparently beat his former girlfriend, threw her around his apartment and threatened to kill her. He appealed the case and is awaiting a decision on that appeal.

McDonald was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence against his pregnant fiancée on August 31.

“They’ll be evaluated under our new policy. That’s something we will obviously progress. It’s very important, obviously, to make sure we have all the facts and to make sure law enforcement has the opportunity to do what they need to do.”

The commissioner made that statement speaking to a crowd at Wake Forest High School in North Carolina to celebrate the district’s implementation of the NFL’s Heads Up program.

My question to Goodell is this: which policy exactly will be enforced on these two players? Is it the new policy where players get suspended six games for a first offense, and indefinitely for a second offense? Or is the apparently newer policy of bowing to public sentiment and going straight to the indefinite ban?

Also, once Goodell decides, do the players have to wait for him to retroactively enforce another punishment for the same offense?

The supposed policy is pretty cut and dried. This is their first offense, so they should get suspended for six games.

The way Goodell has been going all over the place, there might be no point in going by what is written down. Just let Goodell decide to his fancy what punishment should be enforced.

I have no problem with the teams cutting the players. The team can decide who they want on the roster and who they don’t want. If the trouble is too much for them to deal with, they are within their right to let the troubled players go. To go back after a decision was already made and make the punishment more severe is just plain wrong.

Niners coach Jim Harbaugh already said that there was a no-tolerance policy with him when it came to domestic violence. “You ask me how I feel about domestic violence. I can be very clear about that. If someone physically abuses a woman and/or physically or mentally abuses or hurts a child, then there’s no understanding. There’s no tolerance for that.”

It would seem that McDonald should get ready to take his place in the unemployment line with Rice if he is convicted. We will see, however, what actually happens when Harbaugh takes a look at his roster.

I understand that in today’s world, whenever an athlete does something people don’t like, they want to tar and feather that athlete in a public forum, and make all evidence of his/her existence on this earth disappear, but we must set rules, and follow those rules. Whether there is video of a domestic violence attack or not, the punishment should be the same. What Rice did is equivalent to what Hardy did, which is equivalent to what McDonald did.

If the actual policy was a one season suspension for a first offense, perhaps players would think twice before raising their hand to their wives or girlfriends.

The policy is set, though, and that is what Goodell and the NFL should follow, or rewrite the policy yet again. The NFL should not bow to public sentiment drive its policy. It is always better to be proactive rather than reactive.

The NFL wants to protect the shield and the billions it generates. The problems arising from one punch could have been avoided if the powers that be took the issue more seriously. Now everyone’s eyes will be watching Goodell and how he handles these other two cases.