ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported tonight on Monday NFL Countdown that there is no planned meeting between Raiders coach Tom Cable and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the broken jaw of Raiders assistant Randy Hanson.
Speaking of a possible meeting to discuss the incident, Mortensen said, “That’s not going to be imminent. [Cable is] a first-time offender under the Personal Conduct Policy. There have to be charges filed and, as a first-time offender, there has to be adjudication. In other words, there has to be a trial and conviction and a plea. He’s a long time off before he ever gets to the Commissioner.”
But even if criminal charges are not filed, Cable would not be in the clear based on the language in the personal conduct policy which Goodell and the league enacted in 2007.
The policy reads: “The standard of socially responsible conduct for NFL employees will be higher. Club and league employees will be held to a higher standard than players. Conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL will be subject to discipline, even if not criminal in nature.”
And listed among the grounds for discipline are: “Violent or threatening behavior among employees, whether in or outside the workplace” and "[c]onduct that imposes inherent danger to the safety and well-being of another person.”
So while a meeting between Cable and Goodell may be a “long time off” as Mort said, it should occur, even if criminal charges aren’t ultimately brought.