NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he’s going to let the Napa Valley District Attorney’s Office do their work on the Tom Cable case before wading in.
“They will make some determination in the next couple of weeks what their findings are,” Goodell said at the NFL Owners Meetings in Boston. “At that stage, we’ll make a determination on what our next step is. I’ve made it clear that everyone is held to that personal conduct policy. We want to make sure the same standard is being held for everybody including Coach Cable.”
Goodell explained the reason the league hasn’t made a move on Cable is that, in the case of first-time offenders [or possible offenders], the legal process is allowed to play out. Only with repeat offenders does the league step in before the law’s done.
The league’s security department has been in contact with the Raiders. “We’re allowing the criminal process to go forward for some time and then at some stage we will be very engaged.”
Goodell also took a side trip into the workplace violence aspects of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy which, with apologies to Randy Hanson’s busted face, drips with irony given what transpires on the field from 1 p.m. to midnight every Sunday in the fall.
“We’ve specifically identified in our policy workplace violence,” said Goodell. “That’s something that’s very important for us.”