NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took plenty of heat — and rightly so — for his handling of the Ray Rice case last year.
So it’s only natural that Goodell might be more satisfied with his performance now, after dropping a 10-game suspension on Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy for last year’s domestic violence arrest.
Speaking in Chicago, Goodell expressed confidence the league had achieved the right result this time, after he admitted they got it wrong with Rice.
“Because of the process. Because we have the facts,” Goodell said, via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “We had the right people involved who were able to pull all the facts together, give us the kind of information that was necessary for us to make a decision that would reflect the values and the integrity of the league but also the personal conduct policy.”
Of course, the NFLPA disagrees, which is why they’ve already filed an appeal.
But Goodell’s operating from a bit more of a position of strength this time, after hiring a staff to investigate these things, rather than passively waiting for TMZ to deliver all the evidence anyone needed last time.