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Today's Poll: Should Roger Goodell resign or be fired as NFL commissioner?

By Howard B. Owens
Dave Olsen

Good share, Matt. I am a Dan Patrick fan and he is right on the money, Goodell should be subject to the same rules he imposes. If he resigns, he'll just get another, probably more lucrative job with less media scrutiny. Not much of a punishment. Hit him right in the wallet. Excellent quote from Dan "Accountability without consequences isn’t really accountability."

Sep 11, 2014, 8:47am Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

Can't believe I'm even commenting on a football 'thing', but here's my 8-1/2 cents worth:
From all I've heard about this whole thing:
A) The cops/prosecutors office didn't think it was any 'big deal'.
B) The Ravens (Rice's employer) didn't think it was any 'big deal'.
C) Janay, herself, didn't think it was any 'big deal'.

So, why should Goodell resign? If the 'victim' isn't that upset, I don't see why ANYONE else should be.

As for Rice, I would hope that he has saved/invested a good chunk of his millions. If he has, go open a small-town gym, buy a modest home, shop at K-mart instead of on Rodeo Drive, and join the rat race with the rest of us.

Now, if he & his 'family' wasted their millions on $30, 000 'club nights' and $200, 000 cars, well, then, now you can find out, THE HARD WAY, what the 'rat race' is REALLY like.

Well, that's how I feel about the whole thing.

Sep 11, 2014, 9:38am Permalink
Jennifer Keys

Ed, let me take C.) first. What we know about the victims of domestic violence and their abusers tells us that the more lightly they take it the more seriously we should take it. Victims are brainwashed into believing they deserve it and then brainwashed into believing that the abuser is sorry and it won't happen again. They are broken down and cut off from their friends and family, made to believe that they have nowhere to go and no one to turn to and that it isn't serious. As a society we know that the truth is that many women die from domestic violence and never get away, but many others do eventually find the immense inner strength to leave and rebuild.

Which leads me to A.) the police and district attorney should have taken it seriously. It's pretty clear what happened and they were wrong not to do more. In fact, by not doing more they and B.) the league and the Ravens told Janay that she wasn't worth it and reinforced the years of negative talk that her abuser has instilled in her. I cannot even imagine what it must be like to live in her head.

Finally, as to the poll question: I'm not sure Goodell needs to resign, BUT I am certain that the league needs another overhaul in its personal conduct policies. Kids look up to NFL players. Yes, they are human, but it is NOT ok for them to behave in this way towards other humans, or animals, just as it is not ok for the rest of society to behave in such ways.

This was handled inappropriately from the beginning and wreaks of cover up. It's time for someone to put on their grown-up pants, accept responsibility, and step up for change!

Sep 11, 2014, 10:50am Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

OK, Jennifer. I'll give you thumbs up on most of your reply.

I say most, because I do have a problem playing the sympathy card for anyone that would put themselves in a position where they can be physically abused A SECOND TIME. And, by marrying this guy, that's exactly what Janay did.

Was the elevator incident the first time he hit her? I don't know, but if it wasn't, she shouldn't have been there for that one. Or, the one before that one. Or, whichever one that supposedly 'brainwashed' her.

And, if it was the first time, she shouldn't have married him.

I don't see her as quite the victim, as some people do.

I figure that if you can learn to walk, talk, brush your teeth and zip up your dress, then you have a brain. If you refuse to use that brain, I, personally, have no sympathy. I don't know how I could make that any clearer.

Thanks for replying, though.

Sep 11, 2014, 12:03pm Permalink
Diane Lepley

Ed, you are blaming the victim here which sadly is not uncommon. There can be many reasons why a person stays in an abusive relationship. The scenario that is in play, what these abusive relationships are structured around ...are endless.

Sep 11, 2014, 1:40pm Permalink
david spaulding

ok so some guy fine tunes his girlfriend and it gets recorded on video. the guy looses his job over this incident. this kind of thing happens all the time, it's called life and law enforcement calls it harassment. .read the police blotter, you think all those people convicted of harassment should lose their jobs too?......how did this turn into our business anyways?

Sep 11, 2014, 5:38pm Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

Nope. Sorry, Diane. You can read whatever you want into my comment.

Blame? I say they both can be "blamed".
I blame HIM for hitting her.That's a no-brainer.
But, she must be the one blamed for sticking around. Unless, of course, she's never, ever, out of his sight. They got married AFTER the 'elevator incident', right? I choose to believe that, somewhere between hotel floor & aisle, she could've walked. Now, I could be wrong. I suppose, maybe, he dragged her home, chained her to the wall, and hired a blind, deaf minister to perform the ceremony. But, I doubt it.

As for 'reasons why' THIS one stayed, I honestly believe, we'll be seeing that down the road.

Sep 11, 2014, 6:13pm Permalink
Bea McManis

Beating a woman is considered 'fine tuning'? Disgusting and another example of the lack of respect women get from a segment of the male contributors on this site.

Sep 11, 2014, 6:32pm Permalink
david spaulding

sorry Bea, poor choice of words on my part..... while I do not condone the man's behavior, I don't think he beat her, he punched her..... while the video may be disturbing, people may be taking it out of context. remember the Rodney king video? remember the verdict? a lot of things could have taken place before this couple entered the elevator. just maybe she got caught spending time with the quarterback, with the coach, and the boyfriend lost his temper.

Sep 11, 2014, 7:00pm Permalink
Julie Morales

Yes, it’s so much better to go from “fine tuning” her, to “she asked for it.”

Why is it so difficult for some men to accept responsibility for their own behavior. “She started it!” Grow the hell up.

Bea….

Unfortunately it’s not just the men on this site; it’s men everywhere.

Sep 11, 2014, 7:50pm Permalink
bud prevost

To the question, yes he should be fired. He should have handled it better from the get go.
I don't condone Ray Rice's actions, but I'm disturbed how this has escalated into a media circus.

Sep 11, 2014, 7:51pm Permalink
Kyle Couchman

Bottom line.....NFL Commissioner messed up. let his peers decide to ask or not ask for his resignation.

On the abuse, abuse happens both ways women are guilty of abusing men too. We are not the people in that relationship. We dont know the circumstances at all. All we know is she still married him and they still are together. Sometimes love can be rocky and things can happen if she doesnt persue charges thats her choice.

Julie I guess men will accept responsibility for their behavior about the same time women do accept responsibility for theirs. Nothing happens in a vaccum, both contribute to the causes that result in these assaults. Its for them or the courts to work out and comments like your Julie are just as wrong as the guys comments you are criticizing.

Unless you are a police negotiator or a couples councilor you really dont have much business making assumptions on either side of the man/woman abuse situations.

Sep 11, 2014, 11:15pm Permalink
barb king

For the love of all that is reasonable PLEASE get a voting system that shows total thumbs up vs. thumbs down. Negating someone else's vote is not an accurate gauge. Twenty votes up combined with twenty down equals zero. Posts that received no votes either way equal zero. Poorly weighted.

Sep 12, 2014, 2:36am Permalink
Kyle Couchman

I dont see Barb's point. Is she saying that people that dont vote on the topic shouldn't be permitted to vote thumbs up/down on someones comment?

You already have a total of your thumbs up/down votes= thumbs up - thumbs down the more positive votes you have the more people approve, and vice versa.

As for the total number of thumbs up/down well.... Like Mick and the boys always sang. You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you just might find. You get what you need.

Sep 12, 2014, 1:40pm Permalink
alvin tufts

It would be a more accurate measure of public interest on a given statement that has nothing to do with the current article or poll. Which may spark further debate or give Howard a possible topic of community interest to expand on thru another poll or investigative article. If this poll was only thumbs up or down and "no" represented down, it would currently as of this statement show a "-14". Even though almost 1000 people voted on it.

Sep 12, 2014, 3:25pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

You have no idea how many votes. A typical comment gets only a couple of votes. When you see a comment with -10, at most there's been 15 votes on it.

Culmative score gives some idea of the way the response is trending. I think that's a good measure. After all, it's a tool of entertainment value and no other.

other than that, of all the priorities I have to spend money on on site development, there are priorities ahead of this.

Unless of course, you're able to contribute to the cause by joining The Batavian Club.

Sep 12, 2014, 3:42pm Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

OK, Alvin. I guess I can see that aspect of it.

Of course, you would be relying on your belief that the 'thumbs up-thumbs down' voter is truly voting on their thoughts.
Believe me, I've met people that would think nothing of standing outside at midnight and saying the sun was burning them - if they think it'll start an arguement. Gladly, they're far and few between, but, they do exist.

Sep 12, 2014, 3:54pm Permalink

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