Flying high over the MetLife Stadium in New York City this past weekend was a banner featuring a simple hashtag – #GoodellMustGo

For those of you who don’t know, this is referring to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell has never been so popular than he has in these past weeks. I have to admit, I didn’t really know who Goodell was either until recently. His actions of late are actually what has been in the news, mostly dealing with Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice. 

Rice’s contract with the Ravens was terminated after a video was released of him beating his then-fiancee and now-wife unconscious in an elevator. Now if that isn’t bad enough, it took the NFL seven months to decide that maybe this guy shouldn’t be allowed to play. I repeat, seven months.

The Boston Globe made a timeline of Ray Rice’s events, but the short story is this:

In February 2014, a short video was released of Rice dragging his wife out of an elevator. A month later, he was indicted for aggravated assault on March 27. Amazingly, he had time to get married the very next day to the same woman, Janay Palmer. 

It was until April, that the NFL supposedly received the full tape of Rice physically abusing his wife until she was unconscious and then dragging her body out of the elevator. Rice pleaded not guilty was only going to face a two-game suspension from the NFL. That’s it. He was going to miss two games for beating his wife to a pulp. 

On Sept. 8, all hell broke loose when the full video was released by TMZ of Rice punching his wife unconscious and then dragging her out of the elevator. The same day, Rice’s contract was terminated by the Ravens. Well, it was about time. 

Right now, it’s a bunch of ‘he said, she said.’ However, the NFL should have done something to Rice immediately after seeing the video and not waiting until after the regular season began to do something. 

Either way, the situation was handled incorrectly and everyone’s blaming Goodell. There are plenty here to blame but Goodell is taking on the majority of backlash. 

If that isn’t enough, now Adrian Peterson, running back for the Vikings is facing child abuse charges. Is there something special they put in all of the running back’s water? I mean, come on.

Even Peterson’s accusations are over a year old and the NFL is just now reacting. This is starting to become pathetic. Peterson was deactivated from this past Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints. However, they have reactivated Peterson and he is now playing once again.

Now, where’s the logic in that? Now I have as much love for football as the next, but lately I’m not so sure. I’m not going to stop watching football but Goodell needs to take charge. Deactivate Peterson until he is proven innocent. Look into the convictions and do some serious discussion with more than just your other executive buddies. Peterson, like Rice, should be deactivated permanently. No questions asked. 

You can’t be accused with those indictments and be completely innocent. You are a professional athlete, so act like one. 

Anyway, good luck to Goodell because pretty soon we’ll be saying goodbye to him. Don’t worry, I heard McDonald’s is hiring.