The hits keep coming for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the latest one may undermine his existence as the league’s disciplinarian.
Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who was suspended indefinitely this year after punching his fiancee, won his appeal on Friday, meaning he could return to the league.
Rice, the face of the domestic-violence problem in the NFL, is now a free agent and is eligible to sign with another team, the NFL Players Association said Friday.
Rice, 27, had been sacked by the Ravens and kicked out of the NFL indefinitely in September after the emergence of video showing him punching his fiancee Janay in a casino lift in February, knocking her unconscious.
Goodell had initially barred Rice for only two games, then extended the ban after video of the episode emerged. The former federal judge who was the arbitrator in the appeal, Barbara S Jones, said that was not fair and that the league could not punish someone twice for the same offence. She is right.
The decision is a huge setback for Goodell, who was criticised for his handling of the case from the very beginning. Jones included a line in her ruling that was probably a very painful “if” for Goodell: “If this were a matter where the first discipline imposed was an indefinite suspension, an arbitrator would be hard-pressed to find that the commissioner had abused his discretion. But that is not the case before me.”
Goodell has been breaking the rules that he has been making up as he goes along.
Instead of a strong leader when the league needs it most, Goodell has been an inconsistent and weak one.
agray@thenational.ae
Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
