The National Football League Ethics

The National Football League, better known as the NFL, has undergone a massive ethical breach so profound that many are questioning whether commissioner Rodger Goodell should retain his position. Goodell is the corporate face of the NFL in charge of the business operations that brings in nearly ten billion dollars in annual revenue. Goodell is also the individual responsible for overseeing all personal conduct cases, deciding guilt, and distributing punishments to current players and owners. After taking over the job roughly eight years ago, Goodell has sought after establishing higher standards while laying the law on those individuals who act in a way that was detrimental to their team or the league image. The commissioner has succeeded in developing tougher penalties; however, these punishments have become noticeably inconsistent on a case-by-case basis and the integrity of the commissioner and the league is now being questioned.

The tip of the iceberg for Roger Goodell was the recent case of Ray rice. Rice, who was a member of the Baltimore Ravens, was involved in a domestic abuse altercation with his then fiancé. After being arrested on the night of the assault and going through the process of the legal system, it was now Goodell’s turn to hand down punishment from the NFL as Rice’s employer. This is the area where multiple ethical dilemmas arise.

Goodell is the head of the league in charge of discipline for players and owners; however, he also works for the owners. This situation is very difficult as Goodell must take a stand when punishing players; however, owner relationships create bias in these circumstances. Goodell is also in pursuit of lofty revenue goals along with the owners. This brings to light another ethical dilemma. Goodell must maneuver in which he hands down the adequate punishment necessary to fit the crime while not significantly hurting the bottom line of the NFL or the owners’ teams in which the player is associated