- AP Photos
- Sportswriters have gone after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for his tepid response to domestic violence by star Ray Rice—but is he the only one to blame?
There are two great literary explorations into the kind of repeated endeavor that gives life purpose even if not always accomplishment. One is Camus’s “The Myth of Sisyphus.” The other is the nursery rhyme “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
Jarrett Bell, USA Today: “In a statement, the NFL again reiterated that it was ‘not aware of anyone in our office who possessed or saw the video before it was made public Monday.’ But each time the NFL repeats its position, it’s another blow to the credibility of how business is conducted at NFL headquarters under Goodell’s watch. And it increases the heat on this commissioner like never before.”
Calls for executives’ heads aren’t uncommon among sports media pundits, as enforcing moral codes is a core responsibility—along with demanding local team leaders do what it takes to field a winner. In this case something interesting seems to have happened. It occurred to the pundits that they were likely to get their wish: the NFL owners could easily soothe the baying pack by pushing Goodell off the back of the wagon.
The Times apparently doesn’t intend to let this story go until everyone on staff has had a say, and that was Maureen Dowd weighing in on Sunday: “Owners shrug off moral turpitude because when they pay a lot of money for a player, they don’t want him sitting out games, even if he’s been accused of a crime.”
So down the water spout the pundits tumble, though it won’t be long before they’re inching their way up again.
