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Roger Goodell does little to fix NFL's damaged image (video)

Roger Goodell needs to speak with actions that actually help prevent domestic violence by NFL players, and punish the players who engage in those acts.

Alex Goodlett

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke to both NFL and national media on Friday. Virtually every media company in the world wanted to know what Goodell was doing to rehabilitate the damaged image of the NFL in the wake of several domestic violence cases, as well as his own mismanagement of all of them in terms of disciplining the guilty players involved.

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For the most part, Goodell spent the duration of the conference dodging questions rather than answering them. At the very least, Goodell did admit to his mistakes made in handling these cases, and that he was going to make sure those same mistakes weren't made again.

"Unfortunately over the last several weeks, we've seen all too much the NFL doing wrong. That starts with me, "Goodell said. "I said this before back on Aug. 28 and say it again now, I got it wrong in the handling of the Ray Rice matter and I'm sorry for that. I got it wrong on a number of levels, from the process that I led to the decision that I reached. But now I will get it right and to whatever is necessary to accomplish that.

"I'm not satisfied with the way we handled it from the get-go. I made a mistake. I'm not satisfied with the process we went through. I'm not satisfied with the conclusion.

"We made a mistake by letting our standards fall below where they should be."

Goodell talked on the topic of the NFL's increased efforts to fix how the league deals with domestic violence by sending out information about various organizations committed to preventing domestic violence, because God forbid someone thinks the NFL is one of those.

"Earlier today, each NFL club and all of our league office locations received information about advocacy and care organizations in their communities," Goodell said. "In addition, our team and league staff, everyone, will participate in education sessions starting in the next month followed by training programs."

In the end, whatever Goodell could have said today mattered little. He's effectively become the Charlie Brown teacher of NFL spokesmen. Goodell needs to speak with actions that actually help prevent domestic violence by NFL players, and punish the ones who engage in those acts.