Source: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/what-d...

Referencing a speech he gave at the rookie symposium, Goodell said this: “I talked on personal conduct. I didn’t speak about anyone in particular in that case. But I did talk about what I call protecting the shield. My job is to protect the integrity of the NFL.”

The NFL has never had less integrity than it does this week. It’s a low point for now, but who knows what will happen next to drag things a little closer to the gutter.

The only behavior this league polices effectively involves uniforms, celebrations, or marijuana testing that the rest of the country stopped caring about several years ago. Meanwhile, there’s still no HGH policy in place, head injuries remain a problem with no clear solution, domestic violence and offseason crime is an issue that’s not getting better, and as the league pushes for an 18-game schedule and a draft in late May, more people than ever wonder how much longer we can keep watching.

However you feel about football, there are big questions this league has to ask itself over the next few years, and it’s hard to believe Roger Goodell’s the right man to answer them. After almost a decade running the league, he’s getting worse, not better. He’s consistently two steps behind public opinion and miles away from ever actually solving anything.

Whether you’re talking about Rice or Goodell, Monday just made it harder to ignore things we knew all along.

Oh, and Hardy? On Sunday he had four tackles and a sack, and helped the Panthers defense harass Josh McCown all afternoon to take down the Bucs. There’s still no word on a suspension, but don’t worry. The league office recently sent a memo to the Panthers warning them that Greg Hardy’s face paint is a violation of NFL uniform policy.

The commissioner’s got things under control.