You know the details of the Ray Rice case and the NFL's horribly inadequate response. Now there's the Watergate-esque issue of what Goodell knew and when he knew it.
Somehow the NFL's far-flung security network couldn't come up with a tape that instead wound up in the clutches of gossip website TMZ. That's Goodell's version of the story. If it's true, he's admitting he's incompetent. If it's not true, he's a liar.
Either way, it doesn't bode well for his future in a job that's reported to have earned him $44 million last year. It's stunning that Goodell has been so tone-deaf in his handling of Rice's case.
The two-game suspension was a joke. Goodell admitted his mistake when he backtracked and toughened the NFL's policy on domestic abuse. Still, at that point Rice would have been cleared to rejoin the Ravens this week.
The security video changed all of that, and may have also altered the course of NFL history, where there have been just three commissioners in the last 54 years.
You don't get that big office on Park Avenue without being politically savvy. Goodell, according to his published history, wanted to work for the NFL from the time he was attending Washington & Jefferson. He regularly wrote to the league and most of the teams, looking for any entry-level job.
The league took him on as an intern, and he progressed from there. That doesn't happen unless you make a lot of right moves, schmooze the wealthy and headstrong men who own franchises and build a consensus of support. It's much like a political campaign, and Goodell's paid off in 2006 when he was selected to succeed Paul Tagliabue.
How can a guy who's that smart miss so badly when the Ray Rice incident landed on his desk? After all the finger wagging and scolding and fining on late hits and dope smoking and improper comments about officiating, he completely fumbled a clear-cut case of assault.
A lot of players are enjoying seeing Goodell squirm under the heat that's roasting him these days. The most effective way for the NFL to recover from the Rice disgrace would be to put someone else in charge of the league.
It may come to that after an investigation is concluded. The big question is how a league that employs elite former law enforcement personnel couldn't come up with a tape that was obviously available. Was Goodell inept, or was he dishonest?
Neither choice is very appealing. Ray Rice lost his job. Roger Goodell may lose his, too.
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--IT'S FUNDAMENTAL
You can debate schemes and wonder how quickly new players can grasp a complicated defense, but there's one horrible truth from the Steelers' first two games:
They don't tackle very well. If you've watched much football, you know that the ability to tackle the guy with the ball is kind of fundamental to any success on defense.
The other night in Baltimore, Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor both whiffed on tackling a ball carrier and Ryan Shazier missed, too. Later, Cortez Allen awkwardly tried to bring down Steve Smith by the shoulder pads and wound up getting a 15-yard facemask penalty.
Whether it's a problem with technique or a lack of commitment, the Steelers are missing too many tackles.
When James Harrison retired, Polamalu praised him as someone who typified the toughness of the Steelers defense. Wonder if he said that with a certain wistfulness, because the current group seems to get pushed around quite a bit in a way that's very un-Steelers like.
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--PITCHING CHANGE
Who knew the Pirates would wind up missing Bryan Morris more than A.J. Burnett?
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--DIFFERENT WORLD
Lloyd McClendon's Mariners are in the postseason hunt, and he's a candidate for Manager of the Year in his first year with Seattle.
The Mariners were bolstered in the offseason by the free agent signing of Robinson Cano to a contract worth $240 million.
When McClendon managed the Pirates from 2001-05, his five teams had a combined payroll of just under $226 million.
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