SmashMouth

The NFL requires players to avoid "conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League." The same standard should apply to Commissioner Roger Goodell.

And based on that standard, Mr. Goodell should be removed.

The commissioner not only botched the punishment of former Ravens running back Ray Rice for punching his then-fiancée in an Atlantic City casino elevator, but his claim that the league wasn't given a video of the assault now seems false.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday afternoon that a law enforcement official said he sent the video showing Mr. Rice knocking out fiancée Janay Palmer to an NFL executive five months ago. Mr. Goodell and the league office have insisted they didn't see the brutal punch until this week when TMZ released the video.

But the law enforcement official allowed The Associated Press to listen to an April 9 voicemail from an NFL office number that confirmed the video had been received. According to the AP report, a woman expresses thanks and says, "You're right. It's terrible."

When asked by AP about the voicemail Wednesday, league officials still said no one had seen the video before this week.

Hours after fans began sharing the video posted by TMZ Monday, the Ravens cut the All Pro running back and the NFL made his suspension indefinite.

It is impossible to believe no one at the NFL had seen the video before this week. The claim was already suspect before the AP's news report Wednesday afternoon. The league has vast resources and power, and it had been clear for months that Ms. Palmer -- who is now married to Mr. Rice -- had been knocked out in the elevator in February.

Even without the elevator video, Mr. Goodell could have given Mr. Rice more than a two-game suspension. But wouldn't the league want to make sure it had all evidence in hand before deciding Mr. Rice's punishment? If Mr. Goodell actually wanted to punish Mr. Rice, that is.

Mr. Goodell hires private investigators when he wants to dig up something on a player or team. That is what he did when the Vikings accused the Saints in 2010 of putting a defensive bounty on Brett Favre in the NFC championship game. Mr. Goodell was ruthless in his pursuit of the Saints.

When Mr. Goodell suspended Coach Sean Payton for the entire 2012 season because of the bounty scandal, the commissioner essentially said it was because Mr. Payton should have done more.

The Goodell statement from March 2012 reads in part: "The violations were compounded by the failure of Coach Payton to supervise the players and coaches and his affirmative decision starting in 2010 (a) not to inquire into the facts concerning the pay-for-performance/bounty program even though he was aware of the league's inquiries both in 2010 and 2012..."

Similar language could apply to Mr. Goodell now. At best, he failed to get all the evidence available on Mr. Rice's assault of Ms. Palmer before he suspended him in late July for only two games. At worst, Mr. Goodell purposefully ignored the video and hasn't been truthful about the league's knowledge of its existence.

Whichever it is, the league needs new leadership. The owners ought to want a better representative for the game, and the fans deserve it.

Mr. Goodell sounded self-righteous when he handed down severe punishments for the Saints in 2012 -- punishment that was excessive and damaging.

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