Some more thoughts on the pattern of domestic abuse:

The Patterns: http://deadspin.com/the-only-thing-u...hat-1633583402

Blaming themselves or recanting the original charge: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21840635 (link from above story)

I can't find a decent summary of the last point I want to make, so I'll paraphrase and link to the source. When Goodell met with the combatants before deciding discipline, he presumably wanted to hear Janay Palmer's side of the story. He did it with Ray Rice in the room. Also present were Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome, Ravens club president Dick Cass plus Jeff Pash and Adolpho Birch of the league.

Does anyone see a problem with that lineup? Everyone has a vested interest in the financial success of the meeting. Only one person has a truly vested interest in the victim's health. And that person is conflicted at best, compromised as worst. And sitting in the same room with the abuser when speaking to his bosses.

http://mmqb.si.com/2014/07/25/ray-ri...ension-ravens/

Goodell should be sanctioned in some way, but not because he doesn't understand domestic abuse or levies minimal sanctions against it. He shouldn't be fired because some NFL Security lackey made him out to be a liar about the tape. Not should he be fired for apparently not asking how NFL Security got a detailed description of the elevator tape without possessing it, something he claims he thought was illegal. Not because he backed himself and the League into a corner by having a pot offense go for a year and a domestic abuse situation go for 2 games.

He should be sanctioned because he is dumb enough to think he knows enough to be judge and jury for the Personal Conduct Policy. Anyone with an ounce of self-awareness would know how big a job that is, how much information they don't have and would look to create a functional structure to guard against being a complete schmuck.