The mob is outside the offices though and they have defied it before: rules changes being the significant one.
From this side of the interent, it looks like the public railroaded the NFL. From inside it might look different. Biscotti (as someone mentioned) and Goodell have both been quoted that they thought it was a slap. If the investigation is actually thorough, maybe we get an answer to whether that is plausible or not.
In either event, basing your discipline on role that the handrail played in knocking out the woman was a bad idea without video. If they handing a standing committee for player discipline, with policies and procedures, they might learn from this.