Roger Goodell Creates a Credibility Problem for Himself

Credibility is not like a set of car keys. When you lose it, you can’t just find it again and move on. This is the problem NFL commissioner Roger Goodell created for himself. Every investigation carries echoes of previous investigations, and so many of those were botched, dishonest or both.

The NFL’s report on the Dolphins should be read with this history in mind. Try it:

Goodell punished the Dolphins for tampering with Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (who once sued Goodell over a four-game suspension for deflating footballs).

Goodell also punished the Dolphins for tampering with former Saints coach Sean Payton (whom Goodell once suspended for a year for a bounty scandal, causing Payton to complain the investigation was “rigged” against him).