Before Friday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had not made any public appearances since his Sept. 9 interview with CBS.
So when he called for a press conference Friday to announce changes to the league's personal conduct policy, you better believe everybody showed up to hear what the commish had to say.
ROGER GOODELL ON NFL NETWORK: "Unfortunately, over the past several weeks, we have seen all too much of the NFL doing wrong. That starts with me."
Goodell said the league will be making revisions to its "current programs." He said there will be training sessions with "top experts"; he announced a partnership with domestic violence organizations; he promised the league will establish a personal conduct committee.
Goodell told a room full of reporters "Everything is on the table." And for the journalism firing squad in attendance Friday, all questions were on the table also.
"Have you considered resigning at any point?"
"I wonder if you, personally, have ever been involved in an abuse situation..."
"You suspended Ray Rice after our video. Why didn't you have the curiosity to go to the casino yourself?"
For anyone looking for Goodell to make a bombshell confession about, let's say, when NFL officials saw the Ray Rice video, you might've been disappointed. And that was the takeaway sentiment from a lot of writers and current NFL players — disappointment.
By many accounts, Goodell sidestepped questions for 45 minutes and skimmed on details during his press conference. Indianapolis Colts cornerback Darius Butler summed it up with this tweet: "This press conference is pointless."
Nancy Armour for USA Today wrote, "Goodell had a chance to bring clarity to what's been an ugly few weeks for the NFL. All he did was show the league still hasn't got a clue."
But at least one person came to Goodell's defense. Chicago Bears receiver Brandon Marshall tweeted, "What [Goodell] is doing isn't easy."
Most will probably agree with that statement — taking a barrage of questions in what is probably one of the most embarrassing periods for the NFL probably isn't easy. And the next few months won't be either. Goodell said he's not stepping down and he plans to deliver on his promises — including forming a conduct committee — by Super Bowl XLIX.
This video includes images from Getty Images.
