NFL’s new conduct policy doesn’t make everyone happy

The National Football League on Wednesday unveiled a revised personal conduct policy that sets standard, six-game suspensions for domestic abuse and sexual assault violations.

The new policy also takes away some of Commissioner Roger Goodell’s disciplinary power. Goodell took a substantial amount of criticism from the press and the public in the wake of this year’s Ray Rice domestic abuse case and the Adrian Peterson child abuse cases, in part because of perceived inaction on his part.

In a press conference, Goodell said:

We want to make sure that we do what’s in the best interests of the NFL long-term, that we are able to have a system that reflects the values, the standards of what we’re all about. And that’s why we put a lot of focus over the last four months on what’s best for the NFL.

The NFL Players Association piped up to say the new policy may not be what’s best for its members, however. The association claims it wasn’t given the “professional courtesy” of reviewing the policy, though NFL attorneys say there have been numerous meetings over the past weeks.