Keith Olbermann cites a profound ‘ethical breach’ by Roger Goodell in Ray Rice suspension

Keith Olbermann of ESPN has been at the forefront of taking the NFL to task for its gross mishandling of Ray Rice’s suspension for domestic violence, and Olbermann isn’t resting yet -- not by a long shot.

On Monday night he discussed the “ethical breach so profound” by commissioner Roger Goodell for his role in handing out the suspension of Rice. Olbermann pointed to a problematic interview on Mike & Mike from NFL senior VP of labor policy Adolpho Birch, who seemed to have a fundamental lack of understanding regarding Rice’s legal proceedings and the league’s reaction.

Perhaps most alarming was Birch’s admission that the league prioritizes suspension length based on the type of breach as it relates to “the values of the league.” This presents the NFL as an organization in line with the majority of public sentiment: The league cares about drugs and player safety, not women -- at least insofar as suspensions are concerned.

This leaves us with the ethical breach, which Olbermann calls “disturbing.” According to a report from Peter King, Rice’s wife led an impassioned plea to the commissioner to not damage Rice’s career and convinced him this was a one-off incident. This was all conducted in the presence of her husband, the man who beat her, and the discussion flew in the face of standard legal procedure, which typically insulates victims from attackers in order to gain an impartial testimony.

Olbermann says it best.

“If Roger Goodell really conducted a meeting with both Ray and Janay Palmer Rice present, he destroyed the impartiality of his own investigation. He ruined it. I call on Commissioner Goodell to withdraw his two-game suspension of Ray Rice now and recuse himself from determining Rice’s punishment and say that the decision about how long Rice should be suspended has been turned over to, well, to almost anybody who didn’t make the victim sit next to her attacker in front of his employers and the judge.”

It’s unlikely the NFL will respond, but it’s clear Olbermann won’t stop -- nor should he.