Just to be clear, precisely because Goodell works for the owners, I think he is uniquely positioned to move the process forward. The owners have an agenda. The Commissioner has a job...basically to defend and forward the NFL brand. That is his job.
That gives him the unique opportunity to help the owners save themselves from themselves. Based on what we are seeing here, who eventually is going to be the group that is risking the most, can lose the most in this whole mess? Clearly it is the owners. It is their brand that is now being dented. It is their NFL that is becoming a farce. As independent owners they may feel like they have an ax to grind and want to dig their heels in regarding the refs. However I cannot believe that there is any amount of money that the refs have on the table that even scratches the surface of the money at stake for the NFL. Lets not forget that one effort fairly well along for the NFL is the internationalization of the brand.
It appears to me that Goodell has decided to see his position through the eyes of the owners when in reality he should see his position through the eyes of the NFL and that is not exactly the same thing. That combined with the way he has blundered through Bountygate, really has me questioning his future as Commissioner.
