Roger Goodell claims he didn’t see the Ray Rice video where he punches and knocks out his fiancee Janay Palmer (now Janay Rice). I guess I believe him, as there’s no way anyone would suspend that jackass for only two games after seeing this video.

What’s clear is that Goodell didn’t want to see it. Goodell employed the Sergeant Schultz strategy of closing his eyes to an obvious problem. Anyone with a brain would know that if Ms. Palmer was knocked out in the elevator, any footage of the event would be toxic and would require real punishment.

This mess overshadows some good things Goodell is about to do with the revision of the NFL’s marijuana policy, the implementation of HGH testing and (hopefully) ending the suspensions of Josh Gordon and Wes Welker who were punished under idiotic rules.

That stuff won’t get much attention now, as the footage of Rice’s brutal punch across the jaw of Palmer will be played over and over again, rightfully condemning Goodell and the NFL for the pitiful response to this shameful incident.