Roger Goodell says NFL has ‘made tremendous progress’ regarding domestic violence

The NFL’s latest handling of the Josh Brown situation has had some claiming the league hasn’t learned a thing about how to approach domestic violence since the Ray Rice incident in 2014.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would vehemently disagree. He lauded the NFL’s policy on domestic abuse and said the league has taken great strides in that regard.

“What you see here is a policy that’s evolved,” Goodell told the New York Daily News’ Gary Myers when discussing the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. “We’ve learned a lot, but these are complex matters. When you talk to the domestic violence experts, these are difficult matters to deal with.

“I think we’ve made tremendous progress. Can we make more and will we make more? Of course.”

The NFL was criticized for suspending Brown only one game after being arrested in May 2015 for an alleged incident with his ex-wife. The league has had its tendency to drag its feet with these investigations and has gotten plenty of backlash for not punishing players harshly for domestic violence.

The Giants eventually released Brown after police records revealed the kicker confessed to abusing his wife in journals and emails and owner John Mara admitted that the team didn’t handle the situation properly.

Once again, the NFL will have plenty of questions to answer about another domestic violence incident. That will truly test whether the league has made progress, as Goodell suggested.