Commissioner Roger Goodell is one of the league's more high profile figures, though some of the attention has been more notorious than glorious. In the past 12 months, Goodell has been involved in the suspensions of Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy, and Tom Brady, and public opinion has panned his decisions in all four cases.
The role of NFL Commissioner is one empowered by the owners. So, how does Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys owner and one of pro football's most influential figures, feel about Goodell's job performance?
"Well, first of all, the fact that I don't even have a part of the question of him being the commissioner," Jones said. "It's a given as far as I'm concerned. He's done an outstanding job. He's got one of the more difficult jobs there are. He wouldn't give anything for it. He's passionate about it. He's spent a lifetime planning himself to be the commissioner. He does a great job."
Jones and the Cowboys have not won on all of their showdowns with Commissioner Goodell, and it could be argued they are the least favored franchise in Goodell's NFL. Where Dallas would have liked controversial defensive end Greg Hardy to receive a two-game suspension for a 2014 domestic violence conviction, Goodell imposed a 10-game fine that was later reduced to four. In 2012, Goodell also allowed the NFL Management Council to fine the Cowboys $10 million in cap space for going against "the spirit of the salary cap" with wideout Mile Austin's contract in the uncapped off-season of 2010.
"Certainly, I sometimes don't agree with him on decisions," said Jones. "He can come down and come down kind of hard against the Cowboys and has. But that's the way this thing goes."
Even though the judgment on Goodell's job as commissioner is harsh, Goodell still has support from Jones.
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