Somebody should get fired.
It just a matter of whom. And when. And how many.
On Tuesday, TMZ released the video from inside the elevator that showed the confrontation between Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice and his then fiancee and now wife, Janay Palmer.
And when it went public, the NFL went into public relations mode. That two-game suspension Rice received from commissioner Roger Goodell seemed to be on the lenient side.
Way on the lenient side.
So Goodell turned the two-game suspension into an indefinite one. And at his age and reputation, it is very likely a career-ender for Rice in the NFL. As it should be.
But why wasn't the suspension more harsh in the first place?
The NFL said it neither Goodell nor anyone in the league office had seen that particular video released by TMZ. They'd only seen what had been made public before, Rice dragging an unconscious Palmer out of the elevator in the Atlantic City casino.
And that should have been enough for more than two games. But Goodell, after meeting with Rice and Palmer, decided it was enough and there wasn't a great uprising among the public about it.
Until Tuesday. And then a law enforcement official said the video had been sent to the NFL back in April. That's more than three months before Goodell suspended Rice for the laughable two games.
And now the attention has shifted from Rice to Goodell. The NFL said it is investigating how the league handed the matter, with former FBI director Robert Mueller leading the way. This is the same Mueller who works with the same law firm that helped the NFL negotiate a recent multi-billion deal with DirecTV.
Here's an idea. For the sixth straight year, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the NFL. It's a way to raise awareness among fans. It's also a way to sell pink jerseys, like the No. 27 Ray Rice you could still purchase online at the NFL store late last week.
This is the point of the column where a heavy sigh is appropriate.
Anyway, how about the NFL shelve the idea for this year at least? Instead of trotting NFL players in their pink wristbands, how about concentrating on violence in the home. Have the league's top players do public service announcements about domestic violence and air them throughout telecasts Sundays and Monday nights.
I can't think of what color jersey or wristband would appropriate for the campaign, so there's nothing to sell to make money.
The NFL should do it because it's the right thing to do.
Somebody should get fired. Probably more than one somebody.