NFL commissioner under fire as CoverGirl photo draws more unwanted attention

THIS has been the NFL's worst week.

In the span of five days, America's favourite league bombarded fans with a video of one player punching his wife, details about a former MVP hitting his son with a tree branch, reminders of two more lingering domestic violence cases — all being overseen by a commissioner, Roger Goodell, who has looked ill-suited to handle any of it.

Now calls are growing for Goodell to be fired over his handling of the situations, and in particular the disturbing case involving Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his then-fiancee.

The hashtag #GoodellMustGo has taken over Twitter, and so too now has a shocking image from CoverGirls' NFL makeup line — which has the slogan 'Get Your Game Face On!' — and has been Photoshopped to include a black eye.

Last week, TMZ released a video of Rice punching his now wife Janay Rice in an elevator, prompting Goodell to go beyond the league's new hastily reworked domestic-violence policy and suspend the player indefinitely.

On Friday, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was charged with child abuse for using a branch to discipline his son.

In between, Goodell's reputation was savaged in part because of his claim he hadn't seen the Rice video until this week, even though The Associated Press reported the video had, indeed, been sent to the NFL in April.

Friday also brought news that speaks to the oversized violence of the game: one story about a study that showed nearly three in 10 ex-players face Alzheimer's or moderate dementia, and another about the long-awaited implementation of a policy to test for human growth hormone.

Both those items might have been front-page news in some weeks. Instead, they were virtual afterthoughts.

'As unusual a week as I can remember in 40 years around the NFL,' agent Leigh Steinberg said.

'What should have been as positive a week as they have, with opening weekend and a lot of good games, tued into a destructive minefield of negativity.'

This weekend, games continued with players hitting the field and satiating America's thirst for its weekly dose of league-sanctioned, bone-jarring violence.

The games offered a break of sorts from the all-too-disturbing mayhem the league served up from Monday through Friday.

The league hired former FBI director Robert Mueller to look into the NFL's handling of the case.

Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings has been embroiled in a child abuse controversy. Source: AFP

Meanwhile, a poll commissioned by ESPN found 55 per cent of 544 adults surveyed believe Goodell was lying about not having seen the video.

'The mistake Roger Goodell makes is that, if this is just an ESPN story, then it stays a sports story,' sports agent Evan Morgenstein says.

'The fact that I tued on TV and it's the first story on (TV news) is a problem. You've got mainstream America, women and mums, discussing topics they'd never discuss in the past.' They'll have more chances to discuss.

Two other players with domestic violence cases open, Ray McDonald of the San Francisco 49ers and Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers, are expected to suit up while their cases are open. Hardy has been convicted by a judge but is appealing.

'Every week those players play is a constant irritant,' Steinberg said.

Calls are growing for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to be sacked. Source: AP

Goodell still has some support — although he might not want it.

On Saturday, Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, whose refusal to change his team's nickname has caused a PR problem of its own, issued a statement saying the commissioner 'has always had the best interests of football at heart' and 'we are fortunate to have him'.

Earlier in the week, former Dallas Cowboys executive Gil Brandt made it clear why that sentiment exists: 'Owners not moving on from Goodell,' Brandt tweeted.

'Record broadcast contracts, team-friendly (collective bargaining agreement), $1bn+ franchise valuations, etc. Follow the money.'

The money is the key.

'If the thing keeps spiralling and you get a boycott by sponsors, that's checkmate,' Morgenstein said.

'Nobody cares until the money starts getting pulled out.'

But so far, that hasn't happened.

And though Americans may be suspicious of Goodell, they show no signs of tuing off the TV.