Greeson: McDonald situation could haunt NFL

In this Sept. 7, 2014, file photo, San Francisco 49ers' Ray McDonald sits on the bench during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. Northern California authorities are investigating 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald on suspicion of sexual assault. San Jose Police Department Sgt. Heather Randol said Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014, that detectives searched McDonald's San Jose home.
In this Sept. 7, 2014, file photo, San Francisco 49ers' Ray McDonald sits on the bench during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. Northern California authorities are investigating 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald on suspicion of sexual assault. San Jose Police Department Sgt. Heather Randol said Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014, that detectives searched McDonald's San Jose home.

Early Monday morning, former San Francisco 49ers and now former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Ray McDonald was arrested on domestic assault and child endangerment.

It was a Memorial Day moment that likely will be forever memorable for the National Football League and its future trajectory.

McDonald, who was charged with hitting a woman who was holding a baby, now is the face of the NFL's biggest problem.

Forget extra points or Tom Brady's level of involvement in DeflateGate. Domestic crimes and the fallout from that have to be front and center for the league and its players.

Yes, this is a legal issue, but for the NFL -- the king daddy of popular culture at the moment -- perception and public opinion are top priorities.

Plus, crimes against women, while cowardly and horrible, are overly dangerous for every person or profession in the public eye. More than half our society is female and all of our society has or had a mother. It's impossible to support crimes against women; it's even below kicking puppies and Bill Belichick on the approval meter.

So McDonald now becomes the test case for commissioner Roger Goodell and the league.

McDonald missed most of 2014 because of domestic violence charges, and the Bears came under fire for signing him.

He got another chance because this is a scoreboard league and talent means more than character on Sundays. But will talent mean more than public perception now that the NFL is the monolith in all entertainment?

It's easy now to say that signing McDonald was a disastrous decision, but it also may be a cautionary tale for the league and its teams. And a warning shot for the players association for the importance of this issue moving forward.

photo NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks to reporters during the NFL's spring meetings in San Francisco, Wednesday, May 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Goodell has done next to nothing to earn anyone's confidence in handling matters this serious. From the very beginning with the Ray Rice debacle -- a too-soft two-game suspension followed by a knee-jerk reaction followed by simply making it up as they went -- Goodell has been one part soap opera hunk and three parts Benny Hill.

Someone in the league office needs to make sure this gets handled properly. And quickly.

Maybe the league blackballs McDonald for ever. Goodell tossed out some outline late last year, and if that's the playbook, then fine. If it's not, then make sure you have your ducks -- and votes -- in a row before trotting out a decision and reversing field like in the Rice debacle.

Whatever the decision, the NFLPA needs to stand next to the league and nod its collective head.

The players and the nine-figure salary cap that grows by millions every year have a lot on the line here, too. Fewer fans because of a few knuckleheads hurts the entire bottom line, and that includes the players.

So check the appeals and the hand-wringing about Goodell being judge and jury. Yes, the league needs to keep the NFLPA in the loop, but no one wants to hear collective bargaining semantics about McDonald and the rest of this moving forward.

The public wants answers about what's going to be done today and moving forward. And if the players don't want to be part of the process, they can certainly be cut from the loop and questionable-character players will be put on the chopping block from this day moving forward.

If the league can fine and take away draft picks from teams for everything from softer balls to fake crowd noise, the league surely can look into disciplining teams for signing at-risk players.

And while the Bears had no guaranteed money in the one-year deal it gave McDonald, if the ripple effect of signing a player with a domestic assault history is losing a first-round pick if it happens again, well, that's a big risk.

So whatcha got, Roger? This moment and issue as much as the concussion debate will be as much of your legacy as the fact the league has become the most popular entertainment option in the country under your watch.

And, yes, the future of that final fact for Goodell may well be determined by how he handles Ray McDonald and those like him.

Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6343. Follow him on Twitter at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com. Read his online column "The 5-at-10" weekdays starting at 10 a.m. at timesfreepress.com.

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