This is what happens when your commish is an empty suit whose chief concern is his personal popularity. He's a barking seal playing whatever horn the media dictates in order to get a fish.
He went right along with all the concussion doomsday rhetoric. He never for a second thought about defending the sport of football by pointing out that the science is still unproven and that they are working to make things safer and educate players. Nope, he fell right in line with the narrative that playing football is a death sentence and allowed outside forces a say in NFL policy.
He did the same when he got his hand caught in the Ray Rice cookie jar.
All of this social justice in the NFL is a direct result of Goodell butchering the Ray Rice situation. He could have been a man, stood his ground and said Rice only got 2 games because it was his first offense of any kind, and that his wife testified on his behalf. He would have been called bad names for about 2 days, then it would be over.
Nope, instead he decided to use a back door to blackball Rice from the league. Part of this was allowing outside groups to "oversee" the NFL's policy on domestic violence. Gone was the rational policy that if there were no charges, then there was no punishment. Now you have the NFL acting as a kangaroo court, dishing out fines and punishment with no evidence at all.
It should be no surprise to anyone that once Goodell started throwing away the NFL's autonomy like a morning newpaper truck tossing bundles out the back, that a long line of people started following behind and picking it up. Now he's no longer in control.
Now he's a cuckold watching other dudes bang his wife while he watches in a gimp suit .