On Monday, the NFL Players' Union should demand commissioner Roger Goodell step down or be fired by the owners.
Players can't have trust or faith in a man that we now know lied to cover himself. It's the ultimate betrayal.
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This is not hearsay, speculation or a wild rumor. It's the finding from the arbitrator who reinstated Ray Rice to the league and said he can continue his football career.
This should be enough to end Goodell's tenure.
The only thing more embarrassing to the league than Rice winning his appeal is what the former federal judge had to say about Goodell in this matter.
Here's the most damning words from former U.S. District Judge Barbara S. Jones in her ruling:
"Because, after careful consideration of all the evidence, I am not persuaded that Rice lied to or misled the NFL in his June interview, I find that the indefinite suspension was an abuse of discretion and must be vacated."
In other words, Goodell lied.
Yes, the commissioner who is supposed to lead with integrity. Goodell was caught, the ultimate cover-up exposed.
Of course, the NFL is still trying to convince us that it was Rice who was dishonest, not the commissioner.
Even Janay Rice, Ray's wife and victim in this horrible case of domestic violence, couldn't deny that Goodell lied to us.
"I can't say he's telling the truth," Janay said to NBC's Matt Lauer in a TV interview.
She added, "I know for a fact Ray told the honest truth."
In no way does Ray Rice get a pass because the commissioner lied about what he knew and when he knew it.
What Rice did - knock out Janay with a crushing left-cross to the face in a casino elevator - was an awful, cowardice act. He shouldn't play football at all this season.
And if no team offers Rice a deal this season, the union can live with that. But what it can't live with is another day with Goodell in charge.
Sadly, this union is about as tough as wet toilet paper.
Let's not forget it was this union that gave Goodell the power to be judge, jury and executioner in his poor attempt to clean up the league.
Goodell did what most do when given ultimate power: he abused it.
If there was ever a time for this union to rally, be strong and commit to being treated honestly and fairly, it's now.
Plain and simple: Goodell has failed.
He failed the owners who hired him. He failed the players. He failed the fans. He failed the NFL shield he was supposedly hired to protect.
It's clear that Goodell, supposedly a smart man, didn't do a thorough investigation into this very serious matter. It just didn't happen.
Before this ruling, Goodell tried to convince everyone that he did his due diligence. That, too, is a lie. Had he, he couldn't have handed down the lame penalty he gave Rice.
Everyone saw the video of Rice dragging her out of the elevator like a caveman. Janay was obviously unconscious. That alone would have told you that she must have been hit or somehow hit her head.
Yet, Goodell wanted us to believe that the NFL couldn't get the video, but TMZ.com could.
Even current and former players lashed out at Goodell's handling of this sad situation at the time. London Fletcher, a former NFL linebacker, tweeted this: "@nflcommish to say you got that wrong is an understatement. Very disappointed in you. Wow...unbelievable."
In important moments in his tenure, Goodell has fumbled, lost.
Goodell blew it in the New Orleans Saints Bountygate. He had to reduce some suspensions for not having enough evidence. Goodell also botched the New England Patriots' scandal in 2007 that was dubbed Spygate. New England was caught videotaping signals of the New York Jets' defensive coaches during a game. Pats coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 and the team lost its first-round pick.
In that case, Goodell had the tapes in question destroyed so no one could see them.
Here, perhaps, Goodell was hoping for the same thing - that no one would see the disgusting, brutal beatdown by one of his players, so he would be able to move it along without further damage to the shield.
Nope. Goodell was caught just like Rice. A former federal judge confirmed it.
For that reason, Goodell should be fired. The union must demand it.