By David Gibb

Ever since taking office as NFL Commissioner in September of 2006, Roger Goodell has taken steps to prove that he is hard on crime. Everybody from SpyGate mastermind Bill Belichick to crime enthusiast Chris Henry has felt the pressure of Goodell’s heavy, totalitarian thumb. One player in particular, however, has emerged as Goodell’s favorite punching bag: Adam “[Don’t Call Me] Pacman” Jones.

Jones probably deserves a pretty decent amount of attention from the Commish, as he does, in fact, have a rather long record of being involved in some incredibly stupid situations. When Jones turned out to be involved in an altercation that led to the tragic shooting and paralyzing of a Las Vegas strip club manager, Goodell’s hand came down hard, suspending the Artist Formerly Known as “Pacman” for an entire season.

Mr. Jones did the crime. But he also did the time – mostly on his best behavior, at that. He was traded, reinstated, and as recently as this week, was playing quality cornerback in the NFL for the Cowboys.

Now he’s suspended again, totally wrongfully, and Roger Goodell is entirely to blame.

Or I might just be saying that to piss you off.

You can’t deny that Adam Jones had a bit too much to drink in a Dallas hotel bar last week and got into a physical scuffle with a team-assigned bodyguard.

However, Jones apologized to his teammates and the organization, as well as for being a distraction, and the team decided not to suspend him.

Tuesday morning, Goodell announced that the Commissioner’s Office would suspend Jones indefinitely, for a minimum of four games, however. Goodell’s decision to suspend Jones is largely based on the fact that alcohol was involved in the brawl, a violation of the agreement the former Pacman made when he was allowed to return to the league.

However, despite the fact that Jones was drunk in public, a violation of an agreement he made, there are several compelling reasons that have as much to do with justice as football why Adam Jones should not be suspended.

Here are simply the top three reasons:

1) No crime was committed.

When the altercation occurred, the hotel staff called the police. Upon arriving on the scene and speaking to both parties, the police ruled that no crime had been committed. Goodell’s practice of suspending players for the mere suspicion of crimes is absolutely Fascist, and would not stand up without a lawsuit in any other business. Unfortunately, Goodell is perceived as a beacon of truth and wholesomeness and is allowed to run unchecked as the unspoken masses allow their casual racism to let them believe that the players are all gangbangers or criminals.

2)The Cowboys did not suspend Jones

The man with whom Jones fought was an employee of the Dallas Cowboys, a paid bodyguard for the troubled cornerback. After the police decided there was no crime committed, it would therefore fall to the team to take disciplinary action, as both perpetrator and victim were organizational employees. After conducting their own investigation and deciding to avoid excessive disciplinary action, the Cowboys announced that they would not suspend Jones. It should have stopped there.

3) Why punish the Titans?

Goodell’s decision affects not only Jones and the Cowboys, but also an organization trying their best to build a good team: the Tennessee Titans. When the then-Pacman was traded, it was agreed that if he were to be suspended this year, the Titans would send a 4th round draft pick to Dallas. The commissioner’s decision is contrary to the best interests of the league, as it has implications on multiple teams, which could certainly hurt the quality of competition in the league.

But then again, I could just be saying all this to piss you off.