[4] Goodell and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) decided that teams will be responsible for the conduct of their employees, and will be subject to discipline for any transgressions.
Goodell had consulted with Gene Upshaw, former executive director of the NFLPA, and also created a six-man player advisory committee to discuss conduct, discipline and other topics.
[4] The first players to feel the teeth of the new policy were Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, college teammates at West Virginia whose first two years in the NFL were marred by arrests.
On August 24, 2007, Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback Michael Vick filed a plea agreement and pleaded guilty in his involvement in illegal dog fighting and euthanization, and was suspended indefinitely without pay; his reinstatement occurred in time for him to play in the 2009–2010 season.
[6] On June 20, 2007, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Clark County District Attorney's office announced that Jones will face two felony charges stemming from the strip club melee that occurred on February 19, 2007.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, was arrested five times in three states between December 2005 and April 2008,[9] was suspended for the first eight games of the 2007 season.
On April 30, 2007, Terry "Tank" Johnson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge as part of an arrangement with prosecutors that will keep him from serving additional jail time.
On September 18, 2007, Johnson agreed to terms of a two-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys, but was unable to contact the team until week 9 of the 2007 NFL season.
Beginning on April 25, 2007, a large house and surrounding 15-acre (61,000 m2) property Michael Vick owned in rural Surry County, Virginia where his 26-year-old cousin Davon T. Boddie had been residing became part of a continuing police investigation for possible operation of an illegal dog fighting ring.
The action came after police executed a search warrant following two narcotics arrests of Boddie within a week in the Virginia Peninsula cities of Newport News and Hampton (each about 20 miles (32 km) away from the Surry County property) earlier in April.
[15] According to ESPN, during the April 25 narcotics-related search of Vick's home and property at 1915 Moonlight Drive in the southeastern portion of Surry County, police discovered a large number of animals, and evidence which they felt indicated dog fighting.
[16] WAVY-TV reported that detectives also seized guns, illegal ammunition magazines, suspected marijuana and paperwork on dog fighting.
[18] Vick, along with three others, was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 17, 2007, for "conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in animal fighting venture".
On July 17, 2009, a civil suit was filed in Washoe County, Nevada District Court accusing Ben Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting Andrea McNulty, 31, in June 2008 in his hotel room while he was in Lake Tahoe for a celebrity golf tournament.
On February 15, 2014, Ray Rice and his fiancée Janay Palmer were arrested and charged with assault after a physical altercation at Revel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
[27] On March 27, 2014, a grand jury indicted Rice on third-degree aggravated assault, with a possible jail sentence of three to five years and a fine of up to $15,000.
[31] In a news conference announcing longer suspension lengths for future domestic violence incidents, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that he "didn't get it right" in deciding Rice's punishment.
Adrian Peterson was indicted by a Montgomery County, Texas, grand jury on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child on September 12, 2014.
[39] The prosecution in the case alleges that Peterson used a tree branch to beat his young son repeatedly on his back, buttocks, genitals, ankles, and legs.
On June 18, 2013, Aaron Hernandez's house in North Attleboro was searched by police for several hours in connection with an investigation into the shooting death of a friend, Odin Lloyd.
[42][43] The Massachusetts State Police obtained a search warrant after evidence surfaced that Hernandez intentionally destroyed his home security system.
[47] Their press release stated: A young man was murdered last week and we extend our sympathies to the family and friends who mourn his loss.
[58] On April 15, 2015, Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder, as well as five weapon charges, automatically being sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.
As a result, the prosecutor's office dropped the charges, citing their inability to locate the victim, and "reliable information" that the two parties had reached a civil settlement.
Before the start of the 2015 NFL season, Martavis Bryant was suspended for four games in August for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
In March 2017, Elliott was captured on video pulling down a woman's shirt exposing her breasts while watching a St. Patrick's Day parade in Dallas.
[78] The person inside the NFL that is in charge on working on domestic violence and sexual assault issues is Anna Isaacson, who Roger Goodell named the first vice president of social responsibility on September 15, 2014.
She has created new training sessions for every player and league employee as well as convincing the NFL to put in $10 million for domestic violence advertisements.
The new policy—which also applies to coaches and front office personnel and has the support of NFLPA director Gene Upshaw—prompted questions and strong reactions among players.
[80] Although the videotaping is not considered to violate personal conduct rules, NFL players, including Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer were critical of Commissioner Goodell's move.