Bears should be punished for Ray McDonald signing — columnist

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell ought to slap the Chicago Bears with a hefty fine and dock them a draft pick or two. Suspend general manager Ryan Pace for four games. Ban owner George McCaskey from the stadium for the first half of the season while he’s at it, too, since it was McCaskey’s enlightened decision to blow off the alleged victim when he gave the OK to sign McDonald. It’s not enough to simply punish the players who inflict the abuse on women and children. If the NFL wants the good work it’s done over the last year to combat domestic violence to actually mean something, it has to go after the owners and GMs who have long enabled them.

Goodell can suspend players for entire seasons at a time, and spend millions in legal fees squabbling with the players’ union over the personal conduct policy. But if the NFL wants to curtail domestic violence among its players and send a message to society at large, it has to crack down on the people who have the real influence. The ones who write the checks.