http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/12/sports/football/a-new-nfl-policy-on-conduct-that-extends-to-roger-goodell.html 2014-12-12 04:20:13 A New Policy on Conduct That Extends to Roger Goodell It may be time for a conduct policy that is specific to Commissioner Roger Goodell himself. === The N.F.L. on Wednesday adopted a new personal conduct policy that promises to be tougher on any league employee who commits domestic violence, but Commissioner The But it’s high time for a personal conduct policy for Goodell himself, too, one that is specific to the commissioner. Or maybe just a few easy rules he could remember, perhaps by writing them down with a Sharpie on the sleeves of his dress shirts so he could take a quick peek throughout the day. That ensures Goodell will be equipped with the tools to handle the next big issue that crosses his desk. The guidelines I’d suggest are simple ones. Very simple. So simple that my preschooler is learning similar rules in her classroom. Given the N.F.L.’s current public relations problems, maybe a back-to-basics primer is the way to go. Here are a few to begin with: TELL THE TRUTH. Put aside the Ray Rice case for a moment. Just imagine how much better things would be if, for years, the league hadn’t pushed the notion that repeated Honesty — even if it’s difficult — is always the best route. I made this same point to my 3-year-old the other day when she refused to admit that she had painted a portion of our Labrador retriever’s head purple. But, then, that was an easier mess to clean up than the ones Goodell has made recently. PLAY NICE. Showing the union a copy of the league’s new personal conduct policy before releasing it to the news media would have been a good way to make nice. Letting the union be an equal partner in creating that policy would have been even better. The commissioner’s job, like it or not, has to involve looking out for everyone associated with the league. Not just the 32 owners and the league’s television partners, but the players, their loved ones — even DON’T FOLLOW. LEAD. It shouldn’t have taken a video to realize that Rice needed to be punished severely for cold-cocking his fiancée in a hotel elevator. It shouldn’t have taken a public outcry to decide that Adrian Peterson needed to step away from the game while he sorted out child-abuse charges against him. The Rice and Peterson cases were beneficial, but painful, lessons. But leadership from the commissioner is what the public, the players and the owners deserve for the $44 million Goodell was paid last year. Which leads to the next rule: CLEAN UP YOUR MESSES. So that’s it, not so much a personal conduct policy as common sense. It should also be the bare minimum Goodell needs to do to keep his job. As for the league’s new personal conduct policy, it is admirable. If it produces better behavior from players, coaches and officials, it will be a success. But it’s also long overdue. And it’s only a start.