Clock is ticking for Goodell to take action on Irsay

Now it is Commissioner Roger Goodell who is on the clock.

Famous for his front-and-center role in the NFL Draft, where he announces the next team up for a selection, it is Goodell’s turn to make a decision. And a lot of eyes are on him in the Jim Irsay case.

Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts, was charged Friday in Indiana with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and being in possession of a controlled substance stemming from a March 16 incident.

Over those intervening two months, Goodell has come under fire for not taking action against an owner under the league’s personal conduct policy when he has been known to quickly mete out sanctions to NFL players accused of wrongdoing.

Just this week, Washington Redskins safety Ryan Clark called out Goodell on ESPN’s "First Take," saying an absence of sanctions in the Irsay situation "shows the hypocrisy of the NFL."

Clark cited the case of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a former teammate at Pittsburgh, who was suspended for six games under the league’s policy (eventually reduced to four) for a sexual assault allegation in 2010 even though no charges were brought.

It must have seemed particularly galling when Irsay was visible at this week’s league meeting in Atlanta.

To be fair, Goodell has, at times, showed deliberation in awaiting for charges to be brought before addressing the acts of players. For example, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith has yet to have some of his pending charges addressed by the NFL.

The NFL personal conduct policy requires all persons associated with the NFL to refrain from "conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League." It applies to players, coaches, other team employees, owners and game officials.

The disciplining of team owners comes under renewed scrutiny in the wake of how NBA Commissioner Adam Silver quickly and forcefully dealt with Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Silver banned Sterling for life four days after the tape of a racist rant surfaced.

The alacrity with which Silver moved to remove and fine Sterling was viewed as both a sign of how disgusting the rant was and testament to how much influence the players wield in what is increasingly a players’ league.

The NFL, by comparison, is and has long been an owners’ league. And the $10 billion-a-year enterprise takes care of its moguls. Something that Goodell, who received $44.2 million in 2012, is undoubtedly reminded of every time he cashes a paycheck.

The last time the lodge saw one of its own disciplined was in 1997, when then-49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. was suspended by then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue for a year after a federal racketeering indictment.

But DUIs and controlled substances charges are a whole other realm. One that invites comparisons with how players are dealt with and cements perceptions.

In this the commissioner is on the clock.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.