He (Goodell) was slow to get on the right path with the issue of domestic violence. Criticized for the same thing with the issue of concussions. Scrutinized for his handling of controversies such as Bountygate and Deflategate, and now this potentially career-defining moment for Goodell looms as the most delicate and complicated of them all.

“I tried to get him to understand your position has to be on this to help move this from protest to progress,’’ Edwards said. “And those are not just words for PR.’’

It took almost four years for Goodell to say the NFL should have listened earlier to Kaepernick — and it was a familiar pattern. In July 2014, the NFL issued a two-game suspension for Ray Rice, then a running back for the Baltimore Ravens. This was four months after TMZ released a video showing Rice dragging his unconscious fiancee out of a hotel elevator. Police said Rice had struck Janay Palmer, now his wife. With Goodell resisting calls to issue a longer suspension, TMZ on Sept. 8 released surveillance video from inside the hotel that showed Rice punching Palmer in the face. Hours later, Goodell suspended Rice indefinitely and denied the NFL had seen the surveillance footage. Goodell's current contract expires in 2024. If push comes to shove over the NFL's becoming more progressive on racial justice issues, is he willing to push and shove as hard as his father did as a U.S. Senator and risk an early exit?