The Steve Bisciotti Press Conference is What Roger Goodell Should Have Done

Steve Bisciotti, the owner of the Ravens, sat in front of the media for 47 minutes Monday taking questions, and did what Roger Goodell should have done: Speak without notes, from the heart, not like some robot programmed to give canned answers.

Bisciotti, who some will easily dismiss because of his fake tan and impossibly white teeth, was impressive because he a) admitted guilt multiple times for not further pursing the elevator video and b) systematically tore the ESPN story from last week to shreds.

“When your integrity is questioned, it’s humbling,” he said. Bisciotti added that nobody was getting fired. At a time when companies regularly shoot and ask questions later, Baltimore said Friday it would respond to the ESPN “next week,” and 96 hours later, offered a point-by-point defense.

Bisciotti’s confidence grew as he rambled, and yes, he could have done without a few comments – like the one about how “zero tolerance” to domestic violence could “breed an environment of false accusal”; rare to hear anyone go there in a public setting? – but he largely thrust the Ray Rice situation on the NFL.

One to believe in second chances, Bisciotti said that while Rice would never play for the Ravens again, yes, he would be open to the idea of the running back working for the organization at some point down the road. Prior to the elevator knock out, Rice had no prior run-ins with the law, and as Baltimore was quick to remind folks earlier this year, he basically was a Boy Scout.

A final point on Bisciotti: He basically said that Ray Rice got bad advice from his handlers, who pushed this story on ESPN in hopes of getting Rice back into the NFL. An ESPN reporter who shared a byline on the story went on ESPN shortly after the press conference and said the story had over 20 sources.