A little different of a spin...

How do some people not get the notion that Goodell has absolute power? If Benson said anything, Goodell would have made the punishment worse. If Payton said/says anything, he would be punished more severely.

It's not like they're dealing with a democracy. They're dealing with a guy who said "If you want things to go back to normal, you'll do exactly as I say. When I say jump, you say how high."

What recourse is there to that? Benson would need a majority of owners on his side to challenge Goodell. Payton has no union or league support to fight for him. They have been over a barrel the entire time.