/ AP

Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam 'Pacman' Jones, left, and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry were punished Tuesday for their off-field incidents.

In separate comments, Goodell said: "We must protect the integrity of the NFL. The highest standards of conduct must be met by everyone in the NFL because it is a privilege to represent the NFL, not a right. These players, and all members of our league, have to make the right choices and decisions in their conduct on a consistent basis."

Holding any job, especially one as public and as well-paying in both money and fame as that of a professional athlete, really is a privilege. All should have the right to seek employment, but to keep it all are also required to maintain the standards of the organization writing the paychecks.

Those standards are articulated by the employer, but are really set by the paying public. During the past week, we’ve had a front-row seat to the firestorm kicked up by Don Imus and his now-infamous "nappy-headed ho’s" line. Imus is under two-week suspension from his job, and whether he returns to work at WFAN and MSNBC will depend on the public reaction as the drama plays out.

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Imus, like most athletes, got away with pretty much anything for a long time because his entertainment value was great enough to make his offenses tolerable to his employers. But there is a perception among many that society can demand higher standards than it’s getting. The lesson is that everyone will discover that there is a line he or she can not cross.

There’s more than a casual connection between what happened to Imus and what happened to Jones and Henry. At base, all got in trouble for the subculture with which they chose to identify themselves. Jones in particular kept hanging out with the wrong people in the wrong places, thinking that he was in the right and they were his friends. Imus and his posse did the same thing.

They all were told they were wrong at considerable personal cost, but the football players are paying more dearly than the radio icon, at least right now. Give the credit for that to Goodell. He’s the new sheriff in town, and he’s not taking any guff.

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