( CNN ) -- Is there any way to ... well ... defend Roger Goodell ? Well , yes . When everyone is piling on , it 's time to take a breath and say : We need more facts , less reliance on media reports based on anonymous sources and over-heated pundits who are too ready to rush to judgment . As I said on CNN 's Michael Smerconish show on Saturday morning , of course Commissioner Goodell made a huge mistake in his decision to give Ravens running back Ray Rice only a two-game suspension after seeing the videotape of Rice dragging his then-girlfriend , Janay Palmer , unconscious , with apparent indifference , out of an Atlantic City casino elevator on February 15 . Opinion : Why Goodell must go . The public uproar that followed the announcement of Rice 's suspension took time , too much time , to register with Goodell . A month later Goodell realized he had made a terrible mistake , sending a wrong message that domestic violence by NFL players was not all that serious and , thus , putting his own professional reputation and the NFL brand at risk . But then he turned in the right direction , following the three basic rules of crisis management , whether in business , politics , or life . First , he acknowledged that he made a mistake and took personal responsibility . He showed that he understood , albeit belatedly , how serious male violence against women is . In his August 28 letter to all NFL owners , Goodell wrote : `` I did n't get it right . Simply put , we have to do better . '' In an accompanying memorandum that would be distributed to all personnel in the NFL , he wrote , in bold-faced dark letters , the following : . `` Domestic violence and sexual assault are wrong . They are illegal . They are never acceptable and have no place in the NFL under any circumstances . '' Voices of domestic violence . Second , he laid out a detailed forward-looking mandatory education and training program to implement this policy . Most important , he announced far more severe penalties than before , effective immediately for violations of this bold-faced policy : 1 ) at least six game suspensions for the first violation , with heavier penalties if facts show more serious offenses , such as violence involving a weapon , choking , repeated striking , against a pregnant woman or in the presence of a child ; and 2 ) a second offense will result in `` banishment '' from the NFL . That 's right , banishment -- with no assumption that a petition for reinstatement will ever be accepted . The third rule is to authorize an independent investigation to answer all the questions and verify the facts . And that is exactly what happened . Of course the emphasis is on the word `` independent . '' Two owners , John Mara of the New York Giants and Art Rooney II of the Pittsburgh Steelers , both of whom are attorneys , appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller III to conduct the investigation of how Goodell and the NFL headquarters handled the Rice matter . In their public statement , Mara and Rooney asked Mueller to address specific questions raised in the media , such as `` what efforts were made by league staff to obtain the video of what took place inside the elevator and to determine whether , in fact , the video was ever delivered to someone at the league office and if so what happened to the video after it was delivered . '' Mara and Rooney publicly guaranteed that Mueller will have full access to all information and all individuals . They have committed in advance to make the report public . It is safe to assume that anyone who refuses to cooperate with Mueller will be out . I have read about doubts about Mueller 's objectivity because he comes from a large law firm that has ties to the NFL . My response : Nonsense . Robert Mueller is a former United States attorney , senior U.S. Justice Department official , and one of the most respected FBI directors in history . Opinion : Curb Goodell 's power over discipline . Washington is a tough town . I do n't know of a single person in DC who knows Mueller who does n't regard him as `` untouchable '' -- a modern-day Eliot Ness , tough with the highest level of integrity . If Mueller finds that Roger Goodell lied about not seeing the second videotape or about what he was told by Ray Rice on July 16 when they met behind closed doors , Goodell will no longer be NFL commissioner . And Goodell knows that . So while Commissioner Goodell made some serious mistakes and dug himself and the NFL into a deep hole , he did a pretty good job of crisis management , especially conveying once and for all how seriously the NFL views domestic violence . Now after all the media and pundit frenzy , it is up to all of us to take a breath and wait for Mr. Mueller to complete his work -- and to let proven , verified facts speak louder and more persuasively than innuendo and anonymous sources . If only we could do that . Note : An earlier version of this article incorrectly described Ray Rice 's football position . He is a running back . Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion .
Davis : Roger Goodell mishandled the Davis case . He says the FBI commissioner has followed the right course in responding to crisis . Ray Rice : Give the investigation time to play out before deciding Ray Rice 's fate .