In the wake of the New Orleans Saints' Bountygate scandal, in which he suspended three coaches and four players for an illegal pay-for-performance plan which was allegedly used to pay players for making big plays and sometimes illegal hits (known as "knockouts" and "cart-offs"), Roger Goodell has taken center stage, yet again.

While it's certainly understandable that the commissioner would want harsh treatment for those who try to injure the NFL's most valuable resource, the players, the process for determining the guilt of the involved parties is gaining a bit of notoriety. As it relates to both the players and coaches, Goodell not only decided the lengths and terms of their suspensions, but also was the NFL executive who heard each individual's appeal.

While the NFL presented its evidence earlier in the month, and the appeal was heard on June 18, more than a week and a half from the time of this post, the player's appeal have yet to be ruled on.

That's prompted Saints Linebacker Johnathan Vilma, one of the four disciplined players, to tweet, "What's this guy waiting on? Make your ruling so we can get on to phase 2 already."

It's unlikely that Goodell will back away from his current position.