The infamous incident in an Atlantic City elevator that could very likely have been the end of Ray Rice’s career also put the league and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in the middle of a firestorm of criticism over the league’s discipline code and how domestic violence is handled. From there, Goodell bungled just about every response — and even if he hadn’t, his original one was so poorly received it’s made the hill even harder to climb up on.

Rice, who received an indefinite suspension from the Commissioner before it was overturned on appeal and was considered to be a prime example of the problems with the randomness of the discipline in the NFL. But he praised Goodell in an interview with ESPN’s Jemele Hill that aired Tuesday, saying he had a tough job.

“If I never committed the act that I did, then Roger Goodell is not even put in that position,” he said.

Rice, a free agent, is still hoping for another chance in the NFL.

(Thanks to Jemele Hill for sharing)