I think Token will agree with me on this - for most guys who assault women, it is not about the sex, it is about the power trip. Who's to say Big Ben is not a power freak? Aggression is expected in a football player. Maybe the willing ones aren't enough for him.
Right after I was divorced, I was sexually assaulted - by a cop that I was dating. We had only gone out twice, and I probably would have slept with him eventually, but he decided that "eventually" was our third date. It was a pure power trip - he wanted me to fight him, and I did, and not in a good way. That's how he got off - literally. He did not rape me, but it was close. Very similar to this situation - drinking, some making out before he made his move - so was it assault? I said no to him, so to me it was, but could I have proven it? Nope. Plus, he was a cop - like I could have gotten a fair shake from his asshole buddies in the department. To top it off, we worked together. He bragged about it to his cop friends too. Freaked me out. I moved to Houston two months later.
OK - so that was random and cathartic.
Anyway, I think Goodell is absolutely right in every thing he wrote. The NFL assholes can either shape up or forfeit the privilege of playing football. Fuck them - being an athlete does not give someone the right to hurt anyone, regardless of the circumstances.