NFL: Some much-needed advice for Roger Goodell.

Whatever happened to the old Roger Goodell? Sure, people change. Circumstances evolve.

Yet with Thursday marking the 10th anniversary of Goodell’s first day on the job as NFL commissioner — and what a long, eventful decade it was — it’s worth reflecting on the optics of the man’s persona.

As Goodell broke into the role in 2006, he enjoyed a boost of momentum because he was so different from laid-back predecessor Paul Tagliabue. Goodell represented a refreshing, upbeat contrast, scoring points with an engaging personality. Furthermore, he wasn’t shy about getting to NFL camps and visiting with players — and local media — which presented the potential of an accessible, handson type capable of gauging the pulse of the league’s matters himself.

Goodell is now widely viewed as the unpopular punching bag whose approval rating among fans — it’s undoubtedly lower among players — has steadily deflated.

Much of this is Goodell’s own doing, given his handling of off-field drama.

It somehow seemed fitting that Goodell hit the 10-year mark with the news that the NFL has cleared James Harrison. Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews of any wrongdoing stemming from allegations made during an Al-Jazeera documentary that linked them to performance-enhancing drugs.

But the fact that the players were absolved only after being bullied by the league into talking represented another loss in the strained relations between the league and union.

Unfortunately, that chasm has come to define the Goodell era as much as anything.

Now Goodell must approach the issue of improving player relations with the same focus and energy that he used in addressing the NFL’s domestic violence problem. His image certainly won’t improve until it’s fixed, because the players have the voices that are heard.