NY Giants Co-Owner John Mara -- Roger Goodell Has an Image Problem ... But He Can Fix It

NY Giants co-owner John Mara says there's no doubt Roger Goodell's reputation took a major hit due to his handling of the Ray Rice incident ... but he's fully confident Roger will bounce back.

Mara -- who, along with Steelers owner Art Rooney, oversaw Robert Mueller's investigation into the NFL's handling of the Rice situation -- called into WFAN in NYC and voiced his support for the NFL commish while acknowledging Goodell has a serious PR problem.

"No question he's been damaged by recent events," Mara said ... "He's a pretty strong person and he can get by this and I think he can repair his reputation."

Mara says he still believes Goodell is the right man for the job -- and says his body of work as NFL Commish is "exceptional."