NFL’s handling of Rice case ‘outrageous,’ Gillibrand says

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on Sunday said the way the NFL handled the Ray Rice domestic violence case was “outrageous.”

“They had all the facts they needed. They had a player who admitted to beating his wife. They had video of him dragging her out an elevator. There was nothing left to determine. That player should’ve been fired immediately,” Gillibrand said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” 

The Baltimore Ravens cut Rice from the team last week after a video surfaced showing him punching his then-fiancee Janay Palmer in an elevator in February. He had initially been suspended for two games.

{mosads}NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell claimed the league was unaware of the full video footage. An initial clip released several months ago showed Rice dragging Palmer out of the elevator. 

Gillibrand said Goodell should now create and enforce a zero tolerance policy on domestic violence, but said the commissioner should resign if he lied.

“Are woman being valued?  Are they being valued by these institutions and are they being listened to?” Gillibrand asked, adding that she discusses that in her new book Off the Sidelines. 

From the NFL to the military and college campuses, Gillibrand said “the institution gathers and surrounds their star player, their golden boy, whomever it may be, without any regard for the victim and survivors, without any regard for women.” 

Asked if it’s time for Congress to intervene, she said “Well, if the NFL doesn’t police themselves, then, you know, we will be looking more into it.  We will, I wouldn’t be surprised if we have hearings.”

Leaders of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee discussed the possibility last week of holding a hearing on the issue.