Gillibrand: If Goodell lied, he has to go

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) rallied behind calls for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to resign following criticism of his handling of Ray Rice’s domestic abuse case.

“If he lied, then he has to step down. You can’t lie to the American people about the facts,” the Democratic lawmaker said on the latest episode of the ESPN-ABC News podcast “Capital Games” on Friday.

Goodell has come under fire from lawmakers and the public this week, after a video surfaced showing the star running back punching out his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City elevator last February. 

The commissioner said he was previously unaware of the video, but the Associated Press quoted a law enforcement official that suggested otherwise. 

Rice was swiftly cut from the Baltimore Ravens and suspended from the league indefinitely on Monday, but his initial two-game suspension was widely criticized as too lenient.

Goodell, later called the original punishment a mistake, writing in a letter last month to owners, “I didn’t get it right.”

Gillibrand, a vocal advocate for female victims of violence,  signed a letter Thursday with fifteen other women senators urging Goodell to institute a “zero-tolerance policy.” 

“What I’ve said up till now is, I expect Roger to create a zero tolerance policy and change the NFL,” she said Friday.

The New York Democrat believes that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who’s expressed interest in the NFL job before, “would make a great NFL commissioner, just based on her talent, her intelligence, her love of the sport.” 

“I think what Condi or any other strong, capable woman could bring to the NFL is probably a voice they haven’t been hearing, and one that would do great, great benefit to the organization,” she said.

“You know, we always fight for breaking every glass ceiling … But it’s more than just a message. Women often bring to leadership a different style of leadership, one that often is more focused on consensus building, often more focused on transparency and accountability.”