NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been receiving quite a few letters lately and they are not praising him about what a good job he has done; in fact it’s the opposite.
Amid the fallout of Goodell’s mishandling of the Ray Rice situation, ESPN reported that 16 U.S. female senators have sent him a letter expressing their displeasure over what has transpired since Monday.
In Thursday’s letter, the senators said that they were "shocked and disgusted" by the video of the former running back punching his then-fiancée Janay and rendering her unconscious. Moreover, they expressed their dismay over the Associated Press’ report alleging that the league actually obtained a copy of the footage inside the elevator months ago.
"We are deeply concerned that the NFL's new policy, announced last month, would allow a player to commit a violent act against a woman and return after a short suspension," the letter read. "If you violently assault a woman, you shouldn't get a second chance to play football in the NFL. The NFL's current policy sends a terrible message to players, fans and all Americans that even after committing a horrific act of violence, you can quickly be back on the field."
The letter is referring to a new policy Goodell put in place before the elevator video was released. The new policy states that any player who engages in domestic violence would receive only a six-game suspension for their first offense and a lifetime ban for their second offense.
The NFL said that it had no knowledge that the video was sent to their offices in April and maintains that league officials did not see the footage inside the elevator until Monday. The NFL has launched an independent investigation into the situation.
So far, Goodell has not responded to the letter.
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