Despite public outcry for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's ouster because of his handling of the Ray Rice domestic violence episode, the NFL owners who employ him appear to have no plans to fire the man.
Chicago Bears Chairman George H. McCaskey issued the following statement, Thursday, in support of Goodell.
“We welcome the independent investigation to understand the handling of evidence in the Ray Rice domestic violence case. It is important to know the facts. NFL fans deserve them.
“Our family has complete faith in the Commissioner. He is a man of integrity and has acknowledged the initial response to Mr. Rice’s situation was inadequate. We agreed with his assessment and were encouraged he took measures to make a much stronger stance on domestic violence. We believe in the importance of the NFL’s position as a leader in the community and expect the League, and it’s teams, to meet the higher standards that come with this responsibility.”
The league has come under incredible scrutiny after a video published by TMZ showed Rice striking his then-fiancee Janay Palmer in a casino elevator. The tape, which was sent to the NFL by law enforcement despite Goodell’s insistence that the league had been denied access to the video, ended up forcing the Baltimore Ravens to cut the running back, and the league suspended him indefinitely as a result.
Now, the NFL is organizing an independent investigation into the way they handled the situation.
The investigation into how the league handled the situation is being conducted by former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III. Pressure is mounting for Goodell to resign his position in the wake of the league’s failures in the handling of the case, but judging by McCaskey’s statement, it seems unlikely that he would vote to force the commissioner out of office.
