Senators condemn 'culture of silence' enabling domestic violence in sports

The American sporting establishment was accused on Tuesday of presiding over a “culture of silence” that has enabled professional athletes to commit domestic violence with impunity.

Top executives and counsel from the main football, basketball, hockey and baseball leagues appeared before the Senate commerce committee after a string of controversies involving athletes accused of abusing their partners or children.

On Friday Ray Rice, the former Baltimore Ravens running back who was caught on an elevator security camera punching his then fiancee to the floor, won his appeal against indefinite suspension, making him eligible to play again with immediate effect.

The decision to lift his suspension was made by a former federal judge, Barbara Jones, at the end of an arbitration process agreed to by the NFL and the players’ union. It was a major blow to the NFL and the reputation of its commissioner, Roger Goodell.

“There is a long list of players in the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball who have been charged with, and in some cases convicted of, domestic violence, and the leagues have done little or nothing in response,” said Jay Rockefeller, the Democratic chairman of the committee.

Rockefeller said professional athletes had a particular responsibility as role models, condemned the reports of a “culture of silence” within the leagues and added: “This has to change.”

Republicans and Democrats on the committee were unified in their disapproval of what they said were lax procedures for dealing with abusive athletes, particularly those who for whatever reason are not subject to criminal prosecution.

Missouri Democrat Claire McCaskill said virtually none of the leagues were doing enough to hold players to account. She pointed out that MLB commissioner Bud Selig has never sanctioned a player for domestic violence.

Nevada Republican Dean Heller told the executives: “When you’re worried more about getting back on the field instead of stopping abuse, your priorities are out of order.”

Although all sports leagues were condemned, the focus was on the NFL. Heller said it was only the emergence of security footage showing Rice attacking his partner Janay Palmer in an elevator at an Atlantic City casino that prompted America’s “collective conscience” demanded action.

Goodell initially levelled only a two-game suspension against Rice. The commissioner used the emergence of the footage, which he said constituted fresh evidence, to increase Rice’s punishment amid widespread public revulsion at his actions.

However, Jones found that Rice had already admitted the details of his serious assault to Goodell, so the increased punishment was unfounded. Rice is no longer with the Ravens, but could now be signed to another team.

The NFL’s representative at the hearing, Troy Vincent, said Friday’s ruling showed Goodell had made “a critical mistake”. “We failed,” he said. “The commissioner failed to impose the proper discipline in the Ray Rice case in the very beginning.”

Vincent, the executive vice-president of football operations at the NFL, struggled to hold back tears during his opening remarks when he detailed his own experience watching his mother being beaten unconscious when he was growing up.

Regaining his composure, Vincent said the league was “undertaking intensive and exhaustive review” and would introduce a new conduct policy for players in the future. A meeting to review the new conduct policy with owners will take place in the next two weeks.

“Our goal is nothing less than a set of clear rules to govern accountability for misconduct and to establish fair process for player and employee discipline,” he said.

Vincent said the league was also seeking a mandatory education process for those involved in it “to ensure that everyone understands the full scope of behaviour that constitutes domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault”. Support would also be given by the NFL to families, Vincent said, adding: “We recognise that we have to break the culture of silence.”

Rockefeller, from West Virginia, chided the representative from the NFL’s player’s union, saying her association had put the committee “under enormous pressure” not to hold the hearing.

Teri Patterson, deputy managing director of the NFL players’ association, called the suspension of Rice “arbitrary”.

In a tense exchange with Heller, Patterson confirmed the players’ association is at odds with the NFL over changes to the personal conduct policy and related disciplinary procedures.

The senator asked Patterson if the player’s association believed it was “OK to knock out a woman with one a punch on Wednesday” and then turn up on the field on Sunday.

“Absolutely not,” she replied. “We do not condone domestic violence.”

Kelly Ayotte, a Republican from New Hampshire, echoed other senators who noted the failure of any of the league commissioners to attend the hearing. All sent lower-ranking substitutes from their organisations; Selig dispatched an outside counsel to represent him at the hearing.

“It’s pretty convenient that none of them were here today, and I think that does say something about how big a commitment there is going to be on this,” she said.