Above: Video of Sen. Maria Cantwell questioning NFL Executive Vice President on domestic violence in professional sports.
Washington, D.C. – In a recent Senate committee hearing on domestic violence in professional sports, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) urged the National Football League to show stronger leadership in addressing domestic abuse and changing the name of the Washington, D.C. franchise.
“My constituents are just flabbergasted that the NFL continues to enjoy a tax exempt status,” said Cantwell during Tuesday’s hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. “On these issues of having a hateful name for a team, and then having these cases of domestic violence – the NFL is not showing the leadership that I believe it should. And it certainly doesn’t deserve the tax exempt status.”
The hearing focused on professional sports leagues’ policies on domestic violence amid controversy over the NFL’s handling of disciplinary action against running back Ray Rice. Cantwell and other committee members questioned witnesses about whether the leagues’ policies do enough to hold players accountable and protect victims.
Witnesses included representatives from the NFL, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League, as well as representatives of the various players associations.
“We saw this case with Donald Sterling, and we saw immediate and swift action,” said Cantwell, referring to the NBA’s decision to ban former Los Angeles Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling from the league. “It is clear that in some cases, these organizations can act swiftly and do act swiftly. The question is, in this issue of domestic violence, why you don’t? What is the culture within these organizations that prevent them from acting as swiftly as in the case of Donald Sterling?”
Cantwell (D-WA), along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), and Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) introduced legislation earlier this year that would revoke the NFL’s tax-exempt status if it continues to promote the current name of the team in Washington, D.C. Many tribes and civil rights organizations have called on the team to change because it is considered a racial slur.
