Obama says NFL was 'behind the curve' on domestic violence
President Obama said the NFL appeared to be 'winging it' when it came to disciplining Ray Rice and other players accused of violent crimes, but he is glad the scandal swirling around the former Baltimore Ravens star has sparked a national conversation on domestic violence.
'The way it was handled also indicates that the NFL was behind the curve, as a lot of institutions have been behind the curve, in sending a clear message,' Obama said Friday in an interview with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio. 'You don't want to be winging it when something like this happens. You want to have clear policies in place. The fact that policies have now been established I think will be helpful in sending a message that there's no place for that kind of behavior in society, whether it's in sports or anyplace else.'
NFL owners approved a revised personal conduct policy this week that calls for the league to hire special counsel to conduct investigations independent of commissioner Roger Goodell's office. The league has also donated millions of dollars since the Rice scandal erupted to groups that support domestic violence survivors. Anti-domestic violence PSAs have also aired during NFL broadcasts this season.
'I'm so glad we got more awareness about domestic violence,' Obama said. 'Obviously, the situation that happened in the Rice family was important, but it did lift up awareness that this is a real problem that we have to root out and men have to change their attitudes and their behavior.'
Obama said he hasn't had a lot of time to watch the NFL this season, adding that 'the Bears haven't given me that much reason to want to watch a game.' So on the field, Obama does not approve of his team's performance. Off the field, he also thinks the NFL has some work to do.
Obama said he doesn't have much time to watch sports, but he does watch ESPN in the morning.
'I get so much politics I don't want to be inundated with a bunch of chatter about politics during the day,' the president said.
The former Illinois senator said Chicago's sports teams haven't tempted him to put aside his responsibilities to watch a game anyway.
'The Bears haven't given me that much reason to want to watch the game,' Obama said. 'The Bulls I'm feeling more optimistic about.'
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