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 Troy Vincent, the NFL's executive vice president for football
operations, conceded that the case involving Ray Rice was handled
poorly.
"The commissioner (Roger Goodell) has acknowledged those mistakes,"
Vincent told a packed hearing by the Senate Commerce, Science and
Transportation Committee.
"We failed. This is all part of our evaluation as we look at a new
personal conduct policy ... But we learned from those mistakes."
Representatives of the four major U.S. sports were on hand at the
hearing on domestic abuse although none of the commissioners were
present and only one of the top players' union officials, Michele
Roberts of the National Basketball Association.
Domestic abuse has been a flashpoint issue ever since the NFL's
handling of the Rice case, in which Goodell suspended the former
Baltimore Ravens running back for two games for knocking out his
fiancée, who later became his wife.
 Only when graphic video emerged showing him knocking out his
then-fiancee did the Ravens release him and the NFL suspend him
indefinitely.
Repealing the NFL's tax-exempt status and favorable anti-trust
position was discussed by the senators should the league fail to
implement an effective domestic abuse policy.
"When young people see athletes committing acts of violence, and
when those acts are excused, glossed over, and given pathetically
weak punishments, they learn that domestic violence is not taken
seriously," said Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal.
Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, said
he knew of six NBA players who were charged with domestic violence
recently but not sanctioned by the league because there were no
convictions.
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"The Commissioner (Adam Silver) has acknowledged that we need to
do more in this issue in terms of discipline going forward," said
Kathleen Behrens, the NBA's executive vice president for social
responsibility.
"Mostly in terms of due process and not really relying on the
criminal justice system," she added.
Vincent, who played in the NFL for 15 years, broke down when
discussing his childhood.
"Domestic violence was a way of life in my home growing up," he
said. "My brother and I watched helplessly numerous times as my
mother was beaten and knocked unconscious while we dialed 911."
"We saw how she struggled to seek help and find the courage to say
'no more'."
(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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