Looks like the problem of domestic violence in the NFL was even worse than we might have suspected. As was the league's response to the issue.
Now, no one should be surprised here. Indeed, we've been saying for a while that the NFL's involvement in/punishment of off-field activities almost guarantees that the NFL will get stuck in the mud, because they are fundamentally unqualified to take on that role.
However, what Angelo is talking about is a bit much even for a cynic like me. The willful coverup of "hundreds and hundreds" of cases of domestic violence boggles the mind. As does the response of the Chicago Bears:
The guy was only the GM of your organization for 11 years and in the league for 30 years. Somehow I get the feeling that "we have no idea what he is talking about" isn't the play for the NFL.
http://deadspin.com/ex-nfl-exec-says-teams-covered-up-hundreds-of-domesti-1644517506
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2014/10/09/jerry-angelo-chicago-bears-national-football-league/16981865/
Will be interesting to follow.
A former NFL executive said teams did not discipline players in "hundreds and hundreds" of domestic violence incidents during his 30 years in the league, and said he now regrets his role in the failure to take action.
"I made a mistake,'' Jerry Angelo told USA TODAY Sports. "I was human. I was part of it. I'm not proud of it.''
Angelo, who was general manager of the Chicago Bears from 2001 to 2011 and has been out of the league since, said his typical approach after learning of a player's involvement in a domestic violence case was to inquire, "OK, is everybody OK? Yeah. How are they doing? Good. And then we'd just move on. We'd move on.''
"We knew it was wrong,'' Angelo said. "…For whatever reason, it just kind of got glossed over. I'm no psychiatrist, so I can't really get into what that part of it is. I'm just telling you how I was. I've got to look at myself first. And I was part of that, but I didn't stand alone.''
Now, no one should be surprised here. Indeed, we've been saying for a while that the NFL's involvement in/punishment of off-field activities almost guarantees that the NFL will get stuck in the mud, because they are fundamentally unqualified to take on that role.
However, what Angelo is talking about is a bit much even for a cynic like me. The willful coverup of "hundreds and hundreds" of cases of domestic violence boggles the mind. As does the response of the Chicago Bears:
"We were surprised by Jerry's comments and do not know what he is referring to."
The guy was only the GM of your organization for 11 years and in the league for 30 years. Somehow I get the feeling that "we have no idea what he is talking about" isn't the play for the NFL.
http://deadspin.com/ex-nfl-exec-says-teams-covered-up-hundreds-of-domesti-1644517506
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2014/10/09/jerry-angelo-chicago-bears-national-football-league/16981865/
Will be interesting to follow.