Gillibrand 'Wouldn't Be Surprised' If Congressional Hearings Held On Ray Rice Case
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should resign if he lied about the Ray Rice domestic violence case, adding that she "wouldn't be surprised if we have hearings" about the matter.
Appearing on CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday morning, the New York Democrat called the league's handling of the case "awful" and "outrageous." She is among 16 female senators who sent Goodell a letter last week calling on him to institute a zero-tolerance policy for domestic violence.
"They had all the facts they needed," said Gillibrand, who was promoting her book "Off the Sidelines." "They had a player who admitted to beating his wife. They had video of him dragging her out of an elevator. There was nothing left to determine. That player should have been fired immediately."
The senator added, "If the NFL doesn't police themselves, we will be looking more into it."
Gillibrand also blasted the "chronic institutional support, whether it's the NFL, whether it's the U.S. military, whether it's the college campus, where the institution gathers and surrounds their star player, their golden boy, whomever it may be without any regard for the victim and survivors, without any regard for women."
The Baltimore Ravens released Rice, the three-time Pro Bowl running back who played at New Rochelle High School and Rutgers University, and the NFL suspended him indefinitely Monday after TMZ published what it said was video from inside the elevator at the now-shuttered Revel Casino in Atlantic City, where Rice was arrested Feb. 15 for a domestic dispute involving his now-wife, Janay.
The video shows Rice hitting Janay with a left cross, which knocks her head into the railing before she hits the floor. Rice then drags his apparently unconscious fiancée out of the elevator.
Previously, he had been suspended two games by the league and the Ravens organization had announced its support for him.
The case has put the NFL in an uncomfortable spotlight as it faces criticism for how it handles cases where players are accused of domestic violence.
In an exclusive interview with CBS News' Norah O'Donnell on Tuesday, Goodell was adamant that the second video was "new evidence" that, to his knowledge, no one within the NFL had seen before Monday.
A day later, however, a source told The Associated Press that a law enforcement official sent the second video to a league executive in April.
The NFL announced Wednesday night that an independent investigation will be launched into those claims.
On another topic, Gillibrand told "Face the Nation" she wants Congress to vote on airstrikes into Syria.
"It is appropriate to ask for Congress' approval for certain military actions, and (Obama is) going to do that," Gillibrand said. "We will be able to debate what that request is. Certain strategies I don't support. I don't think arming the rebels, in this instance, is necessarily going to be productive."
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