On December 2, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing, “Addressing Domestic Violence in Professional Sports.”
“The NFL is taking a number of steps to improve how we respond to incidents of domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault involving our employees and personnel,” said Troy Vincent, executive vice president, Football Operations, at the National Football League (NFL). Noting that he had grown up in a household where domestic violence occurred, Mr. Vincent continued, “Our goal is nothing less than a set of clear rules to govern accountability for misconduct and to establish a fair process for player and employee discipline.”
Joe Torre, executive vice president, Major League Baseball (MLB), said, “In January 2015, the top prospects in baseball will be educated on domestic violence and sexual assault during MLB’s annual Rookie Career Development Program. Beginning with MLB spring training this February, every Major and Minor League player will be educated on issues relating to domestic violence and sexual assault by Futures [Without Violence] and other organizations, including Mentors in Violence Prevention, Men Can Stop Rape, A Call to Men, and Casa De Esperanza. The staffs of MLB clubs and the commissioner’s office also will be educated.”
“We take this issue extremely seriously and are committed to a comprehensive program of prevention and, when necessary, discipline to deter such conduct,” said Kathy Behrens, executive vice president, National Basketball Association (NBA). She continued, “The NBA is committed to vigilance with respect to the issue of domestic violence. We have made it clear to all members of the NBA family that domestic violence is not acceptable in any form and will result in appropriate discipline, but that there will also be resources and support available to help prevent its occurrence in the first place.”
Noting that “the only way to stop this cycle…is not only [through] tough penalties but also [to ensure] that people are not discouraged from [reporting violence],” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) asked the witnesses if any of their teams discourage people that come to the owners and coaches from reporting domestic violence cases to law enforcement and if there is a policy to address this matter. The witnesses responded that their respective leagues have policies or programs in place to encourage victims to move forward with their domestic cases.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) echoed Sen. Klobuchar’s remarks, saying, “I believe that as you look at your policies, the sanctions [for witness tampering] should be as severe as those for underlying violent acts because that is what it [discouraging victims from reporting violence] is, it is witness tampering. If you put those sanctions in place, it will make it very clear that if someone is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, neither the coaches nor the players, nor anyone else, should be interfering with their ability to come forward or interfering with the support that they need as victims of a crime.”
The following witnesses also testified:
