Power

Women Given the Lead in Shaping NFL’s Domestic Violence Policy Changes

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to teams and staff Monday announcing the appointment of four women to shape the league’s policies on intimate partner violence.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to teams and staff Monday announcing the appointment of four women to shape the league’s policies on intimate partner violence. Bloomberg News via YouTube

Read more about intimate partner violence and the Ray Rice case here.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter Monday to teams and staff announcing the appointment of four women to shape the league’s policies on intimate partner violence.

Following the release of a video showing Ray Rice’s attack on his now wife, and the revelation that law enforcement had sent the video to NFL during their investigation earlier this year, advocacy organizations as well as some politicians have called for Goodell’s resignation.

The criticism of Goodell and the league has continued unabated; this past weekend women’s rights group UltraViolet and the National Organization for Women flew banners over NFL stadiums reading “#GoodellMustGo.”

Despite calls for his resignation, Goodell has said he’s not going anywhere, and on Monday announced the creation of several new positions to improve the league’s handling of domestic violence.

Anna Isaacson, the NFL’s current vice president of community affairs and philanthropy, will become the vice president of social responsibility and will be responsible for implementing educational programming around sexual assault and domestic violence.

Goodell said that he has hired three women to advise the league on how to create policies that effectively address sexual assault and domestic violence.

From their qualifications outlined in the letter, the three women Goodell hired appear to have significant experience working with this issue: Lisa Friel was the head of the Sex Crimes Unit in the New York County District Attorney’s Office; Jane Randel is the co-founder of a national organization dedicated to “raise the profile and increase conversation” about domestic violence and sexual assault; and Rita Smith was the executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.