As the military prepares to take on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is ordering a review … of the military’s ties to the National Football League. This comes “in the wake of the scandal over how the league is handling domestic-abuse allegations against players,” reports CNN.
News of the Pentagon review comes on the same day a senior Obama administration official decried recent domestic abuse episodes within the NFL and said the league needs to “get a handle on” the situation since so many professional athletes are considered role models to younger players.
The Pentagon is increasingly sensitive to any suggestion it is supporting a major sports organization that is perceived to tolerate domestic violence.
The Pentagon is increasingly sensitive to any suggestion it is supporting a major sports organization that is perceived to tolerate domestic violence.
An anonymous official tells the news network, “The secretary wants to fully understand that relationship, in case he decides to make some changes to it.”
The military has a zero-tolerance policy in the ranks for domestic abuse, but it also has a high-profile relationship with the NFL that goes back decades. Any Pentagon action to cut back support for the NFL would be the most direct involvement by the Obama administration yet in the scandal.
