{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.cantwell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=cbbacbed-fab0-48d5-89aa-c1f49b9361ae", "Cantwell: NFL Needs to Show Stronger Leadership on Domestic Violence", "2014-12-02", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "WA", "Maria Cantwell", "C000127", "www.cantwell.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.02.14\n    \t\t\t Cantwell: NFL Needs to Show Stronger Leadership on Domestic Violence \n    \t\t\t\n    \t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n    \t\t\t\t Senator: \u2018My constituents are just flabbergasted that the NFL continues to enjoy a tax exempt status\u2019\n    \t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n    \t\t\t WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 In a Senate committee hearing today on domestic violence in professional sports, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) urged the National Football League to show stronger\u00a0 leadership in addressing domestic abuse and changing the name of the Washington, D.C. franchise.\r\n\u201cMy constituents are just flabbergasted that the NFL continues to enjoy a tax exempt status,\u201d said Cantwell during Tuesday\u2019s hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. \u201cOn these issues of having a hateful name for a team, and then having these cases of domestic violence \u2013 the NFL is not showing the leadership that I believe it should. And it certainly doesn\u2019t deserve the tax exempt status.\u201d\r\nThe hearing focused on professional sports leagues\u2019 policies on domestic violence amid controversy over the NFL\u2019s handling of disciplinary action against running back Ray Rice.\u00a0 Cantwell and other committee members questioned witnesses about whether the leagues\u2019 policies do enough to hold players accountable and protect victims.\r\nWitnesses included representatives from the NFL, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League, as well as representatives of the various players associations.\r\n\u201cWe saw this case with Donald Sterling, and we saw immediate and swift action,\u201d said Cantwell, referring to the NBA\u2019s decision to ban former Los Angeles Clippers\u2019 owner Donald Sterling from the league.\u00a0 \u201cIt is clear that in some cases, these organizations can act swiftly and do act swiftly. The question is, in this issue of domestic violence, why you don\u2019t? What is the culture within these organizations that prevent them from acting as swiftly as in the case of Donald Sterling?\u201d\r\nCantwell (D-WA), along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), and Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) introduced legislation earlier this year that would revoke the NFL\u2019s tax-exempt status if it continues to promote the current name of the team in Washington, D.C. Many tribes and civil rights organizations have called on the team to change because it is considered a racial slur. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\r\nWitnesses at the hearing included:\r\n \r\nTroy Vincent, the NFL\u2019s Executive Vice President of Football Operations\r\nJoe Torre, MLB\u2019s Executive Vice President\r\nKathleen Behrens, the NBA\u2019s Executive Vice President for Social Responsibility and Player Programs\r\nJessica Berman, NHL Vice President and Deputy General Counsel\r\nTeri Patterson, Deputy Managing Director of the NFL Players Association\r\nSteve Fehr, Special Counsel of the NHL Players Association\r\nMichele Roberts, Executive Director of the NBA Players Association\r\n \r\nBelow is a transcript of Cantwell\u2019s remarks.\r\n\u201cWe saw this case with Donald Sterling, and we saw immediate and swift action. In fact, Michael Jordan praised the NBA saying, a powerful message was sent that there can be \u2018zero tolerance for racism and hatred.\u2019\r\n\u201cIt is clear that in some cases these organizations can act swiftly and do act swiftly. The question is, in this issue of domestic violence, why you don\u2019t?\r\n\u201cWhat we are hearing from many of my colleagues today is, what is the culture within these organizations that prevent them from acting as swiftly as in the case of Donald Sterling?\r\n\u201cI am going to submit some questions for the record, but I also, too, want to be on record. I am hearing from my constituents as I have raised this issue related to what is a very hateful name in association with the NFL -- my constituents are just flabbergasted that the NFL continues to enjoy a tax exempt status. For what purpose?\r\n\u201cAnd yet, on these issues of having a hateful name for a team, and then having these cases of domestic violence \u2013 to say nothing of the incidents of what happened in Florida with players \u2013 the NFL is not showing the leadership that I believe it should, and it certainly doesn\u2019t deserve the tax exempt status.\u201d\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://www.cantwell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=cbbacbed-fab0-48d5-89aa-c1f49b9361ae"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.52601208537817, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}