This letter is from two members of Congress (Hawaii and California) but other members of Congress were involved in this debate during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in December.Hawaii guy doing his best to get us Mariota. ;) http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25080192/members-of-congress-wrote-letter-to-goodell-about-nfls-domestic-violence-penalties Members of Congress to Goodell: Dock draft picks for domestic violenceBy Jared Dubin | CBSSports.com staffFebruary 24, 2015 2:49 pm ET According to the Associated Press, Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Representative Jackie Speier of California recently wrote a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in which they asked him to clarify whether teams can lose draft picks if they do not properly address domestic violence."We urge you to create accountability at all levels of the NFL, particularly among team owners, who have the most direct financial incentives to avoid long-term suspensions and quickly get players back on the field," they wrote. "We support this potential disciplinary action as a significant indication that the NFL takes these issues very seriously and intends to hold teams responsible for allowing cultures of violence and abuse."The letter from Schatz and Spier cited the penalties levied on the New England Patriots (for Spygate) and New Orleans Saints (for Bountygate) as evidence that the NFL has in the past taken away draft picks as punishment for inappropriate action, and asked that Goodell, "Please provide further clarification on whether the removal of draft picks will be used as a penalty for teams that do not appropriately address domestic violence and sexual assault."The AP also noted the following:During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in December about domestic violence in pro sports, lawmakers -- including Schatz -- pressed representatives of the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball and their players' unions on matters such as whether they conduct their own investigations into episodes of domestic violence, independent of police; whether coaches or other team personnel are required to report instances of illegal conduct to law enforcement; and what sort of help is provided for abuse victims.None of the four leagues' commissioners was present at that hearing.Domestic violence and the NFL's treatment of such is and will continue to be a hot-button issue. The league recently revised its personal conduct policy to include more defined punishments (i.e. suspensions, fines, etc.) for players engaged in domestic violence, but it has not yet levied -- or threatened to levy, or indicated that it ever will levy -- any penalties on the teams that employ said players.
