Former GM Jerry Angelo Claims NFL Teams Hid Hundreds of Domestic Violence Cases

Former Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo, who spent three decades working in the NFL, claims that NFL teams hid hundreds of domestic violence cases during his time of employment.   

Josh Peter of USA Today reported on the matter Thursday, documenting Angelo's comments:

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I made a mistake. I was human. I was part of it. I'm not proud of it. [...] We knew it was wrong...For whatever reason, it just kind of got glossed over. I'm no psychiatrist, so I can't really get into what that part of it is. I'm just telling you how I was. I've got to look at myself first. And I was part of that, but I didn't stand alone.

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The interview with Peter was about current NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Angelo doesn't believe Goodell was trying to cover up anything that happened in the domestic violence scandal surrounding former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, yet he did acknowledge the league's "failure to obtain the video" painted the NFL in an understandably negative light.

Angelo acknowledged not reporting such cases while he was in the league, instead deferring responsibility to the commissioner to uphold player conduct standards:

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Our business is to win games. We've got to win games, and the commissioner's job is to make sure the credibility of the National Football League is held in the highest esteem. But to start with that, you have to know who's representing the shield...We got our priorities a little out of order.

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Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times provides the Bears' statement on Angelo's comments:

Former Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson also knew of domestic violence cases going unreported, but he didn't fault Angelo for it.

Johnson references the Rice videotape in his assessment of the issue that has rocked professional football and raised overall awareness as a result:

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Looking at the Ray Rice situation, it's got to make everybody step back and say, "OK, how many times has this happened and it's gone unreported?" And how many times have we overlooked this? Anytime you a picture or a video to something, it makes it 100 percent more real. …When you see something so vivid, so violent, it makes everyone gasp and say, "Wow, this is real."

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Goodell came under fire for his initial mishandling of the Rice situation, in which Rice was suspended just two games. Once footage of Rice's incident surfaced, though, he was dealt an indefinite suspension and the Ravens cut him. 

The league declined comment on Angelo's claims, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

The Associated Press provided Bears legend Mike Ditka's response to the allegations:

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 Bears great Mike Ditka, meanwhile, called the comments "gutless."

"If you didn't do anything while you were running the team, then shut up. Don't live in the past," Ditka told the "Waddle & Silvy" radio show on ESPN 1000.

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Significant changes are expected to be made to the NFL's personal conduct policy prior to the Super Bowl, as Goodell met with league owners in New York this week to outline solutions.

The league has already put in place new, harsher penalties for domestic violence in particular. As of now, a first-time offense means a six-game suspension, while a second-time offense leads to a lifetime NFL ban. Each "offense" wouldn't necessarily require a court-of-law conviction, because the league plans to assess all instances on a case-by-case basis.