Terry O’Neill, the president of the National Organization for Women, has called for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to resign, citing Ray Rice’s assault on his now-wife as just one of many examples of the league’s failure to act against domestic violence.
“The NFL has lost its way. It doesn’t have a Ray Rice problem; it has a violence against women problem,” said Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women. “The NFL sets the example for college, high school, middle school and even elementary school football programs. And the example it is setting right now is simply unacceptable. New leadership must come in with a specific charge to transform the culture of violence against women that pervades the NFL.”
NOW officer Chitra Panjabi expresses the need for action against domestic violence in the NFL for CBS Houston, “This is not the first time that domestic violence has occurred in the league, and it shouldn’t be that when you have a media storm that a response should be made. This should be something that the league is working on all the time.”
“Mississippi NOW president Laurie Bertram Roberts issued an action alert this morning encouraging people to call and email MPB to express displeasure with MPB’s decision. She said private message boards of Mississippi activists were lighting up with anger and concern last night.”
Pamela Constable writes for The Washington Post: “Other protesters who were photographed, placed in plastic handcuffs and taken into custody included Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women; Larry Cohen, president of the Communications Workers of America; and several illegal immigrants associated with Casa de Maryland and Virginia.”